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memoirs of general william t. sherman-1-第6部分

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On the 16th of December I continued on to Mobile in the steamer Fashion by way of Lake Pontchartrain; saw there most of my personal friends; Mr。 and Mrs。 Bull; Judge Bragg and his brother Dunbar; Deshon; Taylor; and Myers; etc。; and on the 19th of December took passage in the steamboat Bourbon for Montgomery; Alabama; by way of the Alabama River。  We reached Montgomery at noon; December 23d; and took cars at 1 p。 m。for Franklin; forty miles; which we reached at 7 p。  m。; thence stages for Griffin; Georgia; via La Grange and Greenville。  This took the whole night of the 23d and the day of the 24th。  At Griffin we took cars for Macon; and thence to Savannah; which we reached Christmas…night; finding Lieutenants Ridgley and Ketchum at tea; where we were soon joined by Rankin and Beckwith。

On the 26th I took the boat for Charleston; reaching my post; and reported for duty Wednesday morning; December 27; 1843。

I had hardly got back to my post when; on the 21st of January; 1844; I received from Lieutenant R。 P。 Hammond; at Marietta; Georgia; an intimation that Colonel Churchill; Inspector…General of the Army; had applied for me to assist him in taking depositions in upper Georgia and Alabama; concerning certain losses by volunteers in Florida of horses and equipments by reason of the failure of the United States to provide sufficient forage; and for which Congress had made an appropriation。  On the 4th of February the order came from the Adjutant…General in Washington for me to proceed to Marietta; Georgia; and report to Inspector…General Churchill。  I was delayed till the 14th of February by reason of being on a court…martial; when I was duly relieved and started by rail to Augusta; Georgia; and as far as Madison; where I took the mail…coach; reaching Marietta on the 17th。  There I reported for duty to Colonel Churchill; who was already engaged on his work; assisted by Lieutenant R。 P。 Hammond; Third Artillery; and a citizen named Stockton。  The colonel had his family with him; consisting of Mrs。 Churchill; Mary; now Mrs。 Professor Baird; and Charles Churchill; then a boy of about fifteen years of age。

We all lived in a tavern; and had an office convenient。  The duty consisted in taking individual depositions of the officers and men who had composed two regiments and a battalion of mounted volunteers that had served in Florida。  An oath was administered to each man by Colonel Churchill; who then turned the claimant over to one of us to take down and record his deposition according to certain forms; which enabled them to be consolidated and tabulated。 We remained in Marietta about six weeks; during which time I repeatedly rode to Kenesaw Mountain; and over the very ground where afterward; in 1864; we had some hard battles。

After closing our business at Marietta the colonel ordered us to transfer our operations to Bellefonte; Alabama。  As he proposed to take his family and party by the stage; Hammond lent me his riding…horse; which I rode to Allatoona and the Etowah River。 Hearing of certain large Indian mounds near the way; I turned to one side to visit them; stopping a couple of days with Colonel Lewis Tumlin; on whose plantation these mounds were。  We struck up such an acquaintance that we corresponded for some years; and as I passed his plantation during the war; in 1864; I inquired for him; but he was not at home。  From Tumlin's I rode to Rome; and by way of Wills Valley over Sand Mountain and the Raccoon Range to the Tennessee River at Bellefonte; Alabama。  We all assembled there in March; and continued our work for nearly two months; when; having completed the business; Colonel Churchill; with his family; went North by way of Nashville; Hammond; Stockton; and I returning South on horseback; by Rome; Allatoona; Marietta; Atlanta; and Madison; Georgia。  Stockton stopped at Marietta; where he resided。  Hammond took the cars at Madison; and I rode alone to Augusta; Georgia; where I left the horse and returned to Charleston and Fort Moultrie by rail。

Thus by a mere accident I was enabled to traverse on horseback the very ground where in after…years I had to conduct vast armies and fight great battles。  That the knowledge thus acquired was of infinite use to me; and consequently to the Government; I have always felt and stated。

During the autumn of 1844; a difficulty arose among the officers of Company B; Third Artillery (John R。 Yinton's); garrisoning Augusta Arsenal; and I was sent up from Fort Moultrie as a sort of peace…maker。  After staying there some months; certain transfers of officers were made; which reconciled the difficulty; and I returned to my post; Fort Moultrie。  During that winter; 1844…'45; I was visiting at the plantation of Mr。 Poyas; on the east branch of the Cooper; about fifty miles from Fort Moultrie; hunting deer with his son James; and Lieutenant John F。 Reynolds; Third Artillery。  We had taken our stands; and a deer came out of the swamp near that of Mr。 James Poyas; who fired; broke the leg of the deer; which turned back into the swamp and came out again above mine。  I could follow his course by the cry of the hounds; which were in close pursuit。 Hastily mounting my horse; I struck across the pine…woods to head the deer off; and when at full career my horse leaped a fallen log and his fore…foot caught one of those hard; unyielding pineknots that brought him with violence to the ground。  I got up as quick as possible; and found my right arm out of place at the shoulder; caused by the weight of the double…barrelled gun。

Seeing Reynolds at some distance; I called out lustily and brought him to me。  He soon mended the bridle and saddle; which had been broken by the fall; helped me on my horse; and we followed the coarse of the hounds。  At first my arm did not pain me much; but it soon began to ache so that it was almost unendurable。  In about three miles we came to a negro hut; where I got off and rested till Reynolds could overtake Poyas and bring him back。  They came at last; but by that time the arm was so swollen and painful that I could not ride。  They rigged up an old gig belonging to the negro; in which I was carried six miles to the plantation of Mr。 Poyas; Sr。  A neighboring physician was sent for; who tried the usual methods of setting the arm; but without success; each time making the operation more painful。  At last he sent off; got a set of double pulleys and cords; with which he succeeded in extending the muscles and in getting the bone into place。  I then returned to Fort Moultrie; but being disabled; applied for a short leave and went North。

I started January 25;1845; went to Washington; Baltimore; and Lancaster; Ohio; whence I went to Mansfield; and thence back by Newark to Wheeling; Cumberland; Baltimore; Philadelphia; and New York; whence I sailed back for Charleston on the ship Sullivan; reaching Fort Moultrie March 9; 1845。

About that time (March 1; 1845) Congress had; by a joint resolution; provided for the annexation of Texas; then an independent Republic; subject to certain conditions requiring the acceptance of the Republic of Texas to be final and conclusive。  We all expected war as a matter of course。  At that time General Zachary Taylor had assembled a couple of regiments of infantry and one of dragoons at Fort Jessup; Louisiana; and had orders to extend military protection to Texas against the Indians; or a 〃foreign enemy;〃 the moment the terms of annexation were accepted。  He received notice of such acceptance July 7th; and forthwith proceeded to remove his troops to Corpus Christi; Texas; where; during the summer and fall of 1845; was assembled that force with which; in the spring of 1846; was begun the Mexican War。

Some time during that summer came to Fort Moultrie orders for sending Company E; Third Artillery; Lieutenant Bragg; to New Orleans; there to receive a battery of field…guns; and thence to the camp of General Taylor at Corpus Christi。  This was the first company of our regiment sent to the seat of war; and it embarked on the brig Hayne。  This was the only company that left Fort Moultrie till after I was detached for recruiting service on the 1st of May; 1846。

Inasmuch as Charleston afterward became famous; as the spot where began our civil war; a general description of it; as it was in 1846; will not be out of place。

The city lies on a long peninsula between the Ashley and Cooper Riversa low; level peninsula; of sand。  Meeting Street is its Broadway; with King Street; next west and parallel; the street of shops and small stores。  These streets are crossed at right angles by many others; of which Broad Street was the principal; and the insersection of Meeting and Broad was the heart of the city; marked by the Guard…House and St。 Michael's Episcopal Church。  The Custom…House; Post…Office; etc。; were at the foot of Broad Street; near the wharves of the Cooper River front。  At the extremity of the peninsula was a drive; open to the bay; and faced by some of the handsomest houses of the city; called the 〃Battery。〃  Looking down the bay on the right; was James Island; an irregular triangle of about seven miles; the whole island in cultivation with sea…island cotton。  At the lower end was Fort Johnson; then simply the station of Captain Bowman; United States Engineers; engaged in building Fort Sumter。  This fort (Sumter) was erected on an artificial island nearly in mid…channel; made by dumping rocks; mostly brought as ballast in cotton…ships from the North。  As the rock reached the surface it was levelled; and made the foundation of Fort Sumter。  In 1846 this fort was barely above the water。 Still farther out beyond James Island; and separated from it by a wide space of salt marsh with crooked channels; was Morris Island; composed of the sand…dunes thrown up by the wind and the sea; backed with the salt marsh。  On this was the lighthouse; but no people。

On the left; looking down the bay from the Battery of Charleston; was; first; Castle Pinckney; a round brick fort; of two tiers of guns; one in embrasure; the other in barbette; built on a marsh island; which was not garrisoned。  Farther down the bay a point of the mainland reached the bay; where there was a group of houses; called Mount Pleasant; and at the extremity of the bay; distant six miles; w
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