During the campaign, the troops were principally subsisted off the country through which we passed.
On the sixteenth, we reached and commenced destroying the railroad near Stone Mountain. My regiment here destroyed about two miles of the road. But small forces of the enemy were met, and until our arrival before Savannah, it was necessary for the regiment to take a position in line of battle but twice. The first time was near Sandersville, on November twenty-fifth. We met the enemy late in the afternoon. The fighting (which was nothing more than skirmishing) was principally done by our advance cavalry. The Third brigade was in advance, and formed in line of battle. We encamped in line, and the next morning the Second brigade took the advance, the Third brigade following. The enemy made but very little opposition, and we had no difficulty in occupying Sandersville. From this place, we moved to Tennille Station, (November thirteenth,) and destroyed about half a mile of the railroad.
On the twenty-seventh, we reached Davisboro Station, on the Georgia Central Railroad, and early on the morning of the twenty-eighth commenced destroying the railroad. We destroyed about three miles of the road, and at night went into camp at Station No. Eleven. The Third brigade, at this point, was detached from the corps, for the purpose of guarding the corps train. On the thirtieth, we crossed the Little Ogeechee, several miles above the railroad, in consequence of the destruction of the bridge, and encamped near the east bank of the river.
We marched and crossed the Augusta Branch Railroad on the third day of December, leaving Millen to our right. On the fifth, our regiment was sent two miles from camp, with orders to destroy two mills. I destroyed the mills, and returned to camp. From this time until the ninth, nothing worthy of note occurred. On the ninth, we found the enemy in considerable force in our front. They were in a strong position, had fortifications with two pieces of artillery, and their front and right was protected by a swamp. The Thirty-first Wisconsin and Sixty-first Ohio were thrown forward, and succeeded in passing through this swamp, and attacked the enemy in the rear and right. The Eighty-second Ohio was thrown forward as a support, but before my regiment succeeded in passing through this swamp, the Thirty-first Wisconsin and Sixty-first Ohio had attacked and routed the enemy. On the tenth, having reached Monteith, a station on the Savannah and Charleston Railroad, the Third brigade was ordered to commence and effectually destroy as much of this road as possible. The Eighty-second Ohio regiment destroyed about three hundred yards of the road, and also the station-house. The same day, having reached the enemy's lines in front of Savannah, the brigade took up a position with three regiments in line of battle, with the Second brigade on the right. My regiment was on the front line, connecting with the Thirty-first Wisconsin on the right, and the One Hundred and Forty-third New-York on the left. On the eleventh, the brigade was moved a short distance to the left, the regiments occupying the same positions in line.
On the thirteenth, the brigade was moved about three miles to the rear, where a second or rear-line was formed, for the purpose of protecting the rear. The Eighty-second occupied the right of this line, my pickets connecting with those of the One Hundred and Forty-third New-York on my left. My command occupied this position until the surrender of Savannah and its occupation by our forces. The regiment entered its present encampment on the twenty-third December, connecting on the right with the One Hundred and Forty-third New-York, and on the left with the Thirty-first Wisconsin. During this campaign, my command has captured thirteen head of horses, twenty-five head of mules, thirty head of cattle, one hundred and fifty head of hogs thirty-five head of sheep, two hundred pounds sugar, fodder four tons, two hundred bushels of corn, two hundred bushels of potatoes, one hundred and twenty-five bushels of corn-meal, one thousand pounds of flour, one hundred and sixty gallons of molasses, and chickens and turkeys innumerable. My command also captured thirty negroes, and destroyed, in all, six miles of railroad and one hundred and fifty bales of cotton, and burned two cotton-gins.
I am, Captain, very respectfully,
Lieutenant-Colonel Watkins's Report.
After the possession of Atlanta by our forces, the regiment went into camp on the east side of the city. While in this camp, company and battalion drills were held, estimates forwarded for clothing, equipage, and stores, to furnish the command for the “fine winter campaign,” as ordered.
The regiment formed a portion of a foraging expedition sent out under command of Colonel Robinson, September twentieth. The regiment loaded twenty-eight (28) wagons with corn, when the expedition returned to camp. Again, October twenty-sixth, it formed a part of a foraging expedition sent out under charge of Brigadier-General Geary, the regiment loading sixty-five (65) wagons with corn. On the morning of November fifteenth, the regiment broke camp, and started on the campaign just ended.
The effective force at this time was nineteen commissioned officers and two hundred and forty-four muskets; also fourteen unarmed recruits, for whom arms could not be procured previous to starting. The effective force at present, nineteen (19) commissioned officers and two hundred and
