Some Corrections of Sherman's Memoirs.
By Colonel A. R. Chisolm, of General Beauregard's staff.
As a point in military history, it is deserving of particular attention that at Savannah — the end of his “march to the sea” --General Sherman lost an easy and brilliant opportunity of capturing Hardee's entire command of about 10,000 men, with that city. He writes ( “Memoirs,” page 284) that General Slocum “wanted to transfer a whole corps to the South Carolina bank” of the Savannah river, the object being to cut off Hardee's retreat! At this time Hardee's only line of retreat was by Screven's Ferry to a causeway on the South Carolina bank; he was without pontoon bridge or other means of getting away, relying only on three very small steamboats; and the only troops he had on the Carolina bank were a small force of light artillery and Ferguson's brigade of Wheeler's cavalry, numbering not more than 1,000 men. At this time General Beauregard's Military division of the West embraced the department of Lieutenant-Generals Hood and Taylor, but not that of Lieutenant-General Hardee, although he had authority to bring the latter within his command, either at Hardee's request or at his own discretion in an emergency. He had arrived in Charleston, therefore, on December 7th, with a view of saving and concentrating the scattered Confederate forces in that region for some effective action against Sherman.
He telegraphed Hardee (December 8th), advising him to hold Savannah as long as practicable, but under no circumstance to risk the garrison, and to be ready for withdrawal to a junction with Major-General Samuel Jones at Pocotaligo, South Carolina. At Hardee's urgent request, Beauregard went to Savannah on the morning of the 9th. Finding no means prepared for the contingency of evacuation, he directed the immediate construction of a
