- ately sent a staff officer to notify the general commanding,
and at the same time pushed forward rapidly in the direction of Savannah, hoping to overtake and capture a part of the enemy's force. My skirmishers deployed and swept over all the ground between the evacuated works and the Ogeechee canal, from the river to the Augusta road, while my main body of troops marched rapidly by the flank through McAlpin's plantation to the Augusta road, and on into the city. Just outside of the city limits near the junction of the Louisville and Augusta roads, I met the mayor of Savannah and a delegation from the board of alderman, bearing a flag of truce. From them I received in the name of my commanding general the surrender of the city. This was at 4:30 A. M., and I sent immediately another staff officer to announce the surrender to the general commanding the corps. He had considerable difficulty in passing the line of another division of this corps on the Augusta road, but finally convinced them that he belonged to the Twentieth corps and not to the enemy. In the meantime my entire division entered the city of Savannah at early dawn, and before the sun first gilded the morning clouds, our National colors, side by side with those of my own division, were unfurled from the dome of the exchange, and over the United States custom house. The brigade which led on entering the city, was at once ordered to patrol it, reduce it to order and quiet, and prevent any pillaging or lawlessness on the part either of soldiers or citizens. My orders on the subject were very strict, and within a few hours this city, in which I had found a lawless mob of low whites and negroes pillaging and setting fire to property, was reduced to order. Many millions of dollars worth of cotton, ordnance and commissary stores, etc., which would have been otherwise
