Generals　Slocum　and　Howard　moved　their　headquarters　at　once　into　the　city；　leaving　the　bulk　of　their　troops　in　camps　outside。　　On　the　morning　of　December　22d　I　followed　with　my　own　headquarters；　and　rode　down　Bull　Street　to　the　custom…house；　from　the　roof　of　which　we　had　an　extensive　view　over　the　city；　the　river；　and　the　vast　extent　of　marsh　and　rice…fields　on　the　South　Carolina　side。　The　navy…yard；　and　the　wreck　of　the　iron…clad　ram　Savannah；　were　still　smouldering；　but　all　else　looked　quiet　enough。　　Turning　back；　we　rode　to　the　Pulaski　Hotel；　which　I　had　known　in　years　long　gone；　and　found　it　kept　by　a　Vermont　man　with　a　lame　leg；　who　used　to　be　a　clerk　in　the　St。　Louis　Hotel；　New　Orleans；　and　I　inquired　about　the　capacity　of　his　hotel　for　headquarters。　　He　was　very　anxious　to　have　us　for　boarders；　but　I　soon　explained　to　him　that　we　had　a　full　mess　equipment　along；　and　that　we　were　not　in　the　habit　of　paying　board；　that　one　wing　of　the　building　would　suffice　for　our　use；　while　I　would　allow　him　to　keep　an　hotel　for　the　accommodation　of　officers　and　gentlemen　in　the　remainder。　　I　then　dispatched　an　officer　to　look　around　for　a　livery…stable　that　could　accommodate　our　horses；　and；　while　waiting　there；　an　English　gentleman；　Mr。　Charles　Green；　came　and　said　that　he　had　a　fine　house　completely　furnished；　for　which　he　had　no　use；　and　offered　it　as　headquarters。　He　explained；　moreover；　that　General　Howard　had　informed　him；　the　day　before；　that　I　would　want　his　house　for　headquarters。　　At　first　I　felt　strongly　disinclined　to　make　use　of　any　private　dwelling；　lest　complaints　should　arise　of　damage　and　lose　of　furniture；　and　so　expressed　myself　to　Mr。　Green；　but；　after　riding　about　the　city；　and　finding　his　house　so　spacious；　so　convenient；　with　large　yard　and　stabling；　I　accepted　his　offer；　and　occupied　that　house　during　our　stay　in　Savannah。　　He　only　reserved　for　himself　the　use　of　a　couple　of　rooms　above　the　dining…room；　and　we　had　all　else；　and　a　most　excellent　house　it　was　in　all　respects。
  I　was　disappointed　that　Hardee　had　escaped　with　his　army；　but　on　the　whole　we　had　reason　to　be　content　with　the　substantial　fruits　of　victory。　　The　Savannah　River　was　found　to　be　badly　obstructed　by　torpedoes；　and　by　log　piers　stretched　across　the　channel　below　the　city；　which　piers　were　filled　with　the　cobble　stones　that　formerly　paved　the　streets。　　Admiral　Dahlgren　was　extremely　active；　visited　me　repeatedly　in　the　city；　while　his　fleet　still　watched　Charleston；　and　all　the　avenues；　for　the　blockade…runners　that　infested　the　coast；　which　were　notoriously　owned　and　managed　by　Englishmen；　who　used　the　island　of　New　Providence　（Nassau）　as　a　sort　of　entrepot。　　One　of　these　small　blockade…runners　came　into　Savannah　after　we　were　in　full　possession；　and　the　master　did　not　discover　his　mistake　till　he　came　ashore　to　visit　the　custom…house。　Of　coarse　his　vessel　fell　a　prize　to　the　navy。　　A　heavy　force　was　at　once　set　to　work　to　remove　the　torpedoes　and　obstructions　in　the　main　channel　of　the　river；　and；　from　that　time　forth；　Savannah　became　the　great　depot　of　supply　for　the　troops　operating　in　that　quarter。
  Meantime；　on　the　15th　and　16th　of　December；　were　fought；　in　front　of　Nashville；　the　great　battles　in　which　General　Thomas　so　nobly　fulfilled　his　promise　to　ruin　Hood；　the　details　of　which　are　fully　given　in　his　own　official　reports；　long…since　published。　　Rumors　of　these　great　victories　reached　us　at　Savannah　by　piecemeal；　but　his　official　report　came　on　the　24th　of　December；　with　a　letter　from　General　Grant；　giving　in　general　terms　the　events　up　to　the　18th；　and　I　wrote　at　once　through　my　chief　of　staff；　General　Webster；　to　General　Thomas；　complimenting　him　in　the　highest　terms。　　His　brilliant　victory　at　Nashville　was　necessary　to　mine　at　Savannah　to　make　a　complete　whole；　and　this　fact　was　perfectly　comprehended　by　Mr。　Lincoln；　who　recognized　it　fully　in　his　personal　letter　of　December　26th；　hereinbefore　quoted　at　length；　and　which　is　also　claimed　at　the　time；　in　my　Special　Field　Order　No。　6；　of　January　8；　1865；　here　given：
  （Special　Field　Order　No。　6。＇
  HEADQUARTERS　MILITARY　DIVISION　OE　THE　MISSISSIPPI；　IN　THE　FIELD；　NEAR　SAVANNAH；　GEORGIA；　January　8；　1864。
  The　general　commanding　announces　to　the　troops　composing　the　Military　Division　of　the　Mississippi　that　he　has　received　from　the　President　of　the　United　States；　and　from　Lieutenant…General　Grant；　letters　conveying　their　high　sense　and　appreciation　of　the　campaign　just　closed；　resulting　in　the　capture　of　Savannah　and　the　defeat　of　Hood's　army　in　Tennessee。
  In　order　that　all　may　understand　the　importance　of　events；　it　is　proper　to　revert　to　the　situation　of　affairs　in　September　laSt。　We　held　Atlanta；　a　city　of　little　valve　to　us；　but　so　important　to　the　enemy　that　Mr。　Davis；　the　head　of　the　rebellious　faction　in　the　South；　visited　his　army　near　Palmetto；　and　commanded　it　to　regain　the　place　and　also　to　ruin　and　destroy　us；　by　a　series　of　measures　which　he　thought　would　be　effectual。　　That　army；　by　a　rapid　march；　gained　our　railroad　near　Big　Shanty；　and　afterward　about　Dalton。　We　pursued　it；　but　it　moved　so　rapidly　that　we　could　not　overtake　it；　and　General　Hood　led　his　army　successfully　far　over　toward　Mississippi；　in　hope　to　decoy　us　out　of　Georgia。　　But　we　were　not　thus　to　be　led　away　by　him；　and　preferred　to　lead　and　control　events　ourselves。　　Generals　Thomas　and　Schofield；　commanding　the　departments　to　our　rear；　returned　to　their　posts　and　prepared　to　decoy　General　Hood　into　their　meshes；　while　we　came　on　to　complete　the　original　journey。　　We　quietly　and　deliberately　destroyed　Atlanta；　and　all　the　railroads　which　the　enemy　had　used　to　carry　on　war　against　us；　occupied　his　State　capital；　and　then　captured　his　commercial　capital；　which　had　been　so　strongly　fortified　from　the　sea　as　to　defy　approach　from　that　quarter。　　Almost　at　the　moment　of　our　victorious　entry　into　Savannah　came　the　welcome　and　expected　news　that　our　comrades　in　Tennessee　had　also　fulfilled　nobly　and　well　their　part；　had　decoyed　General　Hood　to　Nashville　and　then　turned　on　him；　defeating　his　army　thoroughly；　capturing　all　his　artillery；　great　numbers　of　prisoners；　and　were　still　pursuing　the　fragments　down　in　Alabama。　　So　complete　s　success　in　military　operations；　extending　over　half　a　continent；　is　an　achievement　that　entitles　it　to　a　place　in　the　military　history　of　the　world。　　The　armies　serving　in　Georgia　and　Tennessee；　as　well　as　the　local　garrisons　of　Decatur；　Bridgeport；　Chattanooga；　and　Murfreesboro'；　are　alike　entitled　to　the　common　honors；　and　each　regiment　may　inscribe　on　its　colors；　at　pleasure；　the　word　〃Savannah〃　or　〃Nashville。〃　　The　general　commanding　embraces；　in　the　same　general　success；　the　operations　of　the　cavalry　under　Generals　Stoneman；　Burbridge；　and　Gillem；　that　penetrated　into　Southwest　Virginia；　and　paralyzed　the　efforts　of　the　enemy　to　disturb　the　peace　and　safety　of　East　Tennessee。　　Instead　of　being　put　on　the　defensive；　we　have　at　all　points　assumed　the　bold　offensive；　and　have　completely　thwarted　the　designs　of　the　enemies　of　our　country。
  By　order　of　Major…General　W。　T。　Sherman；　L。　　M。　　DAYTON；　Aide…de…Camp。
  Here　terminated　the　〃March　to　the　Sea；〃　and　I　only　add　a　few　letters；　selected　out　of　many；　to　illustrate　the　general　feeling　of　rejoicing　throughout　the　country　at　the　time。　　I　only　regarded　the　march　from　Atlanta　to　Savannah　as　a　〃shift　of　base；〃　as　the　transfer　of　a　strong　army；　which　had　no　opponent；　and　had　finished　its　then　work；　from　the　interior　to　a　point　on　the　sea…coast；　from　which　it　could　achieve　other　important　results。　　I　considered　this　march　as　a　means　to　an　end；　and　not　as　an　essential　act　of　war。　Still；　then；　as　now；　the　march　to　the　sea　was　generally　regarded　as　something　extraordinary；　something　anomalous；　something　out　of　the　usual　order　of　events；　whereas；　in　fact；　I　simply　moved　from　Atlanta　to　Savannah；　as　one　step　in　the　direction　of　Richmond；　a　movement　that　had　to　be　met　and　defeated；　or　the　war　was　necessarily　at　an　end。
  Were　I　to　express　my　measure　of　the　relative　importance　of　the　march　to　the　sea；　and　of　that　from　Savannah　northward；　I　would　place　the　former　at　one；　and　the　latter　at　ten；　or　the　maximum。
  I　now　close　this　long　chapter　by　giving　a　tabular　statement　of　the　losses　during　the　march；　and　the　number　of　prisoners　captured。　　The　property　captured　consisted　of　horses　and　mules　by　the　thousand；　and　of　quantities　of　subsistence　stores　that　aggregate　very　large；　but　may　be　measured　with　sufficient　accuracy　by　assuming　that　sixty…five　thousand　men　obtained　abundant　food　for　about　forty　days；　and　thirty…five　thousand　animals　were　fed　for　a　like　period；　so　as　to　reach　Savannah　in　splendid　flesh　and　condition。　　I　also　add　a　few　of　the　more　important　letters　that　passed　between　Generals　Grant；　Halleck；　and　myself；　which　illustrate　our　opinions　at　that　stage　of　the　war：
  STATEMENT　OF　CASUALTIES　AND　PRISONERS　CAPTURED　BY　THE　ARMY　IN　THE　FIELD；　CAMPAIGN　OF　GEORGIA。
  Killed　　　　　　　　Wounded　　　　　　　　　Missing　　　　　　　Captured　Officers/Men　　　Officers/Men　　　Officers/Men　　　Officers/Men　　　　10　　　　93　　　　　　　　24　　　404　　　　　　　1　　　　277　　　　　　　77　　1；261
  HEADQUARTERS　OF　THE　ARMY　WASHINGTON；　December　16；　1864
  Major…General　SHERMAN　（via　Hilton　Head