G. L. Fort to Montgomery C. Meigs, July 1, 1865

Quartermaster-General U. S. Army, Washington, D. C.:

General : I have the honor to respectfully report that at the close of my last annual report, June 30, 1864, I was on duty at Memphis, ,^Tenn., in charge of river transportation and what appertained thereto, ”by the assignment of Brig. Gen. Robert Allen, chief quartermaster, land reporting to Capt. A. R. Eddy, assistant quartermaster, in charge of the depot, and so continued on duty until September 1. Having ^been, by direction of the President, assigned to duty as chief quarterSmaster of the Fifteenth Army Corps, with the rank of lieutenant-col- ^’onel from July 21, 1864, was therefore relieved from duty at Memphis, and after transferring the public property in my charge, on the 15th

Memphis to join the corps, and proceeded vm Cairo, Ill., Louisville, Ky., and Nashville, Tenn., and arrived at Atlanta, Ga., September 25, and reported to Maj. Gen. P. J. OsterPlhaus, then commanding the corps, and on the 28th of September was Lannounced as chief quartermaster, and immediately entered upon

October J, 186 Jf. — The corps, with the other armies under the com¬ mand of General Sherman, started in pursuit of the rebel army under the command of the rebel General Hood.

The mules of the corps were poor and miserable, and we had no , lorage. Hood was not overtaken, and General Sherman returned day of November, 1864, severed all communications with the north and set out on a campaign which, after continued skirmishing, hard marching, and a battle at Griswoldville, the assault of Fort McAllis¬ ter and the siege of Savannah, terminated in the capture of that city on ‘the 21st day of December. We foraged upon the country and recruited our animals on the campaign, but there being no forage to be had in Savannah, they soon became considerably reduced.

January 8, 1865.— Msij, Gen. John A. Logan returned and resumed command of the corps, and a new campaign was begun through South

The corps proceeded to Beaufort, S. C., partly by small ocean steamers and partly by water. It rained in torrents almost every day and the whole country was flooded.

January 28. — The corps began to move from Beaufort; passed Pocotaligo, and then floundered on through the mud and water to Columbia, the capital of the State of South Carolina, which was cap tured, occupied, and burned on the 17th day of February, having had continued fighting and skirmishing from Savannah.

February 21. — We again resumed our march, and thousands ot refugees — white, black, and mixed — followed. The roads were worse.

We had to corduroy and bridge miles of swamp every day. Cap

^ . i .11 -VT _ ^ +1-.^ OA-i-li « n /I 01 o

tured Cheraw, S. O., Fayetteville, N. C., and on the 20th and 21st davs of March had a battle at and near Bentonville, N. C., and entered Goldshorough, N. C., March 24, where we received supplies April 10.— again set out on another campaign. The roads werd very bad. We reached, captured, and entered Raleigh, the capital o North Carolina, April 13, and here we rested until the rebel Genera: Johnston surrendered his army to General Sherman, when we made

ready to march homeward. i . ^ i

Avril 29.— ‘Wq set out lightly loaded for Washington City, and o course

having no opposition, reached Alexandria, Va., via

Peters

burg and Richmond, May 19, 1865.

Maior-General Logan having been assigned to the command ot tne Army of the Tennessee, Major-General Hazen assumed command o the Fifteenth Army Corps May 22 [23].

]\j;ay The corps was reviewed in Washington City, and imme diately after commenced embarkation by the Baltimore and Ohi( Railroad via Parkersburg, and by the Ohio River in transports, t( Louisville, Ky., where the corps went into camp, and now awaits oi*d.0rs

No public property for which I was accountable has been lost destroyed, or captured during the year, and all forage gathered an( all property captured during the year by the corps has been taken u] and accounted for by the division quartermasters.

2. Reference is respectfully made to a statement made in accord

ance with Form A, to be filed herewith. ,

3. Reference is respectfully had to a statement made in accorq ance with Form B, to be filed herewith.

4. Reference is respectfully made to a statement of public money.

to be filed herewith. ^ . .i, 4- ^

5. Reference is respectfully made to a statement of the amount c transportation furnished during the year, to be filed herewith.

6 I have the honor to respectfully state that I have performed n duties during the year that could not be reported under this head.

7. Reference is respectfully made to a statement made in accord¬ ance with Form C, to be tiled herewith.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your most obedient servant,