Saturday, 24th—General Foster’s command is still in pursuit of the fleeing rebels through South Carolina. They had an encounter yesterday with them, in which the rebels were completely routed. General Foster was wounded in the fight and was brought into town this morning. General Sherman[1] reviewed the Fifteenth Army Corps this morning. We had company drill this afternoon.
[1] While on our march through Georgia, all the men had a chance to see Sherman at close range, as he rode with the different corps, changing from one to another. As we approached Savannah, going in on the main road, which was rather narrow he was with our corps, the Seventeenth, which had most of the fighting to do. I noticed that when he wished to get ahead to the front of the corps, he never would crowd the infantry aside, but instead rode alongside himself, leaving the good road for them. I have seen him ride this way, his horse on an ordinary walk, with his staff officers riding in single file behind him. Some of the boys would ask him questions, or make some joking remarks as to where we were going, and the general would seldom reply, but would always have a pleasant smile in recognition of the question asked. He won the respect of the boys, and they all had confidence in him. —A. G. D.
