December 13, 1864 - Savannah, GA After their six-week sojourn from Atlanta, through the heart of Georgia, General William Tecumseh Sherman needed to reestablish contact with Washington and replenish the supplies for his 62,000 man expeditionary force. As he deployed his four corps to invest the port city of Savannah, his cavalry scouts informed him the lightly defended Ft. McAllister could be taken by a determined Infantry attack. Sherman realized that by seizing McAllister, his army would control the Ogeechee River, giving him a clear, open channel to the sea, where the Union Navy awaited him. Sherman gave the mission to his Army of the Tennessee (Wing) Commander, General Oliver Otis Howard, who then chose General William Hazen’s 2nd Division, XV Corps for the assault. As Sherman and Howard watched from a raised observation platform, Hazens hard charging Infantry maneuvered through the abatis (sharpened wooden stakes/branches with the points facing the attackers) and buried mines (then called torpedoes) and overwhelmed the veteran, but heavily outnumbered, defenders within 15 minutes. The USS Dandelion (Admiral Dahlgrens flagship) was in view in nearby Ossabaw Sound. The next day, Sherman rowed down the Ogeechee, past the captured fort, into the Sound and visited Dahlgren aboard his ship. Contact reestablished and his supply lines now open and secure, Sherman could now plan for the siege and capture of Savannah.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 12:53:42 +0000
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