On Nov. 15, 1864, after destroying Atlanta and cutting his communications with the North, Maj. Gen. W. T. Sherman, USA, began his destructive Campaign for Savannah, the March to the Sea. He divided his Union army into two wings. The Left Wing, the 14th and 20th Corps under Maj. Gen. H.W. Slocum, USA, moved east from Atlanta in two columns that converged on Milledgeville, crossed the Ogeechee River near Louisville, and then marched toward Savannah by two routes: the 14th Corps under Davis on the old road near the Savannah River, and the 20th Corps under Williams via Springfield. Both corps approached Savannah via Monteith, and Sherman accompanied the Left Wing as far as Sandersville. The Right Wing, the 15th and 17th Corps under Maj. Gen. O. O. Howard, USA, marched south via Gordon and crossed the Oconee River at Ball`s Ferry. The 15th Corps under Osterhaus marched on roads west of the Ogeechee River, with its right through Statesboro. The 17th Corps under Maj. Gen. F.P. Blair, USA, accompanied by Sherman and his staff, crossed the Ogeechee River at Midville, marched southeast on the present Ga. 17, and destroyed the Central Railroad from Midville to near Savannah. It crossed the present US 301 at Coopersville on Dec. 4th. That day, the 14th Corps, the extreme left, was marching on the Old Savannah Road, the 20th Corps was on the Middle Ground Road seven miles north, and the 15th Corps, the extreme right, was on the Old Milledgeville Road between Statesboro and the Ogeechee River.