General Slocum, who was in the advance ascertaining that the whole of Johnston's army was in the front, arranged his troops on the defensive, intrenched himself and awaited reinforcements, which were pushed forward.

On the night of the 21st the enemy retreated to Smithfield, leaving his dead and wounded in our hands.

From there Sherman continued to Goldsboro', which place had been occupied by General Schofield on the 21st (crossing the Neuse River ten miles above there, at Cox's Bridge, where General Terry had got possession and thrown a pontoon-bridge on the 22d), thus forming a junction with the columns from New Bern and Wilmington.
Among the important fruits of this campaign was the fall of Charleston, South Carolina.

It was evacuated by the enemy on the night of the 17th of February, and occupied by our forces on the 18th.
On the morning of the 31st of January, General Thomas was directed to send a cavalry expedition, under General Stoneman, from East Tennessee, to penetrate South Carolina well down towards Columbia, to destroy the railroads and military resources of the country, and return, if he was able, to East Tennessee by way of Salisbury, North Carolina, releasing our prisoners there, if possible.

Of the feasibility of this latter, however, General Stoneman was to judge.