The governor, Sherman says, was careful to carry away even his garden vegetables, while he left the archives of the State to fall into our hands.

The only military force that was opposed to Sherman's forward march was the Georgia militia, a division under the command of General G.W.Smith, and a battalion under Harry Wayne.
Neither the quality of the forces nor their numbers was sufficient to even retard the progress of Sherman's army.
The people at the South became so frantic at this time at the successful invasion of Georgia that they took the cadets from the military college and added them to the ranks of the militia.

They even liberated the State convicts under promise from them that they would serve in the army.

I have but little doubt that the worst acts that were attributed to Sherman's army were committed by these convicts, and by other Southern people who ought to have been under sentence--such people as could be found in every community, North and South--who took advantage of their country being invaded to commit crime.

They were in but little danger of detection, or of arrest even if detected.
The Southern papers in commenting upon Sherman's movements pictured him as in the most deplorable condition: stating that his men were starving, that they were demoralized and wandering about almost without object, aiming only to reach the sea coast and get under the protection of our navy.