over the Etowah to be rebuilt, Sherman, on the 4th of June, moved directly upon Ackworth, compelling thereby Johnston to abandon New Hope Church. and occupying Ackworth on the 6th of June. On the 9th, a forward move

the 16th to the 19th of May, Gens.
Thomas, McPherson and Schofield push-
ed forward by different roads, and met
with encouraging success. Kingston
was passed through on the 18th (sev
enty-nine miles south of Chattanooga),
and on the 19th, the rebels retreated ment of five miles was made, to Big
across the Etowah River, near Carters-
ville, twelve miles further south on the
railroad. Sherman now gave the troops
a few days needed rest, and had sup-
plies brought forward. Satisfied that
Johnston would check his advance at
the Allatoona Pass, Sherman resolved
to turn it by a circuit to the right. On
the 23d of May, the army was put in
motion for Dallas. Two days after, Gen.
Hooker met a body of the enemy, while
he was pushing forward to secure a
point known as New Hope Church,
where three roads meet from Ackworth,
Marietta, and Dallas. A sharp engage.
ment ensued, and Sherman's plans were
considerably interfered with by the re-
sistance of the enemy, entrenched in
front of the roads leading from Dallas
to Marietta. On the 28th of May, the
rebels ventured an attack on McPherson
at Dallas, but were repulsed with heavy
loss. Sherman, by gradually moving
his force to the left, was able, on the
1st of June, to occupy all the roads
leading back to Allatoona and Ack
worth. He then pushed Stoneman's
cavalry into Allatoona (ninety-eight
miles from Chattanooga), at the east
end of the Pass, and Garrard's cavalry
around by the rear, to the west end of
Pass. Thus was accomplished Sher-
man's real purpose of turning the Alla-
toona Pass.
Having ordered the railroad bridge troops that there was no cessation of

Shanty. Between this and Marietta
(twenty miles from Atlanta), is a
mountainous region with three promin-
ent summits, Kenesaw, Pine and Lost!
Mountains, covering perfectly the town
of Marietta and the railroad back to
the Chattahoochie. Johnston had de-
termined to make a stand here, and, ac-
cordingly, had covered the lofty hills
and summits with batteries, and set his
men at work in felling trees, digging
pits, and preparing for the severe strug.
gle at hand. Signal stations, at various
points, enabled the rebels to watch
Sherman's advance to good effect. The
rebel front extended westward from the
railroad about three miles, comprising
several successive lines of entrench-
ments. McPherson moved towards Ma-
rietta, his right on the railroad, Thomas
on Kenesaw and Pine Mountains, and
Schofield toward Lost Mountain. By
the 11th of June, dispositions were
made to break the line between Kene-
saw and Pine Mountains. For several
days, the enemy were pressed at all
points with vigor and success. The
works on Pine Mountain were abandon-
ed on the 14th of June, and those on
Lost Mountain on the 17th, and the
next day possession was secured of the
Dallas and Marietta Road. The weath
er, at the time, was very bad, and it
showed the spirit and energy of our

CH. XIII]

JOHNSTON RETREATS TO ATLANTA.

On

471

Thus, one principal object of the campaign was accomplished, the advancement of our lines from the Tennessee to the Chattahoochie; but Atlanta, only eight miles distant, was yet to be taken; and Sherman could not rest till his great work was accomplished. The troops needing repose after their severe labors, they remained in camp on the Chattahoochie until the 16th of July. The next day a general advance was made, the river was crossed, and a line formed along the Old Peach Tree Road. McPherson, and his fellow workers, Thomas and Schofield, under Sherman's direction, continued their movements from different points, and everywhere found the enemy in more or less force, skirmishing frequently and heavily.

continual skirmishing and harassing burned his bridges, and left Sherman the rebels in their mountain fastnesses. undisputed master, north and west, of Johnston drew in his left flank the Chattahoochie.* towards Kenesaw, covering Marietta and his important communications with the Chattahoochie River. the 22d of June, the rebels made an attack on our troops at Kulp House; but were speedily repulsed with heavy loss. Sherman, on studying the ground, had no alternative but to assault the rebel lines, or turn their position. He resolved on the former, and accordingly, on the 27th of June, a vigorous assault was made. It resulted, however, we are sorry to say, in failure and heavy loss; Gens. Harker and McCook were killed, and our entire loss numbered 3,000. The next step was to turn the enemy's left, the movements for which, on the 1st and 2d of July, were noted by the rebel commander, who at once abandoned Kenesaw. Thomas's whole line was moved forward in pursuit toward the Chattahoochie, and on the morning of the 3d of July, Gen. Sher man entered Marietta. During the retreat about 2,000 prisoners were cap. tured.

The rebel general endeavored to make a stand at the Chattahoochie, where he had constructed a strong tête de pont, with an advanced line at Smyrna. Sherman, by his excellent strategy, forced Johnston across the river, and while leading him to suppose that the purpose was to turn his left flank, Sherman pushed forward really against Johnston's right flank. For several days, energetic movements were in progress, and Johnston soon took the alarm. On the 9th of July, he retreated to Atlanta,

Great complaints having been made. against the rebel Gen. Johnston, seeing that he had done little else than retreat before Sherman's advance, he was removed by Jeff. Davis from command, and J. B. Hood put in his place, July 18th. This latter was the impersonation of the impetuous, dashing "chivalry" of the South; and it was confidently ex

* On the 10th of July, Sherman sent a force of about 2,000 cavalry, under Gen. Rousseau, from Decatur, Ala

bama, to cut the Montgomery and Opelika Railroad, and destroy Johnston's source of supply from this quarorders and instructions to the very letter, whipping ter. Rousseau, as Gen. Sherman states, "fulfilled his the rebel Gen. Clinton en route; he passed through Talladega, and reached the railroad on the 16th, about

twenty-five miles west of Opelika, and broke it well up to that place; also three miles of the branch toward

Columbus, and two toward West Point. He then turned north, and brought his command safely to Ma

rietta, arriving on the 22d, having sustained a trifling loss, not to exceed thirty men."

they meant to give up Atlanta without further contest; but this was not so. Hood was manoeuvring in order to induce Sherman to advance rapidly, and thereby afford him an opportunity to make a sudden and crushing assault upon our troops. Sherman pushed forward his force, thus favoring in part Hood's wishes; but he was by no means unaware that the rebel commander intended to fight, and he continued his dispositions for pressing the city on its eastern and southern fronts. During the forenoon, Sherman met McPherson and had a conference with him on some points of importance. Shortly afterwards, Gen. McPherson was killed. It appears that, in some way, unattended by his staff, which had been sent off on duty in various directions, he had fallen in with the rebel skirmishers, and refusing to surrender, had been shot down, —a loss particularly severe just at this

pected that, discarding Johnston's Fa-
bian policy, Hood would speedily teach
Shern an some bitter lessons, and as he
phrased it, "wrest his country from the
grasp of the invader."*
On the 20th
of July, all the armies had closed in,
converging towards Atlanta; but as
Hood had discovered a point in the line
weaker than the rest, he resolved to
commence the new system which he
proposed to introduce, viz., of taking
the offensive, and making a sudden,
overwhelming attack upon our men.
Accordingly about four P.M., of the
20th, he sallied out from his works in
force and attacked Sherman's right cen-
tre. The blow was heavy and wholly
unexpected, and for several hours the
battle raged fiercely, Hooker's corps
being especially exposed; but Hood
was defeated, with a loss of probably
5,000, whereas Sherman's did not
exceed 1,500. During the 21st of July,
a division of the 17th corps, under Leg-time.*
gett, drove the enemy from a high hill
to the south and east of the railroad,
and thereby obtained a commanding
position, within easy view of the very
heart of the city. The rebels fought
desperately to retake the hill, but with-
out success, and McPherson immedi-
ately threw out working parties to oc-
cupy it with strong batteries.

The battle, which had been begun by the enemy's attack on Sherman's left flank, raged violently during the remainder of the day. The rebels fought with persistency and even fury; while their assaults were met by our men, who stubbornly refused to give way. The details are fully given in Gen. Sher man's report, to which the reader is

The rebels having, on the 22d of July, abandoned their advanced line of works, Sherman at first thought that whose body was recovered and brought to me in the

* Pollard, in his spiteful way, says: "Johnston was removed, and Lieut.-Gen. Hood put in command of the army, President Davis declaring that if the people wanted' a fighting general,' they should have such in this man, who was brave, headstrong, incompetent; who had the heart of a lion, but, unfortunately, with it a head of cood."-" Last Year of the War," p. 86.

"Among the dead," are Sherman's few, expressive words, in his report, was Major-General McPherson,

heat of battle, and I had it sent in charge of his personal staff back to Marietta, on its way to his northern home. He was a noble youth, of striking personal ap pearance, of the highest professional capacity, and with a heart abounding in kindness that drew to him the affections of all men." Gen. Grant, in his report, speaks of the "brave, accomplished, and noble-hearted McPherson," p. 34.

SHERMAN'S FLANK MOVEMENT.