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to bury the dead and care for the ter's ferry, surprising the guard, capwounded, he again threw " forward turing a gun, and soon fortifying his right: McPherson, in front of himself strongly on high ground, Kenesaw, being relieved by Garrard's commanding good roads, tending cavalry, and ordered to move rapidly east, while he had laid a pontoon by the right down to the Chattahoo- and a trestle bridge across the river. chee, threatening to cross with the Howard soon had a similar bridge railroad at or near Turner's ferry. and position two miles below; and The success of this manœuver was in- there was a general movement of our stantaneous. Though its execution forces from right to left, which conbegan at nightfall, Kenesaw was strained Johnston to abandon his fort forthwith evacuated by Johnston; or bridge-head, burn his bridges and our skirmishers stood on the summit bring his last man across the Chattaat dawn; and—our whole army press-hoochee." His new line, covering ing forward-General Sherman rode into Marietta on the heels of the Rebel rear-guard at 83 a. M.

Atlanta, had the river on its left front and Peach-tree creek on its right.

Sherman now gave his men a little much needed rest; and, before active operations recommenced, Johnston had been superseded in chief command by Gen. J. B. Hood, of Texas.

Sherman was thus eager in the pursuit, expecting to catch Johnston crossing the Chattahoochee and destroy half his army; but the wary Confederate had ere this strongly intrenched a position on this side, covering the passage of the river, and stood here awaiting-in fact, inviting -an assault. Sherman paused, and cautiously approached; sending forward at length" a strong skirmish-merical strength of ours, and in noline, which carried the enemy's outer line of rifle-pits, taking some prison

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Johnston's campaign, it appeared, had not answered the expectations of his superiors at Richmond. He had not demolished Sherman, with an army of little more than half the nu

thing superior thereto. He had not even been able to prevent Sherman's persistent, determined, and generally skillful advance. But he had made the most of the rare advantages to the defensive, afforded by the chaotic region across which he had been steadily driven, and had missed no good opportunity to strike a damaging blow. Pollard says he had lost about 10,000 in killed and wounded, and 4,700 from "all other causes"-that is, about one-fourth of his entire army-which, considering that he had fought no great battle, and could not afford to fight one, argues tolerably

But the Chattahoochee is here a large stream; rapid as well as deep, and barely fordable at one or two points. The railroad and other bridges, of course, were covered by the enemy's strong work on our side, which they still held. But Gen. Schofield was now moved rapidly from our extreme right to our left, and there pushed across, above Pow-sharp work for a two months' purely

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HOOD'S FIRST ATTACK REPULSED.

631

defensive campaign. Nevertheless, whom he was repulsed, after a galhe was set aside, and a believer in lant struggle; wherein our total loss more aggressive, less cautious strate--mainly in Howard's corps—was gy appointed in his stead. Johnston 1,500; while the enemy left on the turned over to Hood an effective field 500 dead, 1,000 severely woundforce of 41,000 infantry and artillery, ed, and many prisoners. Sherman and 10,000 cavalry"—in all, 51,000 estimates their total loss at not less -which is nearly. as many as he had than 5,000. Among their killed were at Dalton. Nothing short of brilliant Brig.-Gen. Geo. M. Stevens, of Md., and successful generalship in his suc- W. S. Feathertson, of Miss., L. Armiscessor could justify his displacement. tead, of Ga., and John J. Pettus, of Miss.

Gen. Rousseau, with 2,000 cavalry, now joined" our army; having come through, by a long circuit, in twelve days from Decatur, Ala., defeating the Rebel Gen. Clanton by the way; passing through Talladega and destroying the railroad thence 25 miles to Opelika, doing some harm to the branch or cross road, with a loss of but 30 men.

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The next day was spent by Sherman in reconnoitering and feeling of the enemy's intrenched position along the heights south of Peach-tree creek ; which the light of the ensuing morn showed to be without defenders. It was at once concluded that Atlanta was to be quietly evacuated; and our men swept eagerly forward to within Gen. Sherman resumed" active two miles of that city, where they operations by pushing Thomas over were arrested by a far stronger line the Chattahoochee close on Scho- of works, carefully constructed in field's right: the latter advancing, and 1863, consisting of redoubts, connectwith McPherson, now on our ex- ed by curtains, with rifle-trenches, treme left, reaching forward to strike abatis, &c. In the skirmishing of the the Augusta railroad east of Decatur: 21st, Brig.-Gen. Lucien Greathouse, the whole army thus making a right- late Col. 48th Illinois, was killed. wheel movement, closing in upon At-McPherson, advancing directly from lanta from the north-east. Obeying Decatur, with Logan's (15th) corps these orders, McPherson had broken up the railroad for some miles, while Schofield, on his right, had reached Decatur, and Thomas had crossed" Peach-tree creek at several points all skirmishing heavily; when, as Thomas was moving two of Howard's divisions to the left to close on Schofield, he was vehemently assailed" in force by Hood, who struck suddenly and heavily Newton's division of Howard's corps, Hooker's corps, and Johnson's division of Palmer's; by

21 So says Pollard-doubtless quoting from Johnston's official report.

in the center, Frank Blair's (17th) on its left, and Dodge's (16th) on its right, was now close to these inner defenses; Blair had carried, the night before, by hard fighting, a high hill which gave him a full view of the heart of the city, on which he was preparing to place his batteries. Dodge, who, as the semicircle described by our army was narrowed by our advance, had been thrown in the rear of Logan, was moving across by a cart-track to come in on Blair's July 22.

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"July 16.

July 20, 4 P M.

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July 19. July 22.

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left; when, about noon, the sound of guns, on that flank and on our rear toward Decatur, apprised Sherman that mischief was afloat. Hood had determined, while holding the bulk of our army with a small part of his, by reason of the strength of his defenses, to fall, by a long flank nightmarch, with his main body, led by Hardee, on our left and rear, rolling up and pulverizing each division before it could be supported by another. And Hardee had already struck his first most unexpected blow at Giles A. Smith's division of Blair's corps; while Gen. McPherson, riding in fancied security through a wood in the rear of that division, had been shot dead, just as he had given an order to hurry up Wangelin's brigade of Logan's corps to fill a gap between Blair's and Dodge's corps, into which the charging Rebels were pouring like a torrent. Here Murray's battery (6 guns) was surprised and taken -the men generally escaping to the woods; and two more guns were lost by Smith, as one wing of his division was forced back by the impetuous rush of the enemy.

Simultaneously with Hardee's flank attack, Stewart's corps was to have struck Blair in front; but Stewart was not up to time. Hardee swept along the slope of the hill on which Blair was preparing to plant his batteries, making prisoners of his working party. The Rebel charge bore heavily on Giles A. Smith's division of Blair's corps, which was compelled gradually to give ground and form a new line connecting with Leggett's division, which held the crest of the hill; and here for hours the battle raged fiercely: our men having the advantage in position, and inflicting

heavy loss on the enemy. At 4 P. M., the Rebels virtually desisted here, having been unable to drive Blair; while Dodge, striking their right, had handled it severely, capturing many prisoners.

Meantime, Wheeler's cavalry (ours on this wing, under Garrard, being absent at Covington, breaking up a railroad) had raided, unopposed, to Decatur, where were McPherson's wagons, and attempted to capture them; but Col. Sprague, in command there, covered them skillfully and held firmly; sending them off, so fast as he could, to the rear of our center, and losing but three, whereof the teamsters had fled with the mules.

After a brief lull, the enemy charged again up the Decatur road; catching a regiment thrown forward upon it unsupported, and taking two more guns; pushing through the interval between Wood's and Harrow's divisions of the 15th corps, posted on either side of the railroad, and hurling back Lightburn's brigade in some disorder. But Sherman was close at hand, and, perceiving the importance of checking this advance, he ordered several of Schofield's batteries to stop it by an incessant fire of shell; Logan (now commanding McPherson's army) was directed to make the 15th corps regain at any cost its lost ground; while Wood, supported by Schofield, was to go forward with his division and recover the captured batteries. These orders were promptly and thoroughly executed; all our guns being retaken but two, which had been hurried off the field; and the day closed with our army triumphant and the enemy recoiling to his defenses.

In this stubborn contest, our total

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STONEMAN'S DISASTROUS RAID TO MACON.

633

loss was 3,722, of whom perhaps 1,000 | army; taking 250 prisoners, killing
were prisoners. Gen. Logan counted
on the battle-field 2,200 Rebel dead,
and estimates that there were 1,000
more not within our lines or who
otherwise escaped observation. We
took 1,000 prisoners, beside the many
wounded who fell into our hands;
and Gen. Sherman estimates that
Hood's total loss this day can not
have been fewer than 8,000. Among
his killed was Maj.-Gen. W. H. T. |
Walker, of Georgia. Gen. Garrard,
with his cavalry, returned from Co-
vington next day; having broken
up the railroad, destroyed a train of
cars, with much other property, and
bringing in 200 prisoners, with a to-
tal loss of two men.

Hood was not inclined to force the
fighting directly thereafter; and Sher-
man; while quietly preparing for a
new movement by the right, dis-
patched his now augmented cavalry
on a raid against the railroads in
Hood's rear. Stoneman, with his
own and Garrard's divisions, 5,000 |
strong, was to move by the left
around Atlanta to McDonough;
while A. D. McCook, with his own
and Rousseau's (now Harrison's)
freshly arrived divisions, numbering
4,000, was to move by the right to
Fayetteville, thence coming up the
road and joining Stoneman at a des-
ignated point near Lovejoy's. Such
cöoperative movements rarely suc-
ceed, and almost never in the hands
of second and third-rate leaders.

McCook moved down the west bank of the Chattahoochee to Rivertown, crossed on a pontoon, and tore up the West Point railroad near Palmetto station; thence pushing on to Fayetteville, where he captured and burnt 500 wagons belonging to Hood's

800 mules, and bringing away others; thence striking, at Lovejoy's, at the time appointed, the Macon railroad, and tearing it up; but meeting no Stoneman, and getting no news of him. He thence pushed south-west to Newnan, on the West Point road; where he was confronted by infantry coming from Mississippi to aid in the defense of Atlanta, while the Rebel cavalry were hard on his heels: so he was forced to fight against odds, compelled to drop his prisoners, and make his way out as he could, with a loss of 500 men, including Col. Harrison, captured. He reached Marietta without further loss.

Stoneman's luck-that is, his management-was far worse. He failed to meet McCook as directed, and divided the force he had; sending. Gen. Garrard to Flat Rock to cover his own movement to McDonough. Garrard, after lingering some days, and skirmishing heavily with Wheeler's cavalry, hearing nothing from Stoneman, made his way back, with little loss, to our left.

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Stoneman started with a magnificent project, to which he had, at the last moment, obtained Sherman's assent. He purposed to sweep down the road to Macon, capture that city, pushing thence by the right to Andersonville, where many thousands of of our captured soldiers were suffering inconceivable privations, liberate and, so far as possible, arm them, and then move with them to our lines in such direction as should seem advisable. The conception was a bold yet not necessarily a bad one; but it needed a Sheridan instead of a Stoneman to execute it. Sherman's assent to it was based on his orders that the

two bodies of horse should be concentrated at Lovejoy's, and Wheeler defeated or chased off by their superior force; but, this failing, Wheeler was too strong for either division, and the scheme became chimerical.

Stoneman, with his segment of the raiding force, struck out eastward to Covington; thence moving down the east side of the Ocmulgee, breaking up roads and burning bridges, without even attempting to keep his tryst with McCook at Lovejoy's. When at length he appeared before Macon, he had not more than 3,000 men; and, being confronted with spirit by a hastily collected Rebel force under Iverson, he was unable even to cross the river; but, abandoning all idea of reaching Andersonville, turned on his trail, pursued by Iverson. Now he consented to a still further dispersion of his force-the three brigades composing it attempting to escape separately. That led by Col. Adams reached Sherman nearly unharmed; that under Col. Capron was surprised by the way, charged and dispersed: those who escaped generally straggling into camp before Atlanta on foot and disarmed; while that with which Stoneman attempted to maintain some show of resistance was soon surrounded by Iverson, and Stoneman induced, by an imposing pretense of superior force, to surrender at discretion-he having 1,000 men left, and Iverson at hand only some 500. Stoneman, it was reported, cried when he discovered how he had been duped; but his sorrow subserved no good purpose. He had, by incapacity, imbecility, and disobedience of orders, squandered a full third of Sherman's cavalry.

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Gen. Howard succeeded," by the President's order, to the command of the Army of the Tennessee; whereupon, Gen. Hooker, considering himself disparaged, was relieved, at his own request, from the command of his corps, which was given to Gen. Slocum. Gen. Palmer was soon relieved from the command of the 14th corps by Gen. Jeff. C. Davis. Gen. D. S. Stanley succeeded Gen. Howard as the head of the 4th corps.

The Army of the Tennessee was now shifted" from our extreme left to our extreme right; moving behind the rest of the army from the Decatur road on the east to Proctor's creek on the south-west; initiating a general movement to flank Hood out of Atlanta by cutting the railroads in his rear. The movement was of course detected by Hood; yet it had been substantially completed, and our men were hastily covering their new front with a rude breastwork of logs and rails, when Hood struck out" as heavily from his left as he had done the week before from his right. Evidently expecting to catch Howard in disorder, or at least unprepared, he poured out his masses from the west side of Atlanta, and charged impetuously on our new right, held by Logan's (15th) corps, which had been formed on the crest of a wooded ridge, with open fields sloping from its front, its right refused, and something like a rail breastwork in its front; Howard standing behind it, ready to hurry Blair's and Dodge's corps to its support; and Sherman himself on hand, eager and alert for the encounter. After a brief cannonade, Hood's infantry, under Hardee and Lee, was thrown forward against July 26-7. "July 28.

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