sharp skirmishing between our van | well sheltered foe. Next morning, and his rear-guard; until, having the Rebel intrenched lines stretched passed through Kingston, he was unbrokenly from Dallas to Marietta, again found' holding a strong and over a most difficult region, wherein fortified position about Cassville, ap- days were necessarily spent by Sherparently intent on a decisive battle. man, amid continual skirmishing and Upon being pressed, however, he re- fighting, in making careful approachtreated, under cover of night, across es. He had just ordered Schofield the Etowah; burning the railroad to advance our left and flank the enand other bridges, and taking a still emy's right, when Johnston struck stronger position covering the Alla- heavily at our right at Dallas, held toona pass, where the country again by McPherson. But this attack becomes mountainous, rugged, and gave our men the advantage of difficult, and where he doubtless had breastworks, and was repulsed with determined to fight in earnest. loss; as one made by Howard's corps on Cleburne, farther toward the center, was repulsed by the enemy. Our army was now moved" to the left along the Rebel front, enveloping the Allatoona pass, and compelling the enemy to evacuate it; as he soon af ter did his intrenchments covering New Hope church, and Ackworth also. Allatoona pass was promptly garrisoned by Sherman, and made a secondary base of supplies: the railroad bridge across the Etowah being repaired, and our trains down the road run to this point. Sherman, after halting two days to rest and reconnoiter, decided to flank him out of this by moving well to the right, concentrating his army on Dallas; to which point Jeff. C. Davis, at Rome, had already been directed, and on which Thomas now advanced; McPherson moving still farther to the right, by Van Wert, and swinging in on Thomas's right; while Schofield, moving on the east, should aim to come in on Thomas's left. Johnston promptly divined this movement, and prepared to baffle it. 10 Thomas, advancing from Burnt Hickory to Dallas, was confronted at Pumpkinvine creek by Rebel cavalry, whom he rapidly pushed across, saving the burning bridge; but, as Hooker's corps, in the van, pushed on, his foremost division (Geary's) found the enemy in line of battle; and a severe conflict ensued, without decisive result. Hooker finally concentrated his command four miles north of Dallas, and struck hard, by Sherman's order, at Stewart's position covering New Hope church; whence, though he gained some ground, he was unable to drive the 10 May 25. May 19. 12 Gen. Frank Blair here came up, with two divisions of the 17th corps, and Col. Long's brigade of cavalry; raising Sherman's effective force nearly to that with which he left Chattanooga; and he moved forward next day to Big Shanty. Kenesaw mountain, with its almost equally formidable neighbors, Pine and Lost mountains, now loomed before him, with Rebel lines two miles long covering the points not impregnable by nature-lines which the enemy were actively strengthening each hour. Here Sherman halted perforce, and studied and planned OUR REPULSE AT KENESAW MOUNTAIN. | 629 and manoeuvered; finally attempting Hooker's corps, and Hascall's of Schofield's army, but utterly failedthe enemy being repulsed from our lines with heavy loss, including some prisoners. 13 to force, by sharp fighting, a way between Kenesaw and Pine mountains. In the desultory conflict that ensued, Lt.-Gen. Polk, Protestant Episcopal Bishop of Louisiana, was instantly killed by a cannon-ball. He was engaged, with Johnston and Hardee, in making observations, when they were observed on our side, and two shots fired at them—it was said by Thomas's order—the first of which scattered the party to places of safety; but Polk soon tired of his, and, coming out to watch the firing, was struck in the side by a three-inch shot, which tore him to pieces. He neither spoke nor breathed thereaf ter. Pushing forward wherever the rugged nature of the ground would permit, with frequent assaults and constant battering and picket-firing, Sherman compelled the enemy to abandon Pine mountain," and then Lost mountain," with the long line of strong breast works connecting the latter with Kenesaw. Meantime, rain fell almost incessantly; the narrow mountain roads were rocky gul lies; and the Rebel batteries on Kenesaw belched iron constantly at our lines—the balls generally passing harmlessly over the heads of our men, whom the enemy's guns could not be depressed sufficiently to reach. It being evident that we were steadily though slowly gaining ground, especially on our right, a sally and attack were made" by the enemy, led by Hood, with intent to interpose between Thomas's right and Schofield's left, near what was known as the Kulp house.' The blow fell on Williams's division of Sherman now determined to assault in turn, and did "so, after careful preparation, at two points, south of Kenesaw, and in front of Gens. Thomas and McPherson respectively; but the enemy's position was found, at fearful cost, absolutely impregnable-each attack being signally repulsed, with an aggregate loss of 3,000, including Gens. Harker and Dan. McCook, killed, and Col. Rice, with other valuable officers, badly wounded. The Rebels, thoroughly sheltered by their works, reported their loss at 442. Gen. Sherman, in his report, defends this assault as follows: "Upon studying the ground, I had no alternative but to assault or turn the enemy's position. Either course had its difficulties and dangers. And I perceived that the enemy and our own officers had settled down into a conviction that I would not assault flank. An army, to be efficient, must not settle down to one single mode of offense, but must be prepared to execute any plan that promises success. I wished, therefore, for the moral effect, to make a successful assault on the enemy behind his breastworks. * * * Failure as it was, and for which I assume the entire responsibility, I yet claim that it produced good fruits; as it demonstrated to Gen. Johnston that I would assault, and that boldly; and we also gained and held ground so close to the enemy's parapets that he could not show a head fortified lines. All looked to me to out above them." If these be sound reasons, they at least as fully justify Grant's order to assault at Cold Harbor: Kenesaw being a palpable Gibraltar, which Cold Harbor is not. Sherman did not choose to rest on this bloody repulse; but, waiting only 18 to bury the dead and care for the | er'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 manoeuver 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 Atlanta, had the river on its left into Marietta on the heels of the front and Peach-tree creek on its Rebel rear-guard at 8 A. M. 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. 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 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, covcring 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 prisoners. Next morning, he was mainly over the river; and our army advanced in triumph to its bank at several points, with Atlanta just at hand. 19 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 Pow18 July 2. thing superior thereto. He had not even been able to prevent Sherman's persistent, determined, and generallyskillful 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 sharp work for a two months' purely 20 July 10. 19 July 4. 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 22 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. Gen. Sherman resumed " active operations by pushing Thomas over the Chattahoochee close on Schofield's right: the latter advancing, and with McPherson, now on our extreme left, reaching forward to strike the Augusta railroad east of Decatur: the whole army thus making a rightwheel movement, closing in upon Atlanta from the north-east. Obeying 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 pointsall 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. 26 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 two miles of that city, where they were arrested by a far stronger line of works, carefully constructed in 1863, consisting of redoubts, connected by curtains, with rifle-trenches, abatis, &c. In the skirmishing of the 21st, Brig.-Gen. Lucien Greathouse, late Col. 48th Illinois, was killed. McPherson, advancing directly from Decatur, with Logan's (15th) corps 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 22 July 22. 23 July 16. 24 July 19. 25 July 20, 4 P M. 26 July 22. 20 ! |