We are assured by gentlemen direct from headquarters that there is not the slightest intention entertained there of a retrograde move or the evacuation of Atlanta. On the other hand, it is expected that SHERMAN will be forced to retreat.
GENERAL SHERMAN’S CAMPAIGN. BURNING THE RAILROAD BRIDGE AT RESACA (DAVIS). LIABRARY OF CONGRESS.
The Charleston Mercury
August 16, 1864
The Approaching Battle
The movements of the enemy in front of Atlanta indicate that a final and decisive engagement for the possession of that city will shortly take place. The heavy columns of troops being massed on our left will soon compel us either to attack or to evacuate Atlanta, and neither prudence nor policy could impel General Hood to yield the city without a desperate struggle. Under such circumstances we should feel no surprise if at any hour our army assumed the aggressive and the struggle – fraught with the destinies of Georgia, and filled with the greatest importance to the Confederacy – should commence for the possession of a city whose importance to us cannot be overestimated. That General Hood will fight, we have the strongest assurances in the dogged resolution with which he has held the enemy in check for the past three weeks, and in a series of partial engagements, repulsed every effort of the enemy to force us out of Atlanta, either by direct assault or by the more prudent method of flanking.
These partial engagements have been but the prelude to a bloody carnival which must soon be held in the vicinity of Atlanta. Perceiving that his attack on portions of our lines have all proven unsuccessful, and that the raids which he inaugurated have met a similar fate to those of his colleagues in Virginia, Sherman appears to have changed his tactics, and by persistently massing his forces on our left, invites the attack which necessity must soon compel us to make. There is no doubt that in so doing he has acted with considerable prudence and materially decreases the danger of his position.
By forcing us to assume the offensive, with an army inferior to his in numbers, he will have gained a decided advantage. His columns are steadily pushed forward in the direction of East Point, and, unless we force them back, the possession of the railroads leading to Macon and West Point will fall into his hands, and necessitate the abandonment of Atlanta for the preservation of our army. This must be prevented at every hazard; and we are certain that the effort will be made. Still the question arises whether the strength of our army will warrant an attack on the enemy, entrenched as he will be in powerful works and possessing a vast superiority in numbers.
The hour is fast approaching when a bloody and desperate battle will be fought. In fact it cannot be delayed many days. The odds are against us, so far as numbers are concerned, but we must trust to the tried valor of our men to make up all deficiencies. In the meantime, it is the duty of every man who is absent with or without leave that he shall promptly rejoin his command and help to swell our ranks. The very crisis in the fate of Georgia and of the South is at hand; and this is the time for every man to perform the obligation he owes his country. Furloughs can temporarily be laid aside, and a patriotic promptness in reporting to their respective commands, be substituted by our soldiers. We are aware that the pleasures of home and the society of relatives and friends possess great allurement, and are fascinating to the veteran, but he must be willing to forego the happiness of being with his loved ones for a while.
Duty must be obeyed and when victory is achieved and the enemy is sent howling back to the Tennessee, they can repose on the laurels won by their patriotism and heroism. The battle will be fought in a few days and every additional man will add a tower of strength to the army. We trust for the sake of the cause in which you are engaged that no man will so far ignore the claims of his country by absenting himself from the battlefield at the present time, when his presence and that of thousands who are absent, might turn the scale of battle and wrest victory from the banners of our enemy. Sherman is now playing his last card. If we can beat him back the result will be undoubted. Beaten once more he will be compelled to seek safety in flight, and the lowering clouds which now threaten to overwhelm us in disaster will be dispelled by the bright sunshine of a glorious triumph.
The Charleston Mercury
August 19, 1864
Telegraphic
Important from Atlanta
Wheeler in the Enemy’s Rear
Atlanta, August 18
Heavy skirmishing began at midnight on our left and centre and continued until 2 a.m., without any result. At daybreak this morning the artillery of STEWART’S corps opened on the enemy, whose batteries replied feebly. The firing on our side was very heavy, and produced consternation amongst the enemy forces.
Prisoners report that our cavalry captured a large number of beeves at Kingston a few days since. Numerous reports are in circulation regarding the operations of WHEELER’S cavalry; but, beyond the fact that they have cut the road at Ackworth, and were destroying the track between the Etowah Oostanoula Rivers, and, thus far, had been entirely successful, nothing official has been received.
The enemy seems ignorant of the magnitude of WHEELER’S operations. They were preparing another raiding expedition, under KILPATRICK, which had rendezvoused at Sweet Water, preparatory to starting, which has been recalled, and is now going in pursuit of our cavalry.
From The New York Times
July 25, 1864
Special Dispatch to The New York Times
Washington, Sunday, July 24 – 10 P. M.
Official dispatches of another battle before Atlanta, fought on Friday, were received by the authorities last night. At the time of sending the dispatch the contest was still going on, but the results, so far as developed, were favorable. A position had been gained from which SHERMAN was able to bring his siege guns to bear on the city. Extensive fires were raging within its limits as though the rebels were burning stores. &c.
During this engagement Gen. MCPHERSON was killed. This sad report it was at first hoped might prove unfounded, but it has been fully confirmed. In this brilliant young officer the country loses one of its ablest Generals. Gen. Granti has always placed the very highest estimate on his talent, and after the Vicksburgh campaign addressed him a letter, in which he stated that after SHERMAN, no man in his army had rendered him such service, and done so much for the success of the campaign as he.
Gen. McPherson’s Death
A Battle on Friday
Fighting Still Going On
Louisville, Sunday, July 23
Major NORCROSS, local Paymaster at Chattanooga, telegraphs Major ALLEN, Chief Paymaster here, that Major Gen. MCPHERSON was killed yesterday before Atlanta. Another correspondent says he was shot fatally through the lungs.
Baltimore, Sunday, July 23
A PRIVATE DISPATCH RECEIVED BY A RELATIVE OF GEN. MCPHERSON in this city last night, dated near Atlanta, July 23, announces that that gallant officer was killed in battle the day previous, and that his remains would be sent home in charge of members of his staff,
Washington, Sunday, July 24
The latest official dispatches from Gen. Sherman represent repeated fighting and give the circumstances attending the death of Gen. MCPHERSON, who fell in battle in the severe contest of Friday.
Gen. Hooker’s Corps
Movements of the Army up to July 18
Kenesaw Mountain
Marietta
Chattahoochee River
CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER. Ga., Monday. July 18, 1864 – The first act of the grand drama which SHERMAN has been performing this Summer has been played. The Chattahoochee has been reached by the Army of the West. The curtain rests upon the stage, while the actors pause to take breath and arrange their costumes for the inauguration of Act II – the struggle for Atlanta – which the distant booming of cannon announces is about to begin. That it will be prolific of battle scenes and bloody encounters none can doubt who reflect upon the importance of the position to be wrested from the foe.
Thus far Gen. SHERMAN’S campaign has been mainly marked
by irregular conflicts, prolonged skirmishing, by arduous marches, flanking operations, and the advance and attack of certain corps to conceal and protect the movements of others. Although the army has frequently been in line of battle and sometimes engaged for a week at a time in heavy skirmishing, if we except ‘Resaca’ of the 14th and 15th of June, no general engagement has been fought between the opposing armies. But our columns have arrived at last at the river behind which the enemy has all along boasted that his main defence would be made. We are now so close to the city of Atlanta that the decisive conflict cannot be delayed much longer. If the army moves at all beyond the river, the north bank of which is now its line, it will be a movement characterized by very heavy fighting.
In a previous letter the prediction was ventured that the most obstinate resistance to be encountered by our army, prior to crossing the Chattahoochee, would be in the vicinity of Kenesaw Mountain. Since that was written the position indicated has been occupied and maintained by JOHNSTON for two weeks against the most determined efforts of our combined armies. It was not without a severe struggle that he was driven from Pine Knob, where, on the 14th, 15th, and 16th, Gen. HOOKER, with his invincible corps, fought with great bravery. Gen. GEARY’S division was chiefly engaged, losing 519 men in killed and wounded. The attack was continued until the desired position was attained, and the enemy retreated. On the 17th other divisions came to the active assistance of the heroic division which Gen. GEARY had handled with so much ability. The enemy was forced back through successive lines of works until the 20th, when Kenesaw and its adjacent ridges presented their stern front, bristling with guns and bayonets, to prevent the further progress of the hitherto triumphant army.
Kenesaw Mountain is a huge, isolated, double hill rising boldly out of a country of almost uninterrupted forestcovered ridges – themselves of no mean elevation. In these ridges consist the peculiar adaptation of the country for defensive purposes. Aided by military science, they have been made by rebel engineering absolutely impregnable to direct assault. All the works I have seen partake of the same character. They consist of long lines of rifle-pits, elaborately constructed with good revetments of logs or fascines, and are well drained. These lines following the crests of the ridges, are occasionally broken by forts constructed on the most commanding elevations.
The flanks are always well protected by strong forts. The woods in front of an intrenchment are generally cut down, so as to form an impenetrable abattis. When their lines cross open fields, they are fully guarded by rows of sharpened stakes, driven firmly in the ground, at an angle calculated to impale a horse or man running upon them, and too closely set to permit of passage between. The villainous chevaux de frise is also freely used, particularly on roads where our cavalry are expected to charge. This precaution is altogether unnecessary, as it is a well-known fact that we have no cavalry to hurl on rebel works. All we have are required to defend the flanks and rear. Even in the construction of advanced works for skirmishers, the enemy seem to have bestowed time and care. Their forts and lines of intrenchments partake more of the aspect of permanent fortifications than field works for temporary use. The enemy has been driven from them by the flanking process which has been adopted by Gen. SHERMAN with so much success as to earn for him the suggestive appellation of “The Great Flanker.”
I will not attempt to record a detailed account of the many assaults and conflicts that occurred between the two armies in the protracted struggle in front of Kenesaw. Suffice it to say that for two weeks Gen. SHERMAN vainly attempted this hill by direct assault. On the 27th of June a general attack was ordered, and in pursuance thereof the Fourteenth and Fourth Corps engaged the enemy’s lines near the base of the mountain with great spirit, but could not drive them beyond their breastworks. During the battle, a furious cannonade was kept up on the mountain, enveloping its top and sides in the smoke of exploding shells. The other corps were in readiness to charge the moment the effort should show signs of success. But the attack was not a success, and soon developed the strong position of the foe, proving it to be folly to throw away lives in attempting to dislodge him by assault.
Gen. SHERMAN then turned his attention to other means, and applied to them his never-failing receipt for obstinance – a flank movement. Supplies were replenished at Big Shanty, the new depot. Preparation was made to pass the entire army to the enemy’s rear. As the movement contemplated would, if Johnston’s lines did not fall back, necessarily leave the railroad at his mercy, the depot was ordered back to Alatoona Bridge. A strong column, SCHOFIELD’S I believe, was sent westward on JOHNSTONS left, and on the 2d of July other corps followed. During the night of July 2d the enemy was ascertained to be again in retreat, after having obstinately held out against our assaults for two weeks. We pressed rapidly after them, passing through a series of works more formidable than any before captured. We again overtook them at night on the 3rd of July, about two miles south of Marietta.
Marietta deserves more than a passing notice. Prior to the war it was noted throughout the South as one of the centres of Georgian wealth and refinement. Compared with a Northern town its proportions would be diminutive indeed; but in Georgia, with a population of two thousand, it ranked as the sixth town in size in the State. The period of its settlement dates anterior to that of Atlanta, which owes it’s superiority in size to the fact of its being a centre for several railroads. Marietta, with no commercial aspirations and no manufacturing interest, had, confessedly, a higher social grade than Atlanta, with all its teeming population, workshops and warehouses. It boasted a college of considerable importance, not widely known, but well patronized by those of the South, who preferred educating their sons in their own States to sending them to ‘Yankee’ institutions to be ‘contaminated’ by the enemies of ‘Southern principles.’ These watchful guardians of the morality of Southern striplings forgot that their own colleges were almost without exception officered by men of Northern birth and education.
As one might expect, the glory of Marietta College has departed. The buildings are standing gloomily enough upon the hill from whence they overlook the town and beautiful gardens: but the pupils and teachers are gone; the former to the wars to destroy the Union of their fathers; the latter to their Northern homes to escape the persecution of their former pupils. The picture will answer for all Southern colleges. The war has closed their churches and their schools, with here and there a solitary exception.
GENERAL SHERMAN’S ADVANCE. VIEW OF THE PUBLIC SQUARE, MARIETTA (DAVIS). LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.
Marietta presents a spectacle of war’s devastating influences. Its fine mansions and lovely gardens, with their shaded walks and arbored seats, still remain but not as they once were – the abode of a happy people, innocent of war. All those have left, and throngs of soldiers are now roaming over the half destroyed gardens or strolling through the mutilated mansions, thrumming on the ruined pianos and lolling on the sofa abandoned by their wealthy proprietors. A few matrons – widowed relics of the war – and their half-scared daughters, still remain in the town. These, with a few old men, striplings and decayed servants, are all that are left of the denizens of the place. At one end of the town a half closed burial ground, with hundreds of newly made soldiers’ graves, side by side with marble monuments and mausoleums of the past, reveals the fact that Marietta’s dead are more numerous than Marietta’s living.
To resume our narrative from which we have digressed. On the 5th of July JOHNSTON moved still further southward, taking position on the railroad about two miles north of the Chattasoochee River. From the tops of the trees on the high blue hills occupied by the Twentieth Corps, we beheld Atlanta’s glistening spires and housetops, seemingly about seven miles south of the river. On the 7th Inst. the foe again retrograded and assumed a new position whose contracted limits were speedily ascertained to be in front of the railroad bridge, the flanks resting on the river on either aide of the crossing. It was pretty evident that Johnston was crossing his forces on the pontoon
s which we knew had been laid in that vicinity. The rebel front was as bold as ever, and no impression was made on their lines. By the morning of the 9th, the last skirmisher had disappeared from our front, and the railroad bridge was discovered to be in flames. We advanced through another series of fortifications to the riverbank, along which our line now rests. The enemy holds the opposite bank and it is not an uncommon sight to see the soldiers of both armies meet in swimming parties and exchange tobacco and coffee, apparently as good friends as though a shot had never passed between them.
As it was currently reported that JOHNSTON commenced to cross the Chattahoochee on the 4th of July, it can be but a matter of surprise to many who view critically the movements of our armies, that he was not attacked at the time when he would have labored under the misfortune of having a river in his rear in very dangerous proximity. This has been a matter of much comment among officers and men, who will canvass such matters whenever opportunity occurs. A battle was pretty generally expected on the 4th, when it was stated that Gen. SHERMAN, in view of the golden opportunity thus presented by the situation of affairs, had ordered a general onslaught to be made by the whole army with a view to drive JOHNSTON in confusion to his crossings. Whether this attack was actually ordered, as the order countermanded, or for some cause rendered inoperative, is a matter for speculation. But one thing all unite in believing; that is had a fight occurred on the “glorious Fourth” there would have been but two alternatives accepted by our army: ‘Victory or Death.’ It would have fought as it never fought before, so eager and expectant for the fray were commanders and soldiers. There are many who regret the postponement of the battle, which they believe would have been decisive of the result of the campaign. They would have attacked at all hazards of life, though the enemy were never so firm and, to all appearances, secure in their fortifications. Whether these regrets are just or unjust, time will develop. No inconsiderable number believe that JOHNSTON was allowed to cross the Chattahoochee in comparative security to insure important results from combined movements, of which we do not at present know, but in which other armies are supposed to be interested. All unite in endorsing the wisdom and generalship of SHERMAN, and willingly abide by any decision he may make, believing his conduct of the campaign to have been masterly, and productive of the most brilliant results.
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