Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-09-24
HEADQ'Rs Mn. Div. OF THE MISSISSIPPI,
In THE FIELD. ATLANTA, Ga,
Thursday, Sept. s, 1864.

HEADo'Rs Mn. Div. OF THE MIssIssIPPI,l
In THE FIELD, ATLANTA, Ga,
Thursday, Sept. s, 1864.
SPECIAL FIELD ORDERS, No. 6S.-The officers
and soldiers of the Armies of the Cumber-
land, Ohio, and Tennessee have already re;
ceived the thanks of the nation, through its
President and Commander-in-Chief; and it
now remains only for him who has been with
you from the beginning, and who intends to
stay all the time, to thank the officers and
men for their intelligence, fidelity and cOur-
age displayed in the campaign of Atlanta.
/ On the LIST of May our armies were lying in
garrison, seemingly quiet, from Knoxville to
Huntsville, and our enemy lay behind his
rocky faced barrier at Dalton, proud, defiant
and exulting. He had had time since Christ
mas to recover from his discontinue on the
Mission Ridge, with his ranks filed, and a
new Commander-in-chief second to none Of
the Confederacy in reputation for skill, saga
city and extreme popularity. All at once our
armies assumed life and action, and appeared
before Dalton threatening Rocky Face, we
threw ourselves upon Resaca, and the rebel
army only escaped by the rapidity of its re-
treat, aided by the numerous roads with which
he was familiar and which were strange to us.
Again he took post in Allatoona, but we gave
him no rest, and by a circuit towards Dallas,
and subsequent movement to Ackworth, we
gained the Allatoona Pass. Then followed
the eventful battles about Kenesaw, and
the escape of the enemy across ChattahOo-
chez River.
The crossing of the Chattahoochee and
breaking of the Augusta Road was most
handsomely executed by us, and will be stud
led as an example in the art of war. At this
stage of our game, our enemies became dis
satisfied with their old and skillful command
er and selected one more bold and RASH
New tactics were adopted. Hood first boldly
and rapidly, on the goth of July, fell on our
right at Peach Tree Greek and lost; again
on the 22d he struck our extreme left and was
severely punished, and finally again on the
2Sth he repeated the attempt on our right,
and that time must have been satisfied, for
since that date he has remained on the de.
fensiVe.
We slowly and gradually drew our lines
about Atlanta; feeling for the railroads which
supplied the rebel army and made Atlanta a
place of Importance. We must concede to
our enemy that he met these efforts patient
ly and skillfully, but at last he made the mis-
take we had waited for so long and sent his
cavalry to our rear, far beyond the reach of
recall. Instantly our cavalry was on his only
remaining road and we followed quickly with
our principal army, and Atlanta fell into our
possession as the fruit of all concerted meas
ures, backed by brave and competent army.
This completed the grand task which had
been assigned US by our Government, and
your General again repeats his personal and
official thanks to all the officers and men,
composing this army, for the indomitable
courage and perseverance which alone could
give success. .a ,..-s
We have beaten the enemy on every
IA Ill oh and bax Tod
him his own gate city, where were located
his foundries, arsenals ard workshops, deem
ed secure on account of their distance from
our base and the seemingly impregnable OBJ
stacles intervening. Nothing is impossible to
an army like this, determined to vindicate a
Government which has rights wherever our
flag has once hoated, and is resolved to main
tain them at any and all costs.
In our campaign many, yes, very many, of
onr noble and gallant comrades have preced-
ed us to our common destination, the grave;
but they have left the memory of deeds on
which a nation can build proud history.
Mcpherson, Harker, MeCook, and others dear
to US all, are now the binding links in our
minds that should attach more closely togeth-
er the living, who have to complete the task
which still lays before US in the dim future.
ask all to continue as they have so well be-
that have ennobled our own and other coun-
tries-courage, patience, obedience to the
laws and constituted authorities of our Gov
eminent, fidelity to our trusts and good feel
ing among each other, each trying to excel
the other in the practice of those high quail
ties, and it will then require no prophet to
foretell that our country will in time emerge
from this war, purified by the fires of war,
and worthy its great founder, "Washington."
a- W. r, SHERMAN,
II Major General Commanding.
Official: L. w. DAYTON, Aide-de- Camp
The correspondent Of the Chicago Tribune
gives the following statement of the compar-
alive losses of men in the two armies, which
he thinks will be found nearly correct, it be-
ing taken from the estimates of Gen. Sher-
man himself:
From Chattanooga to Chattahoochee... >. IL, coo
Battle Of July 20th.... 5000
25th., $4,000
2sth......-. ......,... 1000
6 Aug. 3lst.. .........-............ $500
Total ........ -. -. 1850
Our losses in the meantime were about as
follows, rather less than more:
y AN, NbaAtonon0o - rho4kahaoohoo mn /