Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-06-24
FROM SHERMAN'S ARMY.
News 10 the nth inst-scvcre and
Continuous slkirmishing-Gen. Polk
Killed-Detailed Accounts.

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Continuous sslirmishing-Gen. Polk
-Ikilled-Detailed Accounts.
Correspondence Of the Cincinnati Commercially
BIG SHANTY, GEORGIA, June II, 1864.
THE SITUATION.
Joe Johnston holds steadily on his posi-
| tion, twenty-six miles north of Atlanta,
though the heavy skirmishing along his
front for the past three days, has compelled
him to sharply define his lines. His line IS
now closely circumscribed by ours. In no
place are the hostile parallels more than
musket-shot apart. The rebel right rests
on Kinesaw Mountain, on the railroad, four
miles north of Marietta, their left on Lost
Mountain, some six miles west OF IAinesaw.
Between these two formidable ridges the
rebels have gradually been forced back from
a triangle, with the apex toward us, until
their line is but faint crescent, their CEN
ter still being slightly advanced. Right,
left and center, their position is closely IN
vested. Our troops have shed parallel alter
parallel until the country in their rear Is
furrowed with rife-pits and abattis, and
scored with q labyrinth of roads.
The country Is covered with primitive
forests. and In very few places are there
cleared spans sufficiently large to display
the movements of q brigade. There IS an
| abundance of scrubby underground which
hides everything few yards distant from
view, and when one inspects the dilncuities
it seems hardly credible-though such Is
the case-that we have fully developed the
enemy's position, with two days sklrmish
enterprise.
For ten days we have had more or less
rain, and toward the end of the period the
water descended as it only can come down
i'm Southern latitude. The June rains that
| nearly drowned Rosecrans' army, In the
| advance on Tullahoma, were duplicated,
and old campaigners speak of that watery
siege with decreasing respect. The bad
roads became impossible. Everybody was
drenched. The trees dropped the inter-
cepted moisture in tears as big as walnuts.
| The countless mules of the trains looked
more than ever like the rodent tribe, which
Norway has generelly implanted In every
hemisphere, and teamsters became silent,
because the dynamics of profanity were ex-
hausted. Skirmishers shot at each other
under compulsion. 1t did seem utterly
superhuous to be wasting powder and ball
on melancholy, dripping human effigy
enveloped in ponchos, pulling away at an
unequal pipe, and despairingly stalking
from one tree to another taking an involun-
tary bath. Skirmishing was not brisk these
days. 1t was perhaps suspeneed from mall
ice, for few men of average vindictiveness
would shoot an enemy, while he was as
clamny as cod, and had crawling rivu-
let trained down his back.
1t is fortunate that by the time these in
cessant rains were upon us, we were fully
established on the railroad. 1t would have
been simply impossible to transport sup
plies via Kingston and Dallas. In fair
weather that route was difficult, and for the
| IS 1a Ghprnau'c
impracticable under the most propitious
circumstances.
Fair weather dawned once more day be-
fore Yesterday morning, and with it renew
ed hostilities on the skirmish lines. Move
ments have been active ever since, the his
tory of which is snbjoined.
JUNE FOURTEEN AND FIFTEEN.
On the 14th no fighting of Importance
took place. owing to the almost impossible
roads. About noon, however, the 18th and
4th Corps advanced their lines slightly,
which brought on very slight skirmishing,
and continued all the afternoon. The enc
my responded to our fire with very little
vigor and gradually gave back. In front
of the 4th Corps, however, there were brief
| intervals when the skirmishing was quite
spirited on both sides. Our artillery kept
up a steady fire all the afternoon from the
4th Corps, directed upon Pine Knob very
high hill, which the enemy had heavily for
titled, and upon which he had twenty
pieces of cannon planted, very few of
which opened in response to the vigorous
salutes of Simonson's 5th Indiana Battery,
attached to Gen. Stanley's division. Simon
sons battery, or at least one section of 1t,
under command of Lieutenant Allison,
opened at IL o'clock from commanding
| point to the west of the knob upon the en-
emy. The second shot fired exploded inn
| roa1iatelv In nvuO Vr oUuOrals IIai dec,
Johnston and Polk, who were standing to-
gether In consultation, and fragment en-
tered the breast of Gen. Polk, passed
through the body, causing instant DEATH
| OF this there is not the slightest doubt as
all prisoners and deserters taken in the af-
ternoon agreed as to the mapner in which
the Rev. Lieutenant General met a traitors
death. y
Baird's division of the 14th Corps, which
was on Howards left, skirmished all the af-
ternoon with the enemy, whose line was
crowded back steadily until dark. johns
sons division, now commanded by Brig.
Gen. King, during Gen. Johnson's absence
from the effects of a late wound, and Davis
division advanced their lines, but their eff
forts to find an enemy in their front fall
ed. The enemy had deserted that portion.
of the line entirely. Pine Knob rises out
of avalley and can easily be flanked. Gen.
Howard's corps pushed forward on the left
toward the Marietta and Burnt Hickory
road, while demonstration was made on
the right by portion of General Hooker's
corps. Night found our line advanced be-
tween a half and three-fourths of mile.
On the morning of the 18th it was dis
covered by Gen. Newton, of the I'd Divis-'
ion, 4th Corps, that the enemy had, during
the night, evacuated the Knob, and, with
his artillery and infantry, fallen back to his
main line, running nearly parallel with the
Marietta and Burnt Hickory road. This
gave us possession of the above road, which
was one of the objects of the demonstra-
tion, as we'll as the Knob, from which point
an excellent view of the enemy's line could
be had. 1t also afforded an excellent point
! from which TO open signal communication
i between General Schofeld, who was on the
! extreme right, the town of Big Shanty,
where Gen.. Sherman's headquarters are
situated, and Gen. McPherson'sc command
| on the left. At s A. M. Captain Leonard,
chief. signal officer of the, 4th Corps, estab-
i lished a station on the Knob and immediate-
ly opened with Hooker and Schofield. Sub
seanently communication was opened with
other portions of the line.
Some two hours were consumed In form