Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1864-07-21
{ PROM sHEK MANS ARMY.
Details of the Gr eat Flank Movem.,, rh.
Crossing of the Chatt a h ooe ee- J.h.o
ston's r ketreat-Wtn he Fight!

[CoIIespondence Chicago Tribunel
NASHVILLE, July Is 1884 Another flank
movement by Sherman and another retrea,iby
Johnston! If it indeed be true that the rebel
CON mander in Geore in be formidable only in a
reheai, be must now be ONE of the most terri
BILE fellows on record, as he has been re etreatine
steadily ince the first day OF May last-two
months and half
When Johnston abandoned the Kenesaw
mountain, on the day he promised the citizens
OF Atlanta victory-inviting them out to see
the Yankees run-he pledged his word that
mere snonld be no further falling back that
thS Snaits hooehee should not bs abandoned,
whIic chiyairic Southerner could bare his
breast 10 Yankee steel: but aIasr he has AGAIN
violated his faith, and the humiliated ia.,ies of
Atlanta, " no stood on the top of the Kenesaw
Mountain, to see the Yankee run on the 4th of
July, are Eow compelled to contempIate the
home where they shall be left without chiyal-
ric protection. and be compelled to throw them
selves upon Yankee honor for safety
Somehow, I notice, wherever our armies go.
they sn sncceed-concilating the women with the
greatest readiness. My obser walton has con-
vinced me that "when this cruel war Is over"
many a starved rebel, driven into the service
by his betrothed, will come home to find her
whom he entered the army to defend the vile
OF ore CT those terrible Yankees-those hated
Puritan sand he will doubtless be spurned
away as traitor, deserving the scorn and con-
tsRpt OF respectable people, deserving to be de-
serted by his affianced. f-.s -s-.f.
- 80 1T will be in Atlanta. Many Georgia
maiden Will, ere year has elapsed, thank her
stars that some Yankee whom she hoped to see
sHin on the 4th was allowed to survive and
bless ber tor life. But gh Of this-Mars,
not Venus, calls. -
The Rebel works on the south bank of the
Cbataboocbee. Sherman dec iares 10 be the most
1ormlda bic ne has yet encountered, since leav-
ing Chattanooga. They five miles and q
quarter in length, and are com pletely protected
by an abattis, which is impru etrable Thera
can be no don BIT of the fact that the rebels have
been m onths preparing them. and that it is
the lr intention to defend them to the last-at
least that it was the intention of the people of
(feOrpia 81 6a dad
Joe Johns ten may not have been SO determined
to fight .ft---..- -.4.--. -. -
Gov. Brown lent not only the influence OF
the state in constructing, but his own personal
services In experimenting, the works; every
negro demanded-and they were thousands
to dig bitches and throw mp entertainments
were forthcoming and Joe Johnston was urged
to stake all upon the result of a battle there.
That he wonld gladly have done SO, his own
forces making a direct assault, we have no
doubt, because one man within the breast
works Is equal to twenty assailants over the
ground from the river to the rifle. pits but q
hH SbeTman was s o suse ne Lhng no. Intended
ment was made. -...
McPherson, after some maneuvering, sue
ceeded in effecting Q landing on the south bank
Of the river, in the vicinity OF Bnning's Sta
ton, on Friday evening, about sundown. The
rebels had evidently expected that our right
would advance to turn their left, and had ac-
cordingly made the necessary preparations to
meet Hooker, WHEN, to their astonishment, thew
found McPherson's cannon playing upon their
works with fearful effect, causing a panic In
their extreme flank by its suddenness and Sc
verify.
But the rebels were not easily frightened
from their formidable works; on the other
hand, they resolved to remain In them IL possi-
BILE; but how they expected to hold them, now
that pioneer brigade was south Of the river,
cannot conjecture. Nevertheless, they con-
tInued to hold them throughout Saturday,
though our troops were massing in large num-
hers, constantly, and were in complete possess
sion Of range of hills, from which they could
not he driven.
On Sunday morning discovering that our
army was nearly all over, Joe Johnston gave
been removed during the night, and at daylight
the railroad bridge, the common road bridge,
and the pontoons were in flames. Our forces
were not in position to do anything to avert
the destruction of these structures, nor couId
they commence the pursuit Of the flying foe till
they had completed their own communications.
trious1y at work, and soon half a dozen pom
toons spanned the stream, and our army was
across by Monday noon, occupying the works
aban doned by the rebels.
Whether or not q further ad vance has begun
i am unable TO say; but certain 1t is it will not
be long delayed. The chief obstacles have now
the Chattahoochee is behind us, and only a
level plain now extends Its broad surface be-
tween Sherman and the objective point of at
Sherman has now no natural Obstacles to
overcome. There orc fortifcatlons, pre-
bn are on py 1ne anus
nerable to the heavy artillery with which he
is abundantly supplied. The distance to tha
town is less than seven miles, and to the forti.
fications four or five The investment, then.
cannot long be delayed.
We captured 2,50O prisoners between Mari
eta and the Chattahoochee, and over 1000
south OF that stream. About 1900 Of these
have already arrived here, and others are COM
ing on every train. They are all sent north
Immediately. A day or two since, 400 from the
vicinity OF Nash ville-the young bloods who
entered the rebel army in 1s6i-were here,
ragged, dirty and forlorn. Many Of them begged
to take the oath of amnesty, but were not al
lowed to do SO. There were a number of de-
serters released here, on accepting the amnes-
ty, day before yesterday.
Later .t...
NASHVILLE, July 19.-The latest official
inform alton from General Sherman Is that
his army crossed the Chattahoochee at
several places north Of the railroad bridge.
The movement was accompanied with
such celebrity as to take the enemy by surprise,
and therefore the resistance to his ad vance was
feeble on the part of the bel cavalry.
Our cavalry was at once sent to operate on
the railroad east of Atlanta, one of the objects
being to cut off communication between At
lanta and Augusta, thus preventing the reno-
val OF stores to the latter place, and also to
prevent Johnston from being reinforced Our
main army was within ten or twelve miles
from Atlanta, and all the operations OF the
army were progressing in the highest degree
tavorably.