Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1864-09-30
General Sherman's CougratulatOPy Order to
SPECIAL FIELD ORDERs-No. 6S.
HEADQUARTERS MILITARY Division }
Or THE MISSISSIPPI, IN THE FIELD.

4
| SPECIAL FIELD ORDERs-NO. 6S.
| HEADQUARTERS MILITARY Division }
| Or THE MISSISSIPPI IN THE FIELD.
| . ATLANTA, Ga, Sept. 8, 1864. } .
The officers and soldiers of the armies of the
Cumberland, Ohio aud Tennessee have already
received the thanks Of the nation, through its
President and COMMANDMENTS Chief, and it now
| remains only for him who has been with you
| from the beginning, and who intends to stay
TALL the time, to thank the officers and men for
their intelligence, fidelity aud courage displayed
in the campaign of Atlanta. -al-
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 exultiDg
| He had time since Christmas to recover from
his discontinue ON the Mission Ridge, with his
ranks filled, and new commander-in-chief,s Sec
Ond to none of the cOnfederacy in reputation for
SKILL sagacity and extreme popularity. All at
once our armies assumed life and action, and
appeared before Dalton, threatening Rocky Face
we threw ourselves upon Resacca, and the reb-
el army only escaped by the rapidly its re-
treat, aided by the numerous roads with which
| he was familiar, and which were strange to us.
| Again he took post in AlatOOna, but We give
him rest, and by acircuit towards Dallas and
subsequent movement to Ackworth, we gained
the Alatoona Pass. Then followed the event
full battles about kenesaw, and the escape of the
enemy across Chattahoochee river.
/ The crossing of the Chattahooehee and break
/ ing Of the Augusta road WAS most handsomely
executed by ms, and will he studied as an exam
pie in the art nf war. At this stage ofour game
our enemies became dissatisfied with their old
and skilful commander, and selected one more
bold and rash. New tactics were adopted
Hood first boldly and rapidly, on the both of
July, fell on our right at .Peech Tree Greek
and lost Again on the 22d he Struck our extreme
left, aud was severely punished; and finally,
again on the 29th he repeated the attemt on our
| right and that time must have been satisfied;
| for since that date he has remained on the de-
/ fcnsive We slowly and gradually drew our
lines about Atlanta, feeling for the railroads
which supplied the rebel army and made Allan
ia place of Importance. We must concedc to
our enemy that he met those efforts patiently
and skilinlly, but at last he made the mistake
we had waited for SO long and sent his cavalry
to our rear, far beyond the reach of recall. In
stantly our cavalry was on his only remaining
road, and we followed quickly with our prin-
| cipal army, and Atlanta fell into our possession
| as the fruit of well concerted measures, backed
by brave and confident army. This compile
| ted the grand task which had been assigned us
by our Government, and your General again re-
peats his personal and official thanks TO all the
oIliceTS anu Tlci composing InlS army, Tor the
indomitahle courage and perseverance which
alone could give success. .. -
| We have beaten our enemy on every ground
he has chosen, and have wrestIed from him his
own Gate City, where were located his fOun-
dries arsenals and workshops, deemed secure
| on account of their distance from our base, and
the seemingly impregnable obstacles interven-
| ing. Nothing is impossible to any army like
this determined to vindicate a government
which has right wherever our flag has once float
ed, and is resolved TO maintain them at any and
all costs. ....--
| In our campaign many, yea, very many OF
our noble and gallant comrades have preceded
US to our common destination, the grave; but
they have left the memory of deeds of which a
nation can build proud history. Mcpherson,
Harker, McCook and others dear to us all, are
now the binding links in our minds that should
attach more closely together the living, who
have to complete the task which still lays be-
fore in the dim future. ask all to continue
as they have so well begun. the cultivation OF
the soldierly virtues that have ennobled our own
and other countries. Courage, patience, obedi-
ence to the laws and constituted authorities Of
our government; fidelity to our trusts and good
feeling among each other; each trying to excel
the other in the practice of those high qualities
and it will then require no prophet to foretel
that our country will in time emerge from this
war purified by the fires of war and worthy IFS
great founder-W ashiDgtOn.
W. r. SHERMAN,
i Mai Gen Commanding