, 1864-07-31
FROM GENBRAL SHER-
MANS ARMY, j. ::
THE GREAT BATTLE
OF THE 22d.
Desperate Rebel assault Re-
pulsed,
CRITICAL MOMENT FOR
OUR ARMY.
Federal Loss 1850 Rebel Less
Mach Larger.

Federal Loss 1850 Rebel Less
Mach Larger.
Correspondence Cincinnati comaercial1
Two MILES East or ATLkHfA.
Jaly IS, 1871,
Jp1Y a2-2 Is a. NIT Ia 4 spltudtdly
bright moonlight night, such Is enables: one
almost TO read, and al about camp. and hiong
Trusting strangely with the tnceseant rattle
Of mueEet3, which lulled Us to slcep.-<yhat
does It ncaut ''Guard, ea5, how got8 the |
night: Have the rebels fallen back from At !
lAl:ta?. Where's al the noise we heard last |
e,tningY''
TIE REBELS AssUME NEW LINE.
Morning showed that the rebels had with |
drawn from the matu line Of Notifications at
which they had first brought us to hAit,
asout two ana n half mfies from At1anta, and
lad retired to another, which wus about d
le ana ha11 ne4hsr re @ the eaty .a anis taey
right Of General Thomas to the left Of Gen.
Mcpherson, shortening their front, Of course,
al d eLHb]iEg rs to shorten our own. As de-
ye'oEed bY the subsequent startling move
nsn's and events Of The day, their reason for
this move was obvious, and was the dictate
of tasIng and resolu.e mind, such as now
Appears to be at the head Of the rebel srmies,
and drew us on alter them into & pursuit.
which came near proving unfortunate. 1t
seems to me to have been simply this: They
dessgned, by thus shortening thels lines and
relieving some portions Of their army from
their left, to push the relieved corps rapidly
aud desperately against our LETT wing early
in the forenoon, before our marching cOlnnn
hid come In proximity to the rebel works,
and we're de ployed and b. d thrown up defeu-
up closely as SOON as VIC discovered they hll
fallen back; aud. even II we did SO With the
rntn fully deploy ed in line Of battle, they
hoped t0 strike Us before any works cuuld
be put In our front to break the assault.
That this YRS their design appears from
captured in the assault, aud said that the or
detB delivered to them were to assault our
lines turly In the morniug. Fortunately for
Us. certain delays which took place In tnelr
murch, postponed the attack till ncarly elev
en- o'clock, ut which time our men had moved
forward 70 as to come in sight Of the ne~
rebel works, had deptoJed and partially, and
in some places wholly, completed their in.
tfench1nents.
TIE POSITION.
The Army Of the Tennessee adynnccd aloug
tie main Decatur Road IL dire .tion uuarly
wrst ind parallel to the ruilroud, with tnc
10Th Corps on the right next to the Esd, the
18th on both sidts of the raiiruad, and the
l1th eouth OF IL, Its extreme left being about
TWO miles below 1t, The Esd moved alobR
branch II the Bucktown Road, which en-.
ttrs Atlanta In southwest direction, aud In
| col =. 4ueuce Ok the conveyance OF these two
roads tue 1Gth Corps was early crowded out
anu thrown !. reserve, In which position It
was Hheb the attau,t took plact. The 4th
Corps uovcd nearly larailel with tho Gid,
but no portion Of the assault was directed
pguinBt It.
AssAcLT on THE ExrnE1E LEFT.
The rfbel force which struck this portion
0f thc line was the corps commanded by
| IlurGtr, hul evidently expected to End in
| Uppor1tlou only d tim line, II 1t did not
cunnt Of. haVlng gone so tsr around as to
cuInr In btiow. ! am inclined to the iRtter
opipion. Aoont eleven O'Clock they deb1uch-
I'd from the woods Into m open ae1d. in
wbicl, q good part of the works Of the 18th
Corps Werc coLstructed% alouE rl*ge called
Le@get.'s Build Knob, and rushed upon rs
T s5 usa @ 1nsst nasstr f. s. pSca
rrul Lcrgctt, WAS on the LEFT Of the corps,
apu tbaI commaudetl BY General Giles a.
smith. occupied tho right, holding, as have
en1d, the general position Of three sldcs OF q
nollow square. though, Of cour4e, there were
exact a fgur. The men received th {
onet:t With ste#diness, dtlfcering their fire
with I'LL possible rsIidity; but the ovcrpow
iug numbers Of the enen1y, tnassel, as usual
ip maLy lines, bore down all opposition a1
lrst; und breaking over the works. they drove
our men back, sonu many rnde and some less
aud appeared likely to crush and scatter then
in hopeless confusion and ruin, despite tht
obsu1,atc vulor of the troops ana their almos
auperhu,n9u efforts The prospect wat
countcnnnce save those of The brave mel
~ho coutended in the ranks now, If ever, TO-
| the very existence Of the Army OF the Ten
nessee. II they wcre utterly broken an.
scattered thrn there was little hope for th
rest Of the gall mt army, fankel - it roul'
| nH,l n{,s F1yo11 Il 1-rr
fn the rCnr fifteen hundred or two thou
sand pcDde1ous tnpply-waso1s and auahn
iances were greatly endangered and caa,
: streaming back In rear OF the 18th corp
. (which till then WIS safe retugel, and e1
| tendfd over far along behind tpe :4s5i, crowd
! woods, in the greatest confusion and conste!
'aticn. 4 courier arrived ut Corps ueaG
quarters In bot haste summoniDg every ma
. who lad gun or could get Que, to noul
: : his horse aud come 10 the fight Every OF
I nestirred hfu,selt; the escort and the Provos
). l1uard saJdled, mounted aud were oH to It
4 -ctne Of peril, and did such service as tht
we're able.
1t was IN evil hour for the 17th corps, ar
7 :hfs were rapidly approaching, tlat POI,
! shtre the endurance Of the brAyGgt ht
reached it's limit
: succoR ARRIVES.
= AT this critical moment the 4th Divfeion
! | tb+ 10th Corps aud one brigade, Col. Mo
= riIl's Of the I'd {the other was 1T Dec .turl,
RVS at the LETT VIM, and stayed the tide OF II
- y, rebel onset. Col. Morrill, .brigude mad con
~ up few MINUTES before the attack cor
- menccd, md constructed very elixht worl
e soncwhat In the rear Of the line Of the Ii
u . Corps; hut as soon as the latter began to
=, pushed back, they at once 1eaped over the
'e worke, and 'tcgesher with the 4sh Dirlsts
into the open ticld, and met the enemy ia
70 face. They held their ground firmly, Al
-x when the rebels NJ last fell back carried, (
= thrir dead anl wounded behiud their bre 4
works. The 1'th, thus timely reinforce
ose sed Ses Il tsroashoa s aF al e e
8. 8. was t,auspiriug on the lett Of the corps.
e is extremely ditilcult to gfye connect
e narrative of the yE.ous turns Of furtu
~ - through tue whole corps, 10 great Was tt
u u confusion and disonanization ca used BY Il
= partial success OF the attempt to hank thel
o. The ground was uneven and sharply fnrro
~ I'd BY suIle3s, With bushee growing thl
Is. . along the bottom Of them. and shrcds q
Y patches of hreastworks dott.d and streak
~ ~ the ground In almost every direction.
~ ~ stssanIe and confused character Of the str
~ ~ may BIZ conceived when 1t Is related thst t
~ IoNn brigade, OF General Smiths divlsi1
~ fought successive times during tue =
~ dreadful hours Of tue battle. on both sic
y rebels n front Of them undl they were son
W ~ *hat repu1.ed, and hy this time they wot
s. be attacked BY another party, Or part Of I
- s4tne, 10 their rem, and, facing aboutx wot
hs pour into their antagonists fire from
~ other side. I myself rirfted the scene
az ibis dreadful struggle the morning at
~ Sard. and received confirmation Of the
Ind most incredible story By seeing the re
an- cofpees lytpg plcutifu1ly about on both sis
his II the brrsstworks, mingled with those
,se ue our own men.
IN IN DEATH oF GENERAL A,PuEnsoS.
be About noon the General rode along
or- sfpnt Just on the left of the 18th corps, (
On made some tnqul.tes a. to the progress W.T.
sed the 1otl corps was making further to
Inc @e1t~ Not being satisfied, he rode forward
and ascertain fir hinscl1 lie was accompan
the ny onIs Two OF hfe staff and q portion OF
the escofL 4 1atal Impulse carried him lot
and ny ol sesefA tea hundred yards between
ned l.ta anu l6th and OF ~htch both he and
tied to the top OF ridge. with h,s staff so
the "nat N the rear, be was suddenly conttt
that Cd " party Of rebels who roat from
wns ousn, and calling on him to halt, At the .,
,Iar. time fred yollet which joiured nnna
cIta. hitnssH 4 ball pierced bis !iYht breast
fact severtne. itas supposed, large blood Re
nne above the henri, caused 1nBtant acath +
stug zufocation by the Discharge ct h1
oqse hss in rlhlng bis person of !. 'aIset poe
,n9 Of The money be carried With him ma d
saae gold wstch, thorgh vn1uAble diamona
xrss was left on bis arger. A party wns
formed which charged on the rehe]a
ps esss brought of bis body A sergeant Of hi
1s ~ cort, a mere: bo5, displayed gr.at bra
..53n1c In The rescue, aud re.a1yed scvere ",
il be while carrying hun away. The bodY
. placed In an ambulance aud Bfo Wy conv
/ hss along the rear Of the linea to the use y
l ~ ali ~~A $hn$x