Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-09-20

threatening he town. Our commanding General dete
mined ct Gree rke this force and for this purpose
del ached Har6ees and Lees corps to make the attack
while he remained N Atlanta with Stewards corps and
the militia to guard he psca The troops made night
march, but did net reach the gIoutd in time to get III
position before the afternoon Of The Sl Tbs enabled
ne enemy to forfy themselves and with Tour corps IN
&C cntreI ehcd position, twas not thcut TO orete the
| result OF an a Iult WIN a'eIior numbers.
| Oleburne, commanding Ha dSes corps occupied the
left and Lees corps the right OF the hne oil oatle Az
three O'clock 10 obedience to Instructions fro General
| Hood, the command was given by General hArdee 10
pa vance and in few moments the pals OF artillery
ana the roars Of musketrJ announced that the troops
were moving and the contest begun. Oieburne swept
around upon the left driving everything before
him and occupied the enemys woIks capturing several
pieces Of artillery bat the assault on the centre and
right, occupied cOrjoin;ly by the forces OF Lee and
Oeburue was not 60 successful and, 0fer two hours OF
hard bghdpR with our reeling aud bleeding before
the s ong beastWorbs Of he enemy, the contest was
abandoned. Our on the e1treme left could
| nos be followed up owing TO the heavy repuse sus.
tanned in the centre and the right and in ceasug the
conflict We erely held ground without moiestaIion
from the enemy About the time this battle was raging
Information vas received that Two corps OF the enemy
had struck the railroad at Rouge and Ready station,
eight miles above Jonesboro-and this made II still
more neceeeary that should throw ourselves upon
the defensive Oar loss in this engagement was about
two thousand in lied aud wounded
Tee condition OF the Army Of Tennessee was at this
/
and twenty miles apart while the enemy were IN q
| measure concentrated and A1y 10 mIss themselves
either upon the detachment JonesbJro to invest.
Hood IN Atlanta. WHAT made the condition still more
perilous WAS that during tue night an order came or
Lees corps 10 back Atlanta, aud thus ltft
dses corps The next day detached and alone, cOuirOn
/ ing an overwhelming force OF the enemy. The Two
corps which appeared Ut Rough aud siy station the
day before row marched down the railroad, and by
midday the lst Of September formed juno ion with
the other four making in all six Federal corps which
we're by this tine in front OF JOnesbOrs. This intor-
nation was derived from fcJuis, who reported the Ial
road track for fo1r miles south OF Rough ald Ready
station lined vita blue coats, travelling E0WaIes Jones'
boso.
70 stretch Out corps 10 single rank IN order to
the ground occupied day previOrs by the two oJrps
This lett him without any reserves and with his inAdG.
ouate force 10 thin, sIeGuAted line, he had TO pre-
mare or the gaJherrg storm which was soonto burst
noon the devoted baud with the ODDS Of SIX to one
TINS gallant corps whiol had bfaVed The storm aud
scent = victorious path msny h4Td-'ought hsld
w,s noS in mes. critical stuaon, and VA upon the
Drink of being sacrificed. Il could no! retreat il must
6ght and hold its grOun Tor the safety OF Hoods army
10 Atlanta depsLds upon resistance, and slssnce
the DEATH and wish these terrible odda it prepared for
| the COZ 1T.
Toe enemy was discovered by two o'clock in TIE
afternoon opposed 10 our whole ont in threatening
tiiuds Of attack aud at the same time stretched far
around 70 right for the purpose OF turning po
| stion. We had to meet tho movement by az txtsn.
sion Of our hnes md the tfroHiogspp OF such Gem
DO ary breastWorks OF rails ana logs the brief Iine
alotted would permit. The va kse force
manded by SleImIn in person and ttSt Wly ohiGtan,
,iirvirg he would only have two corps 70 tight,
thought no dtu5f that he woul have an easy timv 10
ulterly dem ossnx this section OF H)Jds army, and
then turning OIL the oIher, TO crush them in detail
and thus destroy the las. hjPe Of the rebels" in the
West.
Il Was osr.zinly bright and promising picture to
aaler the aubiinn OF the dssa hero, aud the chan
ces Of success vastly in his favor sciay as
he only had corps to contend against instead OF
tWo, as he had contemplated Bat band o. true ami
fs6ful heroes stood in ms way, aud the fight which
HArdees corps made on the afternoon of that IRA
bic y, viii appear in history as an ms snos of the
molt glorious aud deer mined resistance ever made in
warfare upon any battle ield.
Aou halt past four O'clock 10 the afternoon the as
laut upon our whole line began and for over two
hours the dssfening and ulceSsipg of the mighty
crarao. living fire which lelped together in chasn
Of blood from opposing Sides told the tale OF death and
resistance which being eDsc,ed 1t was a terrible
moment of SC peuse 10 al concerned and after the
6gh, had progressed about an hou', st greater was
the eIojtoment when 1t became known tina. a small
port on of our line had broker. There salient or
aharp angle on tie rglt OF line near the railroad
which was occupied nv GOvals Arkansas orig de- with
Levi Kentucky briSad, the rgh; Of it, aud Gran
bsrr, 5 Texas brigade the left Ond he posio tup
ported by Sgeus and Keys batteries. The positl,
vas weak nstIraly, and there I'd besn but little
iiOs s;reUg hen tand gpOn tsis brigade Of Gown,
Ia single rank, there hurled from divergent
noinis den 9 eod overwhelming MACS OF the enemy.
Three salara,e assaults repulsed With terrible d.
sIuctol 70 the io etcl gun Of the Two batteries hGV
ing fred ten rounds of gGpe ard canister into the
| santng cClnmns. But the enemy continued 60 bring
up resh uoppN frcm his heavy reserves flslly by
the mere weight Of numbers our breaslweTks
and carried the Loeiti
Abou, half of the Arkansas brigade, including Brig.
Gen. Govsu, aid seveIs tuDdFed Of he brave Ken
ucs,ns were captured behind tho works aad many of
them ba,onet ed at their posts wale sill continuing to
hgGt Fee mea who eayed them elves, and reiterated
| to tie we're not panic stricken, Dor
| sabdue1, hut halted Sithn one huGdred AMI hCy var
OF the works, ard uud5r the personal sUpervsOn and
example Generals HI dee and Ceburpe, reformed
aQd coz nusd TO fight and b fls the enemy until me
| lat Troops VIII could thus form under temporary
reverse and under heavy FIRE from the enemy, are
veterans Of the highest oFder for it needed only a.
/ few wPsk b6a-tsto create panic sDd then II would
rave been lost GsanbesryH brigade on the left OF The
break stuck 10 the works with The new liue jgining
upon It, aud With hs rect OF t1e command far to TIE
let eoLti usd until dark 10 rour Tiherng fire in
toe IKE of b, fl d and dis OF ed zoe. When night
came and drknss had SGT her up n the wo.k of
tGusee dde8lh il tound tho brave resolnte corps
| sill lirg It's ground, AID unb oien in liue or in
spirit Bus i bad accom- lished all that morias could
nc ieVe, d with tho enemy 4 .ukilg US with forces
b>th on the right and lett, he corps commander hal
other couTse pursue but to with his brave bsn
during the night and titus himself the morrow
| from being envCop"d and entir' y destroyed.
The retrogTsdo nov ment in the presence Of such
nuwerc us foe was difficult and be udau undertaking
en-; vas txecu ed With per'eoI sUCccs-and We fell
back four and half miles Bringing # everything in
| cludipg our sick Aod wounded The sight pieces Of
artillery captured f.om us included ak Napoleon guns
which w-re akin fem the enemy by this same Ar
kaosas BRIGADE on ID, % Of jolly Our los in killed
a wounded VAS c, mpsratVey smLl. TIE loss
OF be enemy Ta9 iar grea er than III sny en-
| gagement Of the csmpsign. and is est m>tsd by all
zine 10 be FIJI qusl in tie number of kill, d and
y, und. 70 the srtro r,ngih OF the Ooips engaged
II Is VI ~ seldom tla h mm nss loss is cted
upoq a. crsmy Bat with all THE glory, had to toll
back, sod trust to the hops Of wing GenonDent
brought ssey toge err in order with cur cosGeutratsd