Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1864-07-29


! lights of the encampment, while far above in
the soft azure Of Southern sky the pure
/ lights of heaven shower down their gentle ben
isons of peace on earth and coed will toward
men. The quiet of the evening air is com
paratively unbroken save by the bands tina.
here aud there discourse inspiring strains of
maj tial music, and by The unmelodious notes
of musketry which at irregular intervals re-
sound discordanlly along the picket lines
| Unmindful Of wars alarms the soldiers one by
one sink TO rest upon their earthly couches
and dream Of their peaceful homes in the far
off Northern land uncursed by the devasta-
ting tread OF armies
! By a series of strategic movements, which
it would be diffcnlt to describe minutely, this
army has at length succeeded in forcing the
enemy 10 abandon all his formidable works
and next to impregnable positions, aud has
compelled him to fall back to the line of the
-Cbattahoochee Since the army crossed the
Etowah its progress has been slow, but suffering
no serious reverse, it has steadily pressed the
enemy back from ore stronghold to another,
and with comparatively small losses, has
achieved results truly marvellous. Twice the
army has entirely abandoned its communica-
tiOps to the mercy of The enemy, and relying
entirely upon its own strength and the genius
of its leader has swung off into wild and
destitute country, and moving right across
the enemy's flank, has compelled him to evacu-
ate posititions which it would have been next
to impossible 10 take by direct assault. 1t
was by a bold, daring movement of this kind
that the rebel leader was forced to yield the
line of the Etowah and his boasted citadel at
Allatooha Pass. By similar movement the
formidable line of the Kenesaw Mountain
became an easy prey to the Union army.
On the I'd inst. the Army of the Tennessee,
marching behind the Army of the Cumber-
land as curtain, moved rapidly to the right,
and directly down on the rebel left flank, to-
wards the Chattahoochee. The Army of the
Ohio, already upon the extreme right, Joined
in the movement and extended its line as far
as 10 Oily Greek. The enemy, from his watch
tower on Kenesaw, observed our slightest
movement and quickly interpreted Gen. Sher-
mans desigus Under the cover of night he
evacuated his works and withdrew On the
following morning the flag of the Union glor-
iously greeted the first grey streaks Of dawn
from the peaks of Kenesaw. The army was
in motion by a. M, and shortly afterwards
marched into the enemy's breastworks. No
more formidable lines of field-works were
probably ever constructed. The main breast
wsrk was rivetted with heavy timbers and
covered by an embankment of earth from four
to sixteen feet 10 thickness. Loop holes for
the musketry were constructed by placing
heavy timber called ''head- log on top of the
embankment and elevated few inches from
its surface. Thus the enemy completely shell
tered himself from both bullets and Shells
But the rebels were not satisfied with this
Our brave boys might easily leap their bitches, |
dash over their breastworks and bayonet them
in their trenches To guard against eontin-
gency of this kind the less brave than cautious
enemy constructed continuous line of eheUGGr-
de.frise few yards in advance of his breast
works. This obstacle consisted of sharp stakes
closely set in the ground, and protruding from
it at an angle of about As degrees. Again, a
few yards in front of this there was usually
line of abattis constructed with the tops of
trees, so trimmed as to leave the branches
protruding from the stemlike many -pronged
fork. Beyond the abattis the timber was
felled with the tops outward, so as to make
a tangled and almost impassable surface over
sort of order Add to all this the natural
strength of the positions invariably chosen by
the enemy, and something like an adequate |
conception can be formed Of the kind of works
from which this brave army has time and |
egain compelled the enemy to withdraw. Such |
were his works at Kenesaw, and such have
been his works in every position from which !
he has been driven He who examines them |
and at the same time carefully studies the geo
graphical and typographical features Of this
country cannot but be amazed at the achieve
msnts Of this army .# t-.fe
Between Kenesaw Mountain and the Chat
tahooches the rebel General had another line
of intreuchments behind which he posted his
army. Our forces presented themselves be-
fore this new obstacle on the evening Of the
Sd. Gen. MoPhsrson now pushed his column
forward and reached the Chattahoochee near
the mouth of Nickajack Greek Thus the
rebel left flank was completely turned, and the
enemy was again forced to leave bis works and
retreat. He withdrew during the night of the
4th inst, this time not to stop until be had
gained the heights that Iorm the right bank
of the Chattahoochee. Our army closely fol-
lowed him, the line stretching from right to
left like an immense seine. The 4th Corps on
the extreme left reached the river on the 9th
inst. and the corps forming the centre of the
army on the same day pressed the enemy back
! into his intrenchments on the heights already
named. Thus the army forms an immense
crescent, both ends, or fanks, of which rest
upon the river, and which completely envel-
opes the smaller crescent formed by the rebel
army in its new defensive position.
Such is the present position Of the main
portion of the army. Our cavalry has already
crossed the river and certain portion of the
infantry is already on its way to follow it. 1t
is runored that only Hardees Corps remains
in front OF US, the rest Of the rebel army bav-
ing crossed the river in erder to checkmate
certain movements Of ours.
July 9Th.
II is now understood that Gen. Sherman
has established a sufficiently strong tste-d,t-
pont on the left bank of the river to insure
the crossing of the entire army if necessary.
The grand movement which will probably re-