The Smoky Hill and Republican union. [volume] (Junction City, Kan.) 1861-1864, 1864-09-24

our mission shall have ended.
Gen. sAsrmaa's cengra&alasory Order to His
| Troops.
Headq's MA Div. Of the Mississippi
In the Field, Atlanta, Ga.
Thursday, Sept. 8, 1868.
SPECIAL FIELD ORDERs No. 6S.-The
officers and soldiers of the Armies of the
Cumberland, Ohio and Tennessee have al
ready received the thanks of the nation,
through its President and Commander.iui-
Chief: and now remains only for him Who
has been with you from the beginning. and
who intends to stay all the time, to thank
the officers and men for their intelligence,
fidelity and courage displayed in the cam
paign Of. Atlanta.
On the 6rst of May our armies were ~.
ing in garrison, seeming quiet, from Knox
vile to Huntsville, and our enemy lay be-
bind bis rocky faced barrier at Dalton.
proud, defiant and exulting. lie had had
time since Christmas to recover from bis
discontinue on tho Mission ridge, with his
ranks filed, and new Commander.in-C c Chief
second to mono of the Confederacy 10 repu-
ta,ion for skill, sagacity and extreme popu.
larity. All at once our armies assumed
life and action. and appeared before Dalton !;
threatening Rocky Face, We threw our
selves upon Resacs, and the rebel army
only escaped by the rapidity Of its retreat.
aided by the numerous roads with which
ke was familiar and which we're strange to
u.s. Again be took post in Allatoona, but
We gave him no rest, and by circuit to-
wards Dallas, and subsequent movement to
Ackwortb, We gained the Allatoena Pass.
Then followed the eventful battle about
Kenesaw, and the escape Of the enemy
across Chattahoochee River.
The crossing of the Cbattahoochie and
breaking of the Augsta Road was most
handsomely executed by US, and will be
studied as an example in the art Of war.
At this stage of our game, our enemies be.
came dissatisfied with their old and skillful
commander aud selected one more bold aud
rash. New tactics were adopted. Hood
first boldly and rapidly, on the 10th of Ju
Il ly, fell on our right at Peach Tree Creek
and lost again on the 22d he struck our
extreme left and was severely punished, and
finally again on the 28th he repeated the
attempt on our right, and that time mus,
have been satisfied, for since that date he
has remained on the defensive. We slowly
and gradually drew our lines about Atlanta,
feeling for the railroads which supplied the
rebel army and made Atlanta q place Of
importance. We must concede to our ene-
my that he met these efforts patiently and
skillfully, but at last be made the mistake
We had waited for so long, and sent bis
cavalry to our rear, far beyond the reach Of
recall. Instantly our cavalry vas on his
only remaining road and We followed quick.
ly with our principal army, and Atlanta
fell into our possession as tho fruit Of oil
concerted measures, backed BY brave and
competent army. This completed 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 officers aud men, composing this army.
for the indomitable courage and perscver
ance which alone could give success.
We have beaten our enemy on every
ground he has chosen, and have wrested
from him bis own gate city, where we're
located his founderies, arsenals and work.
shops, deemed secure on account of their
distance from our base and the seemingly
impregnsble obstacles intervening. Moth
ing is impossible to an army like this, de-
termined to vindicate Government which
has rights wherever our flag has once float
ed, and is resolved to maintain them at any
and sll costs.
In our campaign many, yes, very many,
Of our noble aud gallant comrades have
preceded as to our comwon destination, the
grave but they have left the memory Of
deeds on which nation can build a proud
history. Mcpherson, Harker, McCook, and
others dear to as 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 before Us
10 the dim future. ask all to continue as
they have so we'll begun, the cultivation Of
the soldierly virtues that have ennobled our
own and other countries. Courage, pa
tience, obedience 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
thes require no prophet to foretell that our
country will in time emerge from this war,
purified by the fires Of war, and worthy its
great founder, Washington"
w. T. SHERMAN,
Official: Major GenI Commanding.
L. W. DAYTON, Aide-de- Camp.
~ The rag, shag and soreheads have
nominated Sorehead o. Thacher for Cover.