Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1864-07-08
Fer the Delaware Gazstts.-
NOTES IN Dixie.
NEAR KENEsA MoUNTAIE, Ga.
june 23d, 1864.

War has its seasons of gtorm and calm very
much as the weather has. EsEen in the midst |
of active operations thu destructive elements
that compose armies have their dts OF quietude
as well as Of turbulence We're il not so, ny
dear Gazette the name of A. T. Scotland
would be one of the rGrest GUises in your col
lection, and would what blessing to your
readers , very seldom make its appearance in
your columns. But fortunately, or unfOrtu-
nately. a brief period of calm in the muFky
atmosphere Of war enables mesto submit to
the charitable consideration Of yourself and
readers few more crude pencilings from my
note book.
Permit me, dear Gazette, to felicitate myself
upon being farther into Dixie than when 1 last
wrote yeu. Ny progress since then has been
slow but sure, and has been (it is needless to
say considerably regulated by the movements
of Gen. Sherman's vast army. / now write
from about the most southwark point in the
Gland of cotton" attained by Northern Van
dals on this route since the outbreak of the
rebellion. To be more exact, it is southwest
of Kenesa Mountain, and fYs miles from Ma
rietta. To describe to you by what route l
have reached this point Heuld be like defining
the meanderings Of bird of passage. Per-
haps 1 may give you a general idea. Of it,
Fixing our starting point at the position of
the Goth Corps in front Of the enemy's works
at Dallas, let me conduct you. lin ima9ination,)
by bride path and plantation roads, through
wild, density wooded, mountainous country
in a north-easterly direction, to Lost Noun
tain. Such was the route Travelled by Hook
er's Corps from the I'd to the 9th inst. At
| Tx oh =
the lofty and abrupt termination on the right
Of series of hills which end in the peaks Of
Ksness on the left,) we find the enemy in
! strong force and presenting a bold 'front.'
Accordingly our line of battle is formed and
we display a threatening aspect, in order to.
cover the movement of the remainder of the
Army Of the Cumberland and also.of the Ar
mics of ths Tennessee and Ohio, all Of which
are, in like manner, shifting to the left 1t is
q sert of q hand over hand movement in the
direction ofths railroad. By the march across
the Etowah, and to Burnt Hickory, We COM
PEELED johnson 20 abandon bis strong noun
tain lodgment at Allatoona and obtained pos-
session Of the railroad from Kingston to that
4 point. It was evidently Sherman's intention
to march directly'to Atlapta had not johnson
determined to risk battle rather than permit
him to do 60. johnson quickly seeing his
danger preeipitated his entire army directly
across Shermsn's path at Dallas, and taking
advantage of the mountainous character of the
country, constructed field works which render
ed his position very strong before our army
could concentrate. Sherman therefore now
moves his army to the left, towards the rail,
road, and Johnson is again compelled to aban-
l. don his vvariyc md rnaIra
/ ments. Thus the two armies came to confront
each otheE along the series of heights extend
ing from Lest MountaiA to Kenesa Sher-
mans left extended acress the railroad seuth
of Aeworth by the 9th inst Hooker remain :
ed in front of Lost Mountain until the 18th
inst at that date the movements along our
immense line had been such as to compel j John-9
son to refuse his left. He evacuated his posi-
] tion at Lost Mountain, and Hooker plunged
| forward and pushed him back to a new and
more formidable line of intrenchments. Geary's
Division, supported by Williams, established
our line within one hundred yards Of the enc
my's rife pits. Here our forces intrenehed,
amid an incessant FIRE of musketry, on the
night of the 18th. On the morning of the 9th
the hostile parties found themselves so close
to each other that they banded epithets and
exchanged verbal as well as leaden compli-
ments. Neither party could show himself
without attracting salute. of a larger num-
her of guns than are allowed to persons of the
same rank by the Army Regulations Day
and night the bullets necessarily whizzed like
6endigh sprites among the treec. Your A T.
s. lay himself down by tree and endeavorsd
By all the subtle arts be knew Of to compose
himself to sleep. But in vain. The wicked,
leaden-winged elves kept up a horrible mid
night carnival above and all around him.
Each little rebel fend seemed to come nearer
and to make more unseemly noise than any
that preceded it. Tins wore the night ava
"a night that will never be forgotten.
On the night of the 10th; the rebels aban-
donad their works and withdrew. On the |
morning of the 18th we had the satisfaction
to enter one Of the finest linss of field forti6-
cations have ever seen. Advancing about |
two miles we found the enemy posted behind |
another series of works equally strong. We |
entrenehed again within about one Thousand |
yards of the rebel line. Active skirmishing !
and desultory cannonading Immediately began,
and continued until the night of the 18th |
when the enemy again abandoned his works |
and fell back. We pursued him on the morn
ing of the 18th, and again had the satisfaction
to take possession of one of the finest lines of |
field works that could be imagined. 5
The question naturally arose as to how the
enemy could afford to spend go much pains
and labor upon these works Of temporary de-
Tense. There is report that Johnson has
an immense corps of negro laborers which he
keeps constantly at work upon such fortifca-
-tions of this kind as the prospective move
ments of his army will probably develop th
necessity for. 81 ss-ez- -- .5r s5.sv.
Heoker's Corps now advanced to find the
enemy in new position near Kenesa Noun
tain. Gen. Howard's Corps Joined us on the
left and Gen. Sehofeld's on the right The
skirmishing and artillery -duelling Immediately
began again and continued ineessautly.-
Though there was no general engagement yet
hostilities were never for moment suspended.
Indeed such has been the state of affairs al
NEST constantly since the commencement of
the campaign. Without any very general en-
gagement the troops are kept constantly un-
der fire and their nerves always in state of
anxious tension. Sometimes the battle-storm
breaks out at seme point Of the line with i'm
mense fury and a general engagement seems
imminent. But it finally proves to be mere
Iy local matter and though battle in itself
yet does not bring the two armies into an un-
reserved graphing with each other. They are