Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1865-03-05
OFFICIAL REPORT
OF Gen. Joseph s. Johnston, Relative 10
Operations Of the Army of Tennessee.
VErvrIr Ga DE-, gg t3et


SIR: have tie ianJr . make me .nlovirr
| report 2s 'ho ys'atioa5 OF :bs srm7 O.: Tsnnes
| see Bhs vas under Nv c,EmAni Want oil
| the reports c. the .-g,5usu. generals :3r which
I baFa waiyea uu !. ugV prevents H. :.om De-
| ing cirCualsiaGiiE,
| 10 cbtdeDCs 70 shs orders ., the President. re-
! csivci by telegraph At C.nE9G, Miss Dscembe,
/ 18Th, 1868, ! assumed command Of the army o.
! Tennessee, st Dalton, on The 9Th of that month
! Letters from the President and Secretary oi
| War, dated respectively 23d and 20sh Of Deem
| Der, impressed upon ne the importance Of soon
| commencing active operations Egsinss he aas
my. The relative forces, including .5e mora
| fleet Of The affair Of Missionary Ridge. con1i
ton OF the artillery 1oTses, and most OF those d
the csvalry, and want Of field ransporsation
made il imprE esicable to effect shs wishes Of 'h'
| eIeCutivs.
On the Sis: OF December, the effective io.al
| of the infantry and artillery Of the army, in-
cluding two brigades belonging to The depart
| msnt Of Mississippi, VA DC 03S ~ -H--'i--
| total OF the cavalry, inr zar
msnd at Tuscumbia, We a, I'm.
| force in our front, szcluslvs a. ls.a
| Och and 231 corps at Il --...s .s.i
81 50 600.
The winter was msinl l.-ygt p .-g-rrs.--
The discipline and oquiyulvut Vi sus sImy, anu
bringing back Ibsentees 20 ths ranks At the
end Of April more than five thousand had re-
joined their regiments.
The horses of the eaTflry and artillery hsi
been much reduced in condition by the previous
campaign As full supplies Of forage could not
be furnished them si Dalton, it was necessary
to send about bslf Of each Of these arms Of
service far to the rcsr, where The country could
furnish food Oa hat GcC1uG, Brig. General
Roddy was ordered, with about tbreefourths of
his troops, from Tuscunhia and Dalton, and or
rived at the end Of February % the p April,
however, he was sent back 10 his former position
by the Secretary of War.
On the 18Th aud 10Th of January, Baldwin's
and Qisrles' brigades returned to the derart.
ment Of Mississippi and East Louisiana to
which they belonged. His Ezcellency Joseph
Z. Brown 3 lisd to The army two regiments of
State troops, which were used to guard the rail
road bridges between Dalton AMI Atlanta.
Or the is h of February, the President or
dsred ma BY telegraph 20 datsch General Hsrdee
with the infantry Of his corps, except Seven
sons division, TO aid General Polk Against Shsr-
mas ia Mississippi. This order was obsyed as
promptly as oUr means of transportation per-
mitted.
The force detached sAs probably exaggerated
to Maj. Gen. Thomas for on the 23i the Fed
eral army advanced to RiDggold, on the 24th
drove il our ouipo5ts, and on the 25th Skin
miEhsd at Mil creek gap, and Crow valley,
east of Rseky Face mountain. We were sac
csssful at both places At the latter, Clayton's
brigsds, after 3 sharp action Of half au hour, de-
tested double its number. At night, it was re-
perted that United Sistes brigsde IVES eceu- |
pying Dug gap, from which ii had driven our |
troops. Granbury's Texas brigade, returning |
from Mississippi, had just arrived. It was or
der.d TO march IS the foot Of the mountain i'm
M lately, and to retske the gap ct sunrise |
NAMING wh;rh va dana l., ba
the 26sh the enemy retired
On the 9th Of February l suggested to the
Executive by letter through Gen. Bragg, that all |
for forward movement should be
made without further delay. In letter dated
March 4tb Gen. Bragg desired me to have all
things ready at the esrIieIt practicable moment
for the movement indicated. In replying On the
18th, / reminded him that the regulations ofI
The War Department do not leave such PIE para
lions to commanders If troops, but 70 bcsEs
who receive their orders ffoB Richmond" QEI
he lSih letter was received from Gen. BIsge
3ketchipg s plan of ofensiV. oPers ignf -
,RH meTstiRg the t-.osss g - ~ = &
ne. I wIs invited to express my ys7s su thc
Iubject In doing 90, both by tslegr d s.
nail, l suggested notifications, and urged that
he additional troops named should be 50as i'm
to snsbls rs, should the enemy Ed-
7ance, TO beat him and thea move forward or, |
IL
Bragg replied, by telegraph, on tbs 2lst: "Yeur
lispItch of the I9!h does not indicate acceptance
# plan proposed. Troops can only be drawn
rom other pon. for advance. Upon your de- |
.sion OF that point further action must depend"
replied by telegraph On the 221: " In my dis
,stch Of the 19Eh l expressly accept taking the
fensivs; only differ with you as to details.
ssume that the enemy will be prepared for sd
rsHcs before we will, and will make it to our
Il Losl t. l Z
i've and defensive, to assemble our troops here
This WAS not noticed. There
sTe, on the 25!A, sgain urged the necessity OF
the Srmy Of Tennessee, because the
nsmy was collecting & larger force than that of
be last campaign, while ours WAS less shan il
Ad been then.
On the Sd OF April, Lieut. Col A. H. Cole ar
ved st DAlton,to direct the procuring of artl-
sry horses and field transportation, to enable
ls army 20 advance
On the Ash, under orders 80 of 1864. I -P-
lied to the chief Of ihe conscEiPtiUn service for
ne thousand negro IeamsterB. None were re-
aived.
On the 9Th of April, Col. b. S. EWen, Assist
Mt Asiutsnt General was sent TO Richmond 10
sprGsent to the President my wish to take the
ffensve with proper msaus, and to learn his
isas. few dEys after Brig. Gen. Pendleton
rived from Richmond TO explain to me the
.IeGlQcuL NibAbh VI tL5 5uDlbCb. 1 b4plAluEQ
D him the modification Of the plan eOmmuni-
ated by Gen Bragg, which seemed to me essen
al, which required that the intended reinforce
nenss should be sent TO Dalton. l urged that
bis should be done without delay, because our
resent force was not sufficient even fer defeDse,
ad to enable as TO take the offensive if the enc.
ly did not.
On the Is! Of May, reported the enemy
bout to advance. On the I'd, BIigsdier Gen
rel MercsE's command arrived-About fourteen
undTed effective infantry. OA the 4Sh / ex-
Tes5ed myself Estisfsd that the enemy was
bout to attack with his united forces, and again
Tged that part OF Lieut. Gen Folks troops
hould be put at my disposal. was informed by .
lsreTAl Bragg that orders to Ihst effect were /
iven.
Major General Martin, whose division Of cay.
Try was coming from East Tennessee, had
cen halted on the EtowEh to recruit its horses,
'ss ordered with it 20 observe the OStanaula
.sm ResscG to Rome, ana Brig Gen. Kelly
TAs ordered with his command from the neigh
OThoOd of ReSscs to report 30 Major General /
Vheeler.
The effective artillery and infantry Of the ar. /
~ of Tennessee, after the arrival Of Marcer's | !
rigade, amounted to forty thousand and nine :
unired the effective cavalry to about four
,Oassnd Major Gen. Sherman's army was I
2mposed Of that OF Missionary Ridge, (thsn |
ghiy thouEsnd) increased by several thousand +
,cruitc, FIVE thousand thsn under HoYsy, lhe !
81 corps (Schofeld's) from Knoxville, and two c
ivigionF Of the 10Th, from North Alabama. :
Major General Wheeler estimated the cavalry 2
tina! army at fifteen thousand. ]
On the 5!h Of May this srmy was in line be- !
Teen Rnggoid and TunBel Hill, and after ]
on that and the following day, on
10 7th pressed back cur advanced troops to Mil +
TpRE ia IN tha 1.y prf~sAfar /
Il Canty reached Rssscs with his brigade aud
IS halted there