Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1865-03-05

have bsen is distraction. We il beaten had
-'aaa r. -erugc 10 Atlanta 800 strong to be as
saU.gat. am 500 extensive 20 DC invested had
hopet sls9 that b. the bTesking Of the railroad
ia its TsRr the Fedora. army night De compelled
10 k.inck Us il 2 position OF our own choosing,
or 20 i retreat, easily converted into c1ut.
AtssyWe crossed Ihe Es3Tah hgs 1s;agdms1is
Of cags'rg 7yere successively sens, with iustyoc-
.jors % lsssroy as much IS they could n .hs
yailyosI ho.weea Dalton and :he E;oTaa al!
faiis3 bssz1ss too weak. We coald -syct spays
a sufficsohs body OF csyNiry .o- .al5 service s5
fIs u5sis lance was absolutely necessary n Ene
| isfense Of gvAIy position we occupied.
Captain Harvey. an Officer Of great courage
aud sagscity Has ie.scbed On this service With
one hundred man, o. the il'h q! June, and re-
NAMED i0r several y=esss near he railroad. frs.
lusnily iateTuptng although .ssrong enough
10 prevent its use Esr,y II the campaign the
strength OF the cavalry in she department. OF
Mississippi and L9uisians, given me by Lieut.
Gaa. Polk, Just from the command of that de-
partment, and By ielegfsphiC correspondence
with bis successor, Lieut. Gen s. D. Lee, gave
me reason to hope tbst competent force could
be sent from Mississippi aud Alabama to pre-.
vent .he use Of tao railroad by the United States
army. 1 therefore suggested it TO the President
Gireciy, on the 18Th June and 18th July, and
through General Bragg, on the 3o!b l Aod i2ih'
Ak
Gen Lee on ths l0:h May, and 81, lIth and
I6,h jane. / did 50 in the belief that this cav
airy :7ou!d serve the ConfejeIAcy better 5T
e.isipg the de!es Of Msj Gen ShsTmaa's srlny
thaa b iepelling raid IN Mississippi
Beades 'he causes Of my removal, alleged in
| the ssegTsm Announcing it, various other sccu-
| sailors have been made sgainss u,e-somo pub
-iiShed in newspapers in such a menuer as 20
sppeE to have official authority, sad others cir
eulsGep orally in Georgia and AIabams, and i'm
puted to Gen. Bragg.
lhs principal are, tha! l psrsi5seDIly disrs-
gaTdet the instructions OF the President, that l
would not dghs the enemy, that refused 70 de-
lend Atlantis, that I TefU5ed 10 communicate
with 15nersl B8gg IA relation TO the operations
OF the army, that disregsr1sd his enireasie5 to
ehSpe my course and attack the enemy, and
gross sXsggeratioDs of the sse5 Of the army.
ND not the advantage Of receiving the Pre-.
sideEB inssEuetiOnS in relation to the manner of
concDhng the campaign But as the conduct
OF my pfsdeeossor, in retTeasiug before odds less
than hcse Confronting me, has apparently been
apprTedi and ss Gen Lee, in keeping on the
defcnive and re.rea!ing towards Grants objec-
tive pint under circums tsnces like mine, was
adding to his great fame, both in the estimation
Of the administration and people, supposed
hSt.d thSt "a ,,s cenrsa would not be csnsursd be-
ons at av eom.G83 ns 93 bis sb bA5 il ag sA9 only
SSAAs0S-Au HAlCA pIOkz4lbcA
think thst the foregoing narrative shows
that tn army Of Tennessee did fight, and with
o. leas Is much effect 81 it has ever done bs-
fore
Ihepre0fs that intended to hold Atlanta are |
the fact thai under my order. the work of |
strengthening It's defenses WKs going on yiror- |
ousH the communication on the subject made |
6y ne to Gen. Hood, and the fact that my fam
lily vas in the town. That the public Workshop
werremoYsd sRd Rs large supplies deposited
In tie town, as alleged by Gen Bragg, were
measures of common prudence, aud no more
lHdiAtsd the intention 10 abandon the place,
than ihe sonding the wagons of Al army TO the
rear, o. dSy of battle, proves a foregone de-
termination to abandon the field.
Whis Gen. Bragg WAS At Atlanta, about the
middle of July, we had no other conversation
eoncsr1ing the srmy there than such IS intro
daced- He asked me no questions regarding its
operations, PEss or future made no comments
UPON them, Rer suggestions, and had not the
slightest ssscn to suppose that Atlanta would
not be defended He told me that the object of
His in1Ensg WAS IN confer With Lieut. Gan Lee !
, -I!h Gen. Z K Smith in re-
sa7t enents for ms He talked
Hg11 ~ -aHEs IA Virginia shsn in Geoygia
.-r-5-7-- is. and impressed me with
he 81 iaas is 20 me were unotheIal.
d. 7s.s. Dor. by Gen. Hood accom-
Most respectfully, j
Your ebedieus servant, !
J. +. JOHNSTON, General.