American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-06-28
PREPARATIONS FOR THE MARCH THRo'
GEORGIA.

GEORGIA.
BY the 1st of November Hoods army
had moved from Goldsboro, and made its
appearance in the neighborhood of Deca-
tur. where fent was made he then pas
sed on to Tuscumbia and laid pontoon
bridge opposite Florence. then began
my preparation for the march through
Georgia, having received the sanction of
the mmander-in-Chief for carrying
into effect my plan, the details Of which
were explained to my corps commanders
and heads of staff departments, with strict
injunctions Of secrecy. had also com
municated full details to General Thomas,
and had informed him | would not leave
the neighborhood of Kingston until he
felt perfectly confident that he was entirely
prepared to cope with Hood, should he
AIRY into effect his threatened invasion
f Tennessee and Kentucky. l estimated
lood's forces at $4,000 infantry and 10. :
40 cavalry.
l moved the Army of the Tennessee
by slow and easy marches, on the south
side of the Co.sa, back to the neighbor-
hood of Smyrna camp ground, and the
Fourteenth Army Corps, General JEFF. G
Davis, to Kingston, whittier | repaired in
person on the 2ud of November. From
that point directed all surplus artillery
NIL baggage not needed for my contempla-
ted march, all the sick and wounded, ref
ugees, &c, to be sent back to Chattanoo-
ga; and the four corps above mentioned +.
with Kilpatrick's cavalry, we're put in the
most efficient condition possible for a long
and difficult march This operation con
sumed the time until the l1th OF Novem-
Der, when, everything being ready, or
dered Gen. Corse, who still remained at
Rome, to destroy the bridges there, all
foundries. mills. shops, warehouses, Or
other property that could be useful to an
enemy, and to move to Kingston. At the
same time the railroad in and about At
lanta and between the Etowah and the
Chattahoochie, was ordered to be utterly
destroyed. The garisons from Kingston
northward were also ordered to draw back
to Chattanooga, taking with them all the
public property and all railroad stock, and
to take up the rails from Resaca back,
saving them, ready to be replaced when
ever future interests should demand, The
railroad between the E.owah and the
Oostenaula was left untouched, because
I thought it more than probale we
would find it necessary to re-occupy
the country as far forward as the line of
the Etowah. Atlanta itself is only of
strategic value as long as it is railroad
centre and as long as all the railroads
leading to it are destroyed, as well as all
its foundries, machine shops, warehouses,
depots, &c, it is Of no more value than
any other point in North Georgia; where,
rs the line of the Etowah, by reason Of
its rivers and natural features, possesses
an importance which will always contin-
ue From it all parts Of Georgia and
Alabama can be reached by armies mar
ching with trains down the Coosa or the
Chattahoochie valleys
STRENGTH OF THE INVADING ARMY.
On the 18th of November, my army
stood detached and cut off from all COM
municaton with the rear 1t was COM
posed of four corps: The Fifteenth and
Seventeenth, constituting the right wing
under Major General o. 0. Howard the
Fourteenth and Twentieth Corps, con-
stituting the left wing, under Major Gen.
ii. w. Slocum, of an aggregate strength
10000 infantry, one Cavalry Division, in
aggregate strength of ) 300, under Brlga-
dcr General Judson Fitzpatrick, and the
artillery reduced to the minimum, one gun
per thousand men.
THE FORWARD MOVE.
The whole force was moved rapidly
and grouped about Atlanta on the 18th of
November. In the meantime Captain 0.
M. Poe had thoroughly destroyed Allan
ia, save its mere dwelling houses and
churches, and the right wing, with Gen.
Kilpatrick's cavalry, was put. in motion
in the direction Of Jonesboro and MeDo-
nough, with orders to make a strong ieint
on Macon, to cross the Ocmulgee about
Planters mills and rendezvous in the
neighborbrod of Gordon in seven days,
exclusive of the day of march. On the
same day General Slocum moved with the
Twentieth Corps by Decatur and Stone
Mountain, with orders to tear up the rail
road from Social Circle to Madison, to
burn the large and important railroad
bridges across the Oconee, east of Madi-
son, and turn south and reach Miledge-
vile on the seventh day, exclusive of the
day of March. In person | left Atlanta
on the 10th, in company with the Four
teenth Corps, Brevet Major General jeff.
G. Davis by Hthouia, Covington and
Shady Dale, directly to Milledegeville,
Ala. The troops were provided with good
wagon trains, loaded with ammunition and
supplies, approxmating twenty days
break, forty days sugar and coffee, a dou-
bile allowance of salt for forty days, and
beef cattle equal to forty days supplies.
The wagons were also supplied with about
three days forage in grain. All were in
structed. by judcious system of forag-
ing, to maintain this order of things as
long gss.s possible, living chiefly, if not sole
ly, upon the eoSntry, which | knew to
abound in corn, sweet potatoes, and meats.
My first object vas, of course, to place
my army
IN THE VERY HEART OF GEORGIA,