Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1865-03-15
ZEN. JoHNsToN's OFFICIAL RYpo,r

G..-ra, ,sy1a6svnls, Gnoaa1A, october 20, 1884.
za;s4ans did h.psa.r- es,.,s,.
port Of the operations Of the Amy Of Tsn ng re-
while 1t was under my command, Want If tho ss
ports OF the lieutenant-genesals, for which h.s.
waited until now; prevents me from being crcnr,.
stantial. 'e S"sonl-
In Obedience to the orders Of the President Z.
ce'yed by telegraph at Clinton Mississippi. Dacero.
OK Der ~, 1868, l assumed command of the Armv n
tennessee at Dalton on the 9th of that month
Letters from the President and Secretary of Wa,
GATED respectively 2Si and Doth of December inn
pressed upon me the importance Of soon commenc.
ing active operations against the enemy The rala.
i've forces. including the moral effect Of the affa;r
o. missionary ridge condition Of the artillery horses
and most OF those Of the cavalry, aud want of 6eH
transportation made 1t impracticable to effect n.
wishes of the Executive '''
On the LIST Of December, the effective total Of The
iEtantry aud artillery of the army, includiro two
brikades belonging to the Department of Mis,ssnn;
was thirty six Thousand eight hundred and twenty,
sa the elective total of the cavalry including Rod
dys Command at Tuscumbia, was five thousand sx
hundred and thirteen The Federal force in onr
frout exclusive Of cavalry and the Ninth aud Tven-
ty-third corps at Knoxville was estimated at eighty
thousand - guy
The winter was mainly employed In improving
the discipline and equipment of the army and bring
inE back ahsentees to the ranks. AT the eurl1yf
April, more than Eve thousand had REFINED their
regiments. -.
The horses OF the cavalry and artillery had been
much reduced in condition by the previous campaign
AS full supplies of forage could not be- furnished
them at Dalton, it was necessary to send about half
Of each OF these arms of the service far tothe rear
where the Country could furnish food. On that &C.
count, Br'gailer-General Roddy was ordehd, with
ABOUT thr, e.fourtbs of his troops from TIscumbia
and Dalton, and arrived at the end Of FebAlary.-
Vn ths "a OF April, however, he was sent back to
bis former position by the Secretary of Wan
On the 18th aud 10th Of January, B.ldvin's and
CHARLES erigades returned to the Depart nent Of
Mississippi and East Louisi ana, to which they be-
logged. His Excellency, joseph f. Brown, added
to tue army two regiments Of State troop, which
were used to guard the railroad bridges between
Dalton aud Atlanta.
On the 18th Of February the -Presidentp ordered
me, by telegraph, to detach Lieutenant General
SteveLs,n's DIVISION" to aid Lieuteuaptt General
Polk against Sherman, In Mississippi. This order
was obeyed as promtly as our means of transpoxta-
ton permitted.
The f"rce detached was probably exaggerated to
MaJr-Gcneral Thomas; for on the Esd TIN Federal
army advanced to Ripggold, on the 24th drove in
our outposts, and on the 25th skrmished at Mill
Creek gap and iu Crow valley, east of Rocky Face
mountain. We were successful at both plates. At
the latter, Caytons brigade. after sharp action Of
half an hour, defeated double its number. 1t night
it was reported that United States brigade was
oceapyilM Dug gap, from which it had dfven our
troops. aCburys Texan brigade, returning from
Mississippi. had just arrived. It was ordered to
march t" the foot Of the mountain Immediately and
to retake the gap at sunrise mex: morninf, which
was done. In the night Of the 18th the enemy re-
tired.
Ga the 9th of February, I suggested to The E1-
ecuve, ~ letter, through General Bragg, that all
preparations for forward movement should be made
without further delay. In letter, dated 4th of
March, General Bragg desired me to have all things
ready ut tire earliest practicable moment for the
ment Indicated. 10 replying, Oh the l2th remind
ed him that "thes regulations of the War Depart
ment do not leave such Preparations to commanders
OF troops, but to officers who receive their orders
from Airhmond On the 18th. letter was seceived
from General Bragg, sketching plan OF offensive
operations, and enumersting the troops to be used
10 them under me. l was invited to express my
views the subject. In doing so, bath by tee-
graph and mail, l suggested notifications, and urged
that the additional troops named should be sent i'm
mediatey to enable US, should the enemy advance,
to beat him and then move forward Or should he
not advance, to do so ourselves. General Bragg re-
piled by telegraph on the 21st "Yuur dispatch of
u.
Troops CAP only be drawn from other points for ad-
vance. Upon your decision q that point further
action must depend" replied by telegraph on the
ed: ain my dispatch of 18th expressly accept
taking the offensive, only differ with you as to de-
tss. l assume that the enemy will be prepared for
advance before we WILL aud will make 1t to our ad-
vantage; therefore propose, both tor offensive and
defensive, to assemble troops here Immediately.
: Ills was not noticed. Therefore, on the 25th, |
fbo <,f onforo fbo Arp,x
Of Tennessee, because tie enemy was collecting a
larger fierce than that OF the last campaign while
ours was |. IS than it had been then.
On the Sd April Lieutenant Colonel A. H. Cole
arrived at Dalton, to direct the procuring of artil
lery lrses, and field transportation, to enable the
army to advance.
On the 4th, under orders 80 of 1854, applied to
the chief Of the conscrpt service for one THOUSAND
negro teamsters. None were received.
On the 9th Of April, Colonel B. 8. Ewell, Assist
ant Adjutant-G General was sent to Richmond to rep.
resent to the President my wish to take the offensive
with proper means, and to learn his views few
days after, Brigadier-General Pendleton arrived
from Richmond to explain TO- nae tho Presidents
wishes the subject. Iexplalped to him the modi-
fl ;aion Of the plan, communicated by Genera
Bragg, which seemed to me essential which requir.
I'd that The Intended achievements should be sent
to Dalton. / urged that this should be done with
Gent for defence, and to enable US to take the
offensive if the enemy did not.
On the LIST of May, reported the enemy about
to advance. On the I'd. Brigadier General MERGERS
command arrived, about fourteen hundred effective
infantry. On the 4th, expressed myself satisfied
that the enemy was about to attack with his united
forces, and again urged that part of Lieutenant
General Folks troops should be puts my disposal
I was informed by General Bragg that orders te
that effect were given.
Major General Martin, whose division Of cavalry
coming from East Tennessee, had been halted on th,
Etowah to recruit its horses was ordered with 1t tt
observe the Oostanauls from Resaca to Rome; ant
Brig. Gen. Kelly was ordered with his command from
the neghborhood Of Rsaca to report to Major Gen
Wheeler.
The effective artillery and infantry of the Army Of
Tennessee, after the arrival of MERGERS brigade
amounted to forty thousand nine hundred the eff.c
tive cavalry to about four thousand. Major Genera
Shermsn's army composed Of that of Mssionsr,
Ridge, (thea eighty thousaud) increased BY severa
| thousand recruits; five thousand, then under Hovey
the twenty third corps (Schvfed's,) from Knoxville
and fwn dvisona If the S1t,enth from North Ala