Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1873-08-19
@TRANsIENT BILLs-GAsH.
AN INCIDENT OF THE WAR.
;;tFrom,he Atiaa.. fGa. ) nonstisat.on. !


editors Coastfsnttoa IA reception was
held at the mansion of Governor Moves. in
gollnmbus, Ohio. on Thursday evening, July
10Th, 10 honor of the members of the State
Constitutional Convention now in session IN
Gollumbus. There we're. number of dis,
tinguished guests from abroad. Prominent
among the many was General j Joseph E.. John.
ston., s. he was a marked man aud attracted
universal and most respectful attention. This
is as il should be- II st e r 5. sp
upcn being made acquainted with the above
fact. a war incident was called to my mind
war incident that is not part of history and
which shows the necessity of carrying out tho
orders of the Gommnnder-insC Chief Mt all
hazards ys,5 ss;;;s,9 -.
1t was in May. 1864, that General Sher-
man swung into Georgia with his great army
of one hundred thousapd men aud two hun-
dred and Fifty guns. Nine years asoi II
does not seem nine years since the thunders
of artillery shook the mountains of Georgia
from Riagsold TO Atlantal Then, Governar
Noyes of Ohio now, was Colonel Noyes of tho
S9th Ohio Infantry, and part of the Army Of
the Tennessee under command of Gen Mo-
Phersou. The commander of the opposing
Confederate army was General Joseph u.
Johnston, who was Governor Noyes' guest on
the 10Th of this month of July.
But to my incident.
General Sherman, with his spieudidly
equipped army of one hundred thousand men.
wanted to give General Johnston, with 'his
army of fifty thousand veterans battle in tho
month of May, 1864. for he we'll knew that
every step General Johnston took toward At.
lanta he became stronger. Johnston was at
Dalton, with his advance at Ringgold his
line of supplies well as of retreat, the Wes>
tern & Atlantic Railroad.
AZ n n y
Johnston by sending MCPHERSON, with his
twenty>four thousand men, around through
Snake Creek Gap to Resaca, or any other point
north of Oostsnaulla river, with orders to seisa
the railroad, hnld it, and burn the bridge at
Resaca at all hazards, Meanwhile he would
keep the Confederate army at Rocky Faced
Ridge busy. General Thomas doubted tho
success of the plan, because, he said Gen.
Johnston was too good soldier TO leave Snake
Creek Gap unfortifsd. But Sherman was
bound to try it, and so he started Mcpherson,
with the army of the Tennessee, on h mission.
which if carried out. would result in as great
au achievement as over was gained BY sftned
men. Johnston would be esurrounded-hem.
med in by the Oostanaulla and Conasauga
rivers on the south and east. by Johns Moun-
tain on the west. he would have to surrender
or fight against fearful odds-double his force
attracting in front and rear
On the Sth and 9th of May Sherman ham
mered away at Rocky Faced Ridge and Buzz
Yards Roost at fearful rate and during tho
night of the 9th, courier from Mcpherson
arrived at Sherman's headquarters with the
information that Mcpherson and his army had
passed through Snake Creeh: Gap and ocre
a0i,hin mile Of the rnii,oad.
This was great news for Sherman. lie i'm.
media,ely called for horses and escort. and
r0da n Gan Thomao'
away. Bursting in upon Gen. Thomas, ho
shouted:
81 told you so, Tom !, (1n familiar in,
tercourse, he always called General Thomas
Toth) 'tMcPherson passed through the gan.
and by this time has The railraad and has
burned the bridge. I've got Joe johnston
dead I've 90. him dead ~ n
OF course Thomas was overjoyed, they con-
graduated themselves ending the campaigh
at its commencement. To go down to Atlanta,
and from there to Savannah would be holiday
work AT daylight general advance would
be made. Mcpherson shall hear our guns
before night. Victory
Before daylight another courier came, aud
his message was that Mcpherson had met
considerable force, and considered it prudent
to fall back to the west end and fortify
Then Sherman stormer. He said athe
grand opportunity is over oh If had only
sent Osterhaus OF, Charley Wood. or somebody
who would have done as I ordered. Johnston
would have been mine before fofty>eieht
hours " -
:. Sherman at once nut his army in motion for
Resaca, via Snake Creek Gap, hoping to get
through before Johnston could get away! Ieay-
ing Howards corpse to watch Buzzard Roost.
But that wiley Chieftaiu had detected the OBJ.
ject of the movement. snd'he pulled up stakes
at Dalton, and having the short cut, got 70
Resaca before Sherman debouched from Snake
Creek Cap, while Howard's corps occupied
Dalton. -
Then followed the three days bloody fight
around Resaca, until the night of May 18th.
when Johnston qietly slipped away TO Kings
ston with his army, the rear guard burning
the railroad bridge across the Oostanaulla
river. Sherman did not get into Atlanta
until the 9th of September ~ =
Gen. Sherman was terribly incensed toward
Gen. Mcpherson for not carrying out his or
ders to seize the railroad at Resaca aud con-,
templated removing him from command of tho
army of the Tennessee. Bnt Mcpherson was
noble, dashing ofhcer-the idol of the army,
and at Resaca on the 18th he carried q hin
| and line of rife>pits across Camp Creek,
| which enabled him to pour destructive EN-.
hlading fire upon the Confederate works.fo
| command the railroad bridge; so Sherman
forgave his blnuder; and by his brilliant gem
erlship from Resaca to Atlanta where he gave
his bright young life on that bloody 22d. Of
July. he was.fuly restored in the confidence
I of bis commander who characterized him as "a
noble youth, of striking personal appearances,
of the highest professional capacity, and with
heart aboundipg in kindness. that drew to
| him the affections of all men,"
No man can feresee events /; but had Con.
eral Mcpherson carried out his orders at Re,
SAGA, would the 0,000 Federal and AZ, 900
| Confederate killed and wounded between Dsi-
| ton and Atlanta have been snared -