The weekly clarion., 1874-06-25

No. II.

0eneral johnston states, page 301;
'' No material was lost by US in the cam
paign but the four field pieces exposed
and abandoned at Resaca by Gen. Hood. >
The following letter from his Chief OF
Ordnance, Col. Oladowski, shows quite
a different result
MOBILE, May 29th, 1874.
Gen. B. Bragg:
GENERAL-I answered your telegram
day before yesterday; hasten to-day to an
sweryour letter received this morning. l
read attentively Gen. Johnston's nara
/ tive, and 1t seems to me he tried to vindI-
cate himself at the cost Of others His
statement Of losses is based upon report
Of his Medical Director wonder how a
doctor could know about deserters, strag-
glers, prisoners, etc. L am extremely
disappointed.
| cannot positively state the reduction
Of his army from Dalton to Atlanta, but
| believe it was about 19, 600 muskets
x x y As to the deficiency of ammuni-
ton, it is romance left full supplies
on hand at the time General Hood took
command. X x x
Very respectfully your obedient SER
want II. OLADOwsKI.
The foregoing is in answer to letter
written by Gen. Bragg, at my request,
and was received after the publication of
the first part of this article. 1t is not
possible that we should have lost %, 600
men from Dalton to Atlanta, and at the
same time no material, except four field
pieces. The muskets of the killed and
wounded being gathered and turned into
the Ordnance Department, the 10, 600
carried off by stragglers and deserters, is
about the proportion that might be ex-
pected to be lost in this manner during
such campaign.
Col Oladowski will be remembered by
many of the officers and soldiers of the
Army of Tennessee, not only as gen
tleman of high character, hut also as
faithful and exact in the performance Of
all duty.
Gen. Johnston, touching the operations
of his army near New Hope Church,
says, pages 1913, 20, 80: owe found next
morning that the Federal line extended
much further to our right than it had
done the day before Polk's corps was
transferred to the right OF Hoods. : :
The Federal troops extended their en-
trenched line so rapidly to their left, that
it was found necessary on the morning of
the 9th 10 transfer Cleburne's division
of Hardee's corps to our right, where it
was formed on the prolongation of Polk's
line. Kelly's cavalry, comprised Of
Aliens and Harrison's brigades, together
less than a thousand men, occupied an
interval of half a mile between Cleburne's
right and Little Pumpkin Vine creek
X Between and o clock in
the afternoon Kelly's skirmishers were
driven in by body of Federal cavalry,
whose advance was supported by the
Fourth Corps x x As soon as the
noise of the contest revealed to Major
General Cleburne the maneuvre to turn
his right, he brought the right brigade Of
his second line, Granbury :, to Kelly's sup
port, by forming it on the right Of his
first line. j; x x The Fourth Corps
came on in deep order, and assailed the
Texans with great vigOr, receiving their
close and accurate fire with the fortitude
always exhibited by Gen. Sherman's
troops in the actions of this campaign.
x The contest Of the main body
of the Fourth Corps with Granbury's
brigade WAS a very fierce one. :" =
They (the enemy left hundreds of
corpses within twenty PAGES OF the Con
federate line"
1t is strange the author of this narrative
should offer the above, and, III fact, nearly
all he has written on pages 328, %, 80,
81, as contribution to the historian,
when he commits the objectionable error
of placing POlk's corps during the whole
of this "atfair near New Hope Church.
in the identical position occupied by
Hoods corps. was not only on the right
where he places Polk, but sent TO him
for good division, saying, that Howard's
corps was moving rapidly to turn my
right flank, which was the right of the
infantry of our army; that | had extended
my line as far as possible. He sent
Cleburne's division to report to me.
General Cleburne was by me given most
explicit instructions rs to the formation
of his troops on the right of my corps.
He was directed to place his troops in a
column of brigades in the rear of my i'm
mediate right, which was the right of
Hindman's division, with Granburys
brigade in rear of the column, so as to
bring it on our extreme right when de-
ployed into line; to allow the Federal
cavalry to reconnoitre and find our right.
Similar orders were given to our cavalry.
As Howard's corps advanced, Cleburne
was to deploy quickly into line, and the
Federals were thus to come into contact
with solid line of infantry, in lieu of
finding the open space on our flank which
existed at the time of the reconnaissance
of the Federal cavalry.
| shall ever remember the enthusiasm
and transport of the gallant Cleburne at
the time of this though small engagement,
vet most brilliant affair of the whole
campaign. AS proof of the correctness
of my statement IN regard to the above op-
erations | have but to call attention to
short report of the same, written at my
dictation by young officer of my staff
and which, as it conflicts with General
Johnston's own narration, is unaccounta-
bly, inserted on pages 585 and SIS: "On
the 26th, the enemy were found to be ex-
tending their left; Hindman' division was
withdrawn from my left, and placed in
position on my right, the enemy continu-
ing to extend his left. Maj. General Gle
burne, with his division, was ordered to
report to me, and was massed on Hind
mans right On the morning of the 9th,
the enemy, known to be extending rapidly
to the left, attempted to turn my right
as they extended Cleburne was deploy-
ed to meet them, and at half past P. NJ,
a very stubborn attack was made on his
division, extending to the right, where
Mai. Gen. Wheeler, with his cavalry
dismounted, was engaging them. The
assault was continued with great deter
mination upon both Cleburne and
Wheeler until after night, but every at
tempt to break their lines was gallantly
repuIsed. About 10 o'clock at night
| D.: c.. Grn n h,,r,- With his hri.rad L.