Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-05-22

victory. 1t cannot, therefore. he
gued with any degree OF reason. wha.
we consider these striking examn,ea
before us. that Polk 8 forc,.-co, ca.
trat1ng at distance of two l,un1,,,
and lightweight (28S) miles, and l..
pushed rapidly forward by rail ON ~
4th of May-was not "asai.al,l..,, '''
the 9th, when Gen. Johnston, w,. VI"
position at Rocky Face RIDGE an,
could easily have awaited the c,,c aa
tration of all his rcinforceDr,tS Il.
Dalton. I"
The plea urged by this genera, n,..
he was justified i'll his II treat frn'
Dalton on the night of the 18th bv ,ta
report that Sherman had moved VIII
his army down the valley bevona
Rocky Face Ridge, is not warra,tah!a
1t was only necessary to have thn,
ongh!y fortified Mill Creek and Snato
Creek gaps, collected fifteen or twen.1.
days latIons III Dalton, then to hars
seat the trains and engines to s.,ro
| place of safety beyond the Etowal,, r.
have held orr position until the .,
rival of Polk's army, when a grand &c
| SAINT upon SheimHn's left flank MI
| rear could have been made near Tr,,
nel I'LL, by passing over the NortLen.
| slope of Rocky Face Ridge, with ~,
| army of over 20, OG0 electives. vhirI
might easily have been increased ia
| %, 900 by lessening the extra-lutv me-,
lhls move, IN my opinion, would have
eliminated IN an overwhelming vie
| tory; and in the event Of defeat We
had IL holding Mill Creek and Snake
CreeA gaps, the short line OF retreat
defects greatly 10 the last, as show.
by uniting the two maps at pages pc
and $50. Cne blow in rear of All az
my is always more to be feared tian
| ten in front, and it would hay, -
| quired only a good roar of mnskerlx
near Tunnel Hill to have fastened tho
! enemy back to the firing. I have tos.
high Il regard for Gen. Sherman's So
gaclty as a soldier to believe that Ii,
would have moved the main body of
his army down the valley beyond
Rocky Face and Horn Mounta 'ns -,
the direction Of Rome, leaving On ar,
my of 20, 900 at Dalton, in l,is rear
unless lie felt assured from past his.
tory that his adversary would retrc,s
Gen. Johnston abandoned Dalton O..
the morning of the 18th of May, and
ii1o OfNI tiiN 81 ~ vi ne iSt.
of July, with loss of not less than
1900 men, duling his retreat of sky
six days go days. ! assumed cam.
mand on the 18th of July. and gave liz.
Atlanta on the night of the ist of Sen.
TENDER, and fell back 20 Loveiov Sta
tor. During the siege I received M
reinforcements to the Army of Tennes.
see proper, but on the contrary. sen,
. in August two hrigaties and eight bat
tallions of artillery to Macon and Mo-
bile, numbering in all about 5000,
three thousand men. The militia oi
Gen. Gustavus ". Smith, increased q.
one time from l 800 to 5000. By sub
: stracting 5000 sent TO Macon and No
) BILE, from 1880, va aa1e 44,250 as
the actual strength Of the Army 6.
1 Tennessee, exclusive Of tie militia. du-
? ring the seige of Atlanta Gen. Sner.
! man, on the 9th of September aban-
: doned his works at Love,oy Station
5 and retired to Atlanta, alter which the
: men were allowed rest, aud on the 2Oth
the following official return was ,saIe
! up and signed by Col. A. p Mason,
: Assistant Adiutant General
STRENGTH OF THE ARMY OF TENNEssEE
On THE porn SEPTEMBER, 1864.
l Present effective infantry. 5000. %, 0oi
. Present effective cavalry - 10, 5..3a
| Present effective artillery -. 2, 76f
} Total effective ........ 40, 4H,
Respectfully submitted.
A. p. Mason.
Lieut.. Col. and A Ii. G.
t Thus We have af.ar the seige, and ex-
l elusive of State troops. 40, 403 ehec-
? tives, which number deducted FROM
5 II, $50, less 1900 sent Oft as above be-
2 fore mentioned, shows an entire loss Of
} only 3,SlS, whilst standing and fight
5 ing for Atlanta forty-six (46) days, OF
, including the militia, loss of 5, "a. ;,s
: stated in my official report.
: Whilst [ had twelve Thousand and
} twenty-three 12, G23l killed aud
wounded during the seige, according
to DR.. Foard's report, page SIS. Ia.
actual loss was about ) 347. sho wing
that the wounded men returned to
ranks, as will ever be the case in al
army standing it's ground and fighting.
Admitting that there were no ,lese--
!. tons from the 10th to the 18th Of July.
! and that | had Of all arIas turned over
to me, 5O,G21, as reported Ill General
Johnston last return, this number,
less 1900 sent to Macon and Mobile,
would have given for tLia defence OF
Atlanta II, G29 electives from " hich,
subtract 20 i0a OH hand. according 10
Col. MasOn'S return OF the 2tdh ii
, September; and even IL this case we
have a loss Of only Z,22i during the
seise OF forty-siX (46) days, against
loss Of %, 900 sustained by Gen. john
ston whilst retreating sixty-six (GG)
days and abandoning onehundred
400 miles of territory.
Since l had only about A., 00O troops,
whose morals were impaired by con-
slant retreat, opposed to an army OF
100, 900, or more, during the seige Of
Atlanta, and General Johnston, While
at Dalton, had over 20, geo "ayailaLie
troops, full OF hope and spirit, against
98, 900. it may prove OF interest q
know the relative strength OF the Con
federate ard Federal armies IA t4l,'
principal BATTLES + the tevulHtic,..
It was about as follows Ia Il sever
days battle around Richmond, from
Gaines Mill to Malvern Hill inclnsiva.
so, 900 Confederates against over lHa
600 FederalS; second Manassas, 10,tHEi
against 13S, 900; Sharpsburg, or Ante,-
tam, 30, COO against 100000; Fre!er.
icksburg, IS, 900 against l.ai,"h'.
Charlottesville. $4,000 against lio.-
600; Gettysburg, 1900 against -, coo:
Wilderness te the surrender Of Peters
bnrg, IL, OG0 against 140. 600; Shiloh,
1885 against 60 1000: ChIckamanGa,
36, TAI against So, 900. Notwithstand-
| ing this glorious record, our army OF
over 70, 900 cat AMI near Dalton was
made to turn its back upon 9N.O'F
Federais Oh the night Of the 18th q!
! Nav, 1864 j. Is. HunH
sH fkINs's'