The National tribune., 1895-01-24
ATLANTA CAMPAIGN.
Continued from first paae1

officers were 0Dllged 10 cover themselves
by trees as well as they could. Our
men on Stanley's front did as skirmish-
ers are always instructed to do; that is,
those who had not fallen gave them
selves protection by using detached Con-
federate rihe-pits, or, where that was not
practicable, dropped on their faces, TAX
ing advantage of every ridge or depres
sion in the ground. The main part of
the skirmish-charge had been across an
extensive wheatfield, with an ascending
slope.
1t was not 10 minutes after the enc.
my's lines had opened fire before Sher-
man saw plainly that for some reason
Johnston had stopped on our side of the
river; and he remarked, as he rode
away, Howard, your report was cor
rect" Our Confederate opponents were
undoubtedly there!
Following out the instructions already
given, all my divisions, after coming up
and extending the line, had seized con-
tinuous rihe-pits; and we soon made
works of our own all along the enemy's
front. The other corps of Thomas's
army did the same thing. These opera
tions often gave rise to so much fighting
that at times it was brisk and noisy, like
a regular engagement. In this
STRANGE MANNER
on Sunday morning did our country
men on opposite sides of intrenched
lines, by the Use of loaded rifles and
shotted cannon, celebrate the Fourth of
July.
Schofeld has recorded nothing of inn
portance for this Independence Day of
1864, except this encouraging message
to Capt. Dayton:
please inform the General (Sher-
man) that Stoneman's cavalry has con-
troll of the country from McPherson's
right on the Turner's Ferry road to the
river near Sandtown. He has beaten
the enemy's cavalry in several small
affairs and captured many prisoners and
large number of good horses and
mules"
From Mcpherson, too, he had whole
some report; though nothing like what
his heart then greatly coveted. Here
follows the substance Of it:
At daybreak this bright morning
Dodge followed up his leading brigade,
already beyond the first Nickajack
Creek and picketing the crossroads. His
whole force went over the creek, and
part of it was deployed into line; he
covered his front by a skirmish exhibit
much stronger than usual, then all
moved briskly forward Dodge stirred
up quite as sharp contest in the Nicka-
jack square as we did near Smyrna
campground. He ran into Confederate
Stevenson's Division, but could not 90
beyond the first line of detached rifle
pits. Mcpherson ordered him to take
these pits. "The order was gallantly
executed, the works taken, and some so
prisoners captured" 1t was here that
Col. Edward F. Noyes, 39th Ohio, was
badly wounded, and in consequence had
leg amputated.
Blair the same day sent farther down
the river a detachment consisting of two
regiments and a section of artillery.
They went partially to support Stone
mans cavalry and partially to reconnoi-
ter. They, turning toward the river
near the mouth of the Nickajack, came
upon a wellconstructed work, probably
a redoubt, that had there mounted, and
in battery ready for action, four cannon,
with infantry supports. This was the
END OF JoHNsToN's OCCUPATION,
and our Stoneman now held our side of
the river thence to Sandtown.
Let us see what effect all our activities
produced in our enemy's camp. The
position of the Confederate army was in
two lines crossing the Atlanta Railroad
at right angles near where the railroad
bent off toward the river. Loring's
Corps was on the right and Hardee's ON
the left of that road. Hoods stretched
off toward the extreme left, where was
Gen. CIV. Smith with his Georgia troops
supporting Col. Jackson's cavalry.
Wheeler's Cavalry Division watched the
extreme right
Hood was made uneasy by Dodge, Blair
and Stoneman. "The enemy" he wrote,
sis turning my left and my forces are
insufficient to defeat this design or hold
him in check" Johnston instantly on
this report dispatched Cheatham's Divis-
ion. That however was not enough.
In the evening of that same Fourth of
July G. w. Smith declared that the
Yankee cavalry was pressing him with
such force that he would have to abandon
the ground he had been holding and re-
tire before morning to Gen. Shoupe's
line of redoubts.
As soon as Johnston received this
ominous dispatch, which, as he said,
threatened an important route to At
lanta and one that was nearer to that
city than his main body, he instantly
declared "the necessity of abandoning it
(that position) and of taking new line y;
and so before the morning he drew
back from what l have.called the outer
lines to the inner lines of the bridge
head, sending his cavalry and some
n II