The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-04-01
camp, at 7:15 p. m., that same evening,
] telcgraphed to Gen. Halleck as fol-


lows:
Heavy fires in Atlanta all day. caused by our
artillery. l will be all ready, and will COM
nlence the movement around Atlanta by the
south, tomorrow night, and for some time you
will hear little of US. l will keep open a
courier line back to the Chattahoochee bridge,
by way of Sandtown. The Twentieth Corps will
hold the railroad bridge, and will move with
the balance of the army, provisioned for 20
days.
Meantime Gen. Dodge Commanding
the Sixteenth Corps had been wounded
in the forehead, had gone to the rear,
and his two divisions were distributed to
the Fifteenth and Seventeenth Corps
The real movement commenced on the
25th, at night. The Twentieth Corps
drew back and took post at the railroad
bridge, and the Fourth Corps (Stanley)
moved to his right rear. closing up with
the Fourteenth Corps (Jef. c. Davis
near Utoy Creek; at the same time
Garrard's cavalry, leaving their horses
out of sight, occupied the vacant
trenches, SO that the enemy did not
detect the change at ALL The next
night (26th) the Fifteenth and Seven
teenth Corps, composing the Army Of
the Tennessee (Howard), drew out of
their trenches, made wide circuit, and
came up on the extreme right of the
Fourth and Fourteenth Corps of the
Army of the Cumberland (Thomasl
along Utoy Creek, facing south. The
enemy seemed to suspect something that
night, using his artillery pretty freely !;
but | think he supposed we were going
to retreat altogether. An artillery-shot,
fired at random, killed one man and
wounded another, and the next morning
some of his infantry came out of
Atlanta and found our camps aban-
doned. 1t was afterward related that
there was great rejoicing in Atlanta
that the Yankees were gone y; the fact
was telegraphed all over the South, and
several trains of cars with ladies' came
up from Macon to assist in the celebra-
ton of their grand victory.
On the 2Sth, making
GENERAL LEFT WHEEL,
pivoting on Schofeld, both Thomas and
Howard reached the West Point Rail-
road, extending from East Point to
Red Oak Station and Fairburn, where
we spent the next day (29th) in break
ing it up thoroughly. The track was
heaved up in sections the length of a
regiment, then separated rail by rail !;
bonfres were made of the ties and of
fence-raiis, on which the rails were
heated, carried to trees or telegraph
poles wrapped around and left to cool.
Such rails could not be used again and,
to be still more certain, we filled up
many deep cuts with trees, brush and
earth, and commingled with them loaded
Shells so arranged that they would
explode on an attempt to haul out the
bushes. The explosion of one such
she'll would have demoralized gang of
negroes, and thus would have prevented
even the attempt to clear the road.
Meantime Schofield, with the Twenty
third Corps, presented bold front to-
ward East Point, daring and inviting
the enemy to sally out to attack him in
position. His first movement was on
the 30th, to Mount Gilead Church,
then to Morrow's Mills, facing Rough
and Ready. Thomas was On his right,
within easy support, moving by cross
roads from Red Oak to the Fayetteville
road, extending from COUGHS to Rem
frew's; and Howard was aiming for
Jonesboro'.
/ was with Gen. Thomas that day,
which was hot but otherwise very
pleasant. We stopped for short noon
rest near a little church (marked on our
maps as Shoal-Creek church,, which
stood back about hundred yards from
the road, in a grove Of native oaks,
The infantry column had halted in the
road, stacked their arms, and the men
were scattered about-some lying in the
shade of the trees, and others were
bringing corn-stalks from large corn
field across the road to feed our horses
while still others had arms full of the
roasting-ears, then in their prime.
Hundreds Of fires were soon started
with the fence-rails, and the men were
busy roasting the ears.
Thomas and / were walking uI
and down the road which led to the
church, discussing the chances of the
movement, which he thought were
extra-hazardous, and our path carried
US by a fire at which a soldier
was roasting his corn. The fire
was built artistically; the man was
stripping the ears of their husks, stand
ing them in front of his fire, watching
them carefully, and turning each cal
little by little, so as to roast it nicely
He was down on his knees intent on hi:
business, paying little heed to the stately
and serious deliberations Of his leaders
Thomas's mind was running on the fac
that we had cut loose from our base o
supplies, and that 10000 men were ther
dependent for their food on the chance
supplies of the country already impov
erished by the acquisitions of the enemy
and ON the contents Of our wagons
Between Thomas and his men ther
existed most kindly relation, and h
frequently talked with them in the mos
familiar wav. Pausing awhile ant