The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-07-10

fore l O'Clock. hearing their arms. &c
@ GOVERNMENTS. haversaeks and knapsacks
: We're marching northward toward Dallas
1 No one can fully appreciate the fatigue
= and hardship of that march without hay
] ing had an experience of the kind \
= night march with n large body of troops
is fatl';ulns under the most favorable CIR
CumStanCeS: but when the night Is dark
: the read is muddy, ard Il heavy ram Is
= falling. Il column Of soldiers with lot
; wagons ard six batteries of artillery has
. no small task to perform to march IL
miles and be prepared at daylight to
advance with the rest of the army. But
. the Sixteenth Corps performed this duty
promptly and without Il murmur. Gen
: Dodge with his force intact reached the
designated place on Pumpkin Vine Greek
before daylight, reported to Gen. Nc
} Pherson. and on the morning of May 2t
was ready to move upon the enemy.
The morning of May 26 witnessed the
concentration of the entire left wing of
Gen. Sherman army. Not only did Gen.
Dodge move mp from Pumpkin Vine Post
office. 50 as to join the Fifteenth Corps.
but Gen. jefferson G.. Davis timed his
march from Rome so that he also reported
to Gen. Mcpherson at an early hour that
morning.
On May % Gen Mcpherson moved the
| Fifteenth Corps forward cautiously with
II strong advance guard and tfankers. The
cavalry force. assisted by artillery from
the Fifteenth Corps in the advance, met.
| engaged and had n spirited skirmish with
| body of light troops of the enemy, driv-
ing them through ard beyond Dallas. Gen.
Logan followed closely and marched
through the town, taking the Powder
| Springs road to the eastward. Two miles
| beyond Dallas the enemy was found by
the skirmishers.
The Confederate forces. consisting of
Gen. Hardee's Corrs, occupied a strong
| line of intrenchments located north, north
east and south, southwest: the northeast
| erly course of these works pointed to-
ward New Hope Church. Gen. .McPher-
son caused Il strong demonstration to he
| made against the enemy 50 as to fully
determine his location and strength; it
WIS found that the enemy's works eX-
tended across both the Marietta and Pow
der Springs roads. and that the TANKS
Were well advanced
Gen. Logan's Fifteenth Corps was put
| in line confronting the rebel works, and
was formed in the following order: Gen.
| HarrUw's Division on the right, Gen.
Morgan l.. Smiths Division in the center,
and Gen. Osterhaus's Division on the left.
! Gen. Wilder with his brigade of mounted
| infantry came up and formed on Gen.
Io.an's right. Early i'll the day Gen.
| Dodge with the Sixteenth Corps crossed
| 4 Hlt Sitth. I'iHI 81 ilIit
moved forward from the west toward
Dallas. He encountered small body of
| the enemy who retired after I slight
skirmish. Gen. Dodge entered Dallas with
| his troops at the same time that Gen.
Jeff G. Davis arrived with his division
from Rome. These troops forming Oh the
| left of DOdge's Sixteenth Corps marched
eastward ABOUT half Il mile, where they
bivouacked. facing high range of hills
some distance in front. which was occu-
| pied by the enemy. Gen. DoGSe'.s forma-
ton of the Sixteenth Corps was as fol-
lows:
The Second Division was on the
right, connecting with the Fifteenth
Corps. The Fourth Division, COM
manded by Gen. Veacii. was on the left
connecting with Gen. Davis's Division Of
the Fourteenth Corps. which held the left
Of the line. These six divisions Were I'M
| der the commam. of Maj.-Gen. McPher-
son, who was present experimenting ev-
! cry movement. The concentration of this
| large body of Union troops ut Dallas on
| the morning of May IS brought the whole
of Sherinan'S army within supporting, dis
lance of each other but rs Gen. Thomas's
! forces had moved eastward towards New
| Hope Church. where heavy fighting had
| been begun the day before, and rs there
| was an interval Of about three miles be
| tween the forces at Dallas and the forces
mt New Hope, it became quite clear that
the Union and rebel forces at New Hope
and the rebel and Union forces ut Dallas
would each have all the fighting they
could attend to in their immediate front.
| On the morning of May 81, Gen.
| Hardee's command came out from their
works and made a vigorous assault upon
! the troops of the Sixteenth Corps and
| upon the left of the Fifteenth Corps.
| Some of the skirmishers of the Sixteenth
| Corps We're driven in. but the assault of
the enemy was met with unfiinching cour-
age and was successfully resisted along
| the whole Union line.
| The Union troops advanced and steadily
drove the Confederate forces before them,
who finally retired to their works. The
| new ground taken by the Union forces
was held and fortified: the troops worked
day and night upon these intrenchments
until they seemed almost imprcgnable; all
the artillery Of the six divisions was put
| in position for immediate use against the
enemy. In front of the main works were
! the skrmishers, and these in turn CON
| structed Notifications. Timbers would be
! prepared in the day time and ut night
taken forward and built into 4 V-shaped
work, the point to the enemy, and then
with pick and shovel this structure would
be reinforced with earth. This made a
| coed defensive work for a group of four
or five men, who would occupy it for u
hours, being relieved III the dead hours
Of the night, when darkness prevailed.
On McPherson's line a constant skirm-
| ish was kept up from the afternoon of
May q until A p. m. of May 2S when
the Confederate forces sailed forth from
| their Entertainments and forming in heavy
| columns under cover of the timber made
sudden assault upon the Union line.
The first assault was promptly repulSed.
but Gen. Bragg was not content with this:
he no doubt felt that the longer he waited
| the stronger the Union position would be
| made so he ordered 4 second assault His
| forces We're rallied and reformed, and he
again with increased force and impctuos-
~ charged and stoutly contested for the
possession of the works.
On Gen. LoGan's front the first as
Sault was made upon Gen. Harrow's
Division down the line Of the Villa Rica
road which runs directly up the backbone
of Il ridge. This was the most vulnerable
point on the line and the rebel forces as
Saulted it with a degree of courage and
fortitude which clearly indicated deter
mInatlon to carry the works. The enemy
were able at this point to approach the
Union line within 80 yards without being
seen or exposed. Their assault was sud
den and furious but it was met with I'M
quailing valor. Three guns OF the 1st
Iowa Battery had been taken out to our
skirmish line. Over these guns a deadly
fight occurred, the COnfederates were de-
termined to capture them, the Union
troops were equally determined 10 hold