The National tribune., 1902-12-18

pared Tor the campaign. he had ot-CUU
r9en TO provide for. besides several thou
sand horses. Cen Thomas replied to
Gen. Sherman az follows:
..Thomas's Headquarters, Aug. %, 1854.
'-Gen. Sherman: l would like to COIN
mence the movement without being hur-
ried. and can do so by Thursday night.
think the cavalry ought to have little
rest and time to shoe up. / will be per-
feetly prepared by Thursday, with pro-
visions, and can arrange to get forage by
Shutdown the day after, if forage comes
down.
GEO. H. THOMAS,
ps1 "Major-General."
Following is Gen. Sherman's reply:.
Headquarters Military Division of the
Mississippi, in the Field.
Near Atlanta, Aug. %, 1864; / 80 p. m.
"Gen. Thomas: Yours received. The
General wants all fully prepared without
undue haste, and will therefore postpone
Il. NJ. DAYTON,
"Aid-de-Camp."
To Gen. Schofield, who had telegraphed
that he could be ready to move the next
day, Gen. Sherman replied as follows:
Headquarters Military Division of the
Mississippi, in the Field,
Near Atlanta, Aug. %. 1854; 3 p. m.
'Gen. SehofeId: Gen. Thomas reports
that he will be ready for Thursday night.
Therefore make all possible preparations
"W. T. SHERMAN,
"Major-GeneraI,C Commanding"
Similar telegraphic correspondence was
carried on between Gen. Sherman and
Gen. Howard, SO that the Army of the
oil cat fn tn
pare for the grand campaign. But Gen.
Sherman's mind apparently never had re-
pose. He was constantly devising some
additional step to make the final result
more sure. Late in the aftern Don of Aug.
% he sent this dispatch to Gen. Thomas:
Headquarters Military Division of the
Mississippi, in the Field,
Near Atlanta, Aug q, 1854; 9 p. m.
Gen. Thomas: Inasmuch as we have
postponed our movement until Thursday
night, / think it would be well for Gen.
Garrard to send the brigade that did not
20 with Gen. Fitzpatrick out to Stone
Mountain tomorrow, and let II break up
another FIVE miles of road to make a sue
wv. T. SHERMAN.
"Major-General, Commanding"
Aug %, "a and % were busy days with
the Union army around Atlanta; sou-
sands OF wagons were in motion, some re-
ceivlng loads of ammunition, provisions
and forage, and then moving off south
west to the rendezvous ut Utoy Creek,
while the surplus wagons were crossing
the ChattahoOchee River to assemble in
places Of safety.
While all this preparation was going on
in the rear of the army and out of sight
and hearing Of the Confederate forces, all
along the line the show OF. siege was
maintained; the artillery discharged their
usual rounds, and the infantry kept up
their vigil and the skirmish.-
POSITION OF UNION TROOPS ON AUG. 25
On the morning of Aug. % the Union
forces were posted in the following order
from left to right.
The Fourth Corps, commanded by Maj
Gen. David s. Stanley. was on the ex-
treme left, east of Atlanta, with the left
resting On the Augusta Railroad. The
Twentieth Corps, commanded by Brig
right of Stanley. Next on the right was
the Army of the Tennessee. the Sixteenth
Corps, commanded by Brig. Gen. Thomas
Il. q. Ramson, the Seventeenth Corps,
commanded by Maj.-Gen. Francis p.
Blair, and the Fifteenth Corps, command
ed by Maj.-Gen. John A. Logan. Next
on the right was the Fourteenth Corps,
commanQed Dy bfeSet Ma1.-Gen. Jeher-
son G. Davis. On the extreme right was
the Twenty-third Corps, commanded by
Maj.-G John NJ. Schofeld. The forti-
fed line in which these troops were posted
was in the shape Of an immense letter s.
Gen. Garrard's cavalry was stationed
near Decatur, seven miles east OF At
lanta, while Kilpatrick's Division of Cav
FAIRY was posted southwest Of Atlanta,
near the Fourteenth Corps.
The aim was to withdraw this entire
army from its fortified position quickly,
without attracting the attention Of the
Confederate forces, OF encouraging them
to sally forth in pursuit.
WITHDRAWAL OF UNION ARMY.
The retirement was therefore conducted
in the night time. Garrard's cavalry, the
Fourth. the Twentieth and the Sixteenth
Corps, began the movement on the night
!of Aug. Is.