The National tribune., 1902-10-30
- wan the WEJ1ZRN
a %4RMIS
WheeIer's Raid.
Copyrighted t publishers TUE NATIONAL TRIDuNE
Wheeler's Raid.
By GEN. GREEN B. RAUM.

"Resaca. Aug. "a, 1864; 7:3O p. m.
"AIaj.-Gen. Sherman: The enemy, re
ported to he under Wheeler, commenced
passing Oldtown, IS miles east. going
north. at daylight.
.They PASSED during the day until 1 p
M, with wagon train. My scouts thinl
they numbered at least 3,0G0. A force OF
100 is now at Fairmount. being part OF
the force which captured Capt. Thornton
Col. Faulkner. with go cavalry, skir
| mished with them, and returned to Cal
houn this evening. The enemy is moving
upon Tilton.
Il will have over 800 men there an,
block house. Dalton is threatened.
have TOO men there and four guns. There
is Il brigade of cavalry at Calhoun, under
Col. Watkins, besides half Il regiment OF
infantry. l have half a regiment of in
fantry at Adairsvilie. and two regiments
at Kingston.-G. B. RAUM, Colonel Com
manding Brigade"
About the same hour Gen. Smith alst
telegraphed Gen. Sherman as follows:
"Headauarters Third Division, Fifteenth
Corps, Cartersville, Aug. IA, 1864.
Mai Gen. Sherman: A drove of cattle
was this a. m. captured. together will
escort. Have sent out all available cav
airy and 300 infantry.
Commanding officer at Adairsville tele
graphs, 6 p. m, that captured prisoner
reports the force to consist of 6,O0O meI
under Gen. Wheeler, with 10 pieces of ar
tillery, and that the party capturing the
cattle were 1000 strong. with two piece:
of artillery. and that their main force Is
pushing still further north.
II cannot get any reliable information
but do not think there is more than i,UtN
or 100. l understand further that the
telegraph operators at Resaca and Cal
hOun heard a message from Colonel n
Dalton to Gen. Steedman stating that thu
rebels had demanded the surrender of thu
place.-JoHN Z. SMITH, Brigadier-Gen
eral."
Copy forwarded by Gen. Sherman t.
Gems. Thomas, Howard and Schofield.
l had early in the day telegraphed Q
warning to the commanding officers al
| Tilton, Dalton, Tunnel Hill and Ringgold
and also to Gen. Steedman at Chat
tanooga. At 1:30 p. M, in addition t.
telesraphing to Gen. Sherman. l agaii
| telegraphed to all commanding officer:
| north of me, informing them that they
were liable to be attacked that night by
| Wheeler's Cavalry.
Gen. Sherman now had definite in
formation that a large cavalry force o.
the enemy. accompanied by artillery ant
wagon train, was moving to his rear
and would probably strike the railroad a
Iilton and Dalton. His first impression
was that this force would return to th'
main army around Atlanta as soon as Il
had inflicted all the damage it could upol
| the railroad. He therefore proposed t.
throw force in between Gen. Wheeler
raiders and Atlanta. and give them battl,
as they returned. The following dispatcl
shows this plan:
Headquarters Military Division Of th'
Mississippi, in the field near Atlanta
August Ia, 1864; 1890 p. m.
| "Gen John z. Smith: The Genera
commanding directs that you collect a
strong an infantry force as possible from
Rome and other points at the most favor
able place to strike Wheeler on his return
and also to Obstruct the passes and cross
| ings of the river, and arrange for givini
| him ambush reception. Obstruct the road
in order to catch his artillery, if possible
| 81. NJ. DAYTON, ,Aide-de-Camp."
/ Later at night I received additional in
formation from TiltOn and Dalton.
learned that Gen. Wheeler occupied tn
town, and the presumption was that h
had captured the garrison. / sent the TO
lowing dispatch:
"Resaca, Aug. IA, 1854; II p. m.
"Gen. Sherman: An orderly just arrive
from Tilton. All safe there. Dalton ha
been attacked and reported captured. n
trains burnt. My patrols from Tito
north found all right. The commanding
officer at Tilton sanguine of saving tn
bridge-G. B. RAUM, Colonel Command
ing Brigade"
lcoL. LAIBoLDT's GALLANT DEFENSE o
DALTON.
Col. LaibOldt, commanding at DaltOI
having been warned that the enemy wa
on the warpath, kept a sharp lookout, an
upon the appearance Of Wheeler's nd
vance telegraphed to Gen. Steedman a
Chattanooga for reinfOrcements. Ger
Steedman without delay placed a consid
erable body of troops upon cars and mad
a night trip for the relief of Dalton. II
reached the neighborhood of Dalton lon
before daylight, and not knowing the cor
dition of affairs in town he decided to hal
until morning. 1t was between 4 and
O. clock in the afternoon of Sunday, Ma
IA, that Gen. Wheeler drew up in iron
Of Dalton with the Divisions of Maj.-GeI
William Y. G. Humes and Brig Gen. job
HI. Kelly. Humes's Division consisted
Ashby's, Harrison's, and Williams's Br
gades.
Col. Henry NJ. Ashby's Brigade wa
composed of the following named reg
Col. Jas. T.. Wheeler; I'd Tenn, Cap
John III. Kuhn; 9Th Tenn, Col. George "
Mckenzie; 9th Tenn. Battalion, Cap
jeremiah Green.
[ Col. Thomas Harris0n's Brigade wa
composed of the Sd Ark, Col. Amson "
. Hobson; 65th n. c., 4th Tenn, Lieut.
| Col. Paul +. Anderson; Sth Texas, Ma
. Samuel p. Christian; 11th Texas, Co
George Il. Reeves.
| Brig Gen. John s. Williams's Brigad
: had the Sd KY, Lieut.-Col. Jacob v
Griffith; I'd Ky. OWoodward's Regiment
, Maj. Thomas w. Lewis; 9th KY, Co
7 William =. Breckenridge; I'd Ky. Batta
ion, Capt John B. Dortch; Allison's Tel
nessee Squadron, Capt. J. s. Reese;
, tachneit Hamilton's Tennessee Batt.
Maj. 'oseph Shaw.
X" Us Division had three brigade
I Col. Robert II. Anderson's Brigade w.
composed of the Sd Confederate Cavalr
Z Lieut.-Col. John McCaskill: Sth Confe
Is crate, Lieut.-Col. John s. Prather; 10,
: Confederate, Capt. w. J. Vason: 18th Co
!, federate, Capt. Charles II. Conner; 5
Ga. Maj. Richard J. Davant. Jr.
: Col. George G. Dibrells Brigade w,
composed OF the 4th Tenn, Col. Villa
S. McLemore: Sth Tenn. Capt. Jeffers'
q Leftwich; 9th Tenn, Capt. James 4
Reynolds: 10th Tenn, Maj. John Mino
!. Col. Moses w lannon's Brigade co
q sisted Of the SD Ala,. Lieut. Col. Jol
a F. Gaines; 24th Ala, Maj. Robert
!. Snodgrass.
/ In short time the surrender of the ga
L..