The National tribune., 1903-02-19
SHERMAN SEES THROUGH HOODS PLAN
He Decides to Not Let it Interfere with His
Cwn of Making Georgia Fowl
Copyrighted. 1901. by the publish


Cwn of Making Georgia HOWL"
of the service of Gen. Corse in reinforcing
and saving Allatoona.
SHERMAN CoMMENDs GEN. CoRsE.
Corse was a great favorite of his, and
it gave him great pleasure to express to
him qualification at his splendid success.
On Oct Gen. Corsc gave quite full
report of the action and the results,
whereupon Gen. Sherman sent him the
following letter:
Headquarters Military Division of the
Mississippi, in the Field,
''Kenesaw, Oct. Z, 1907.
"Gen. Corse, Allatoona:
81 received your report. l have so high
an appreciation of your services and those
of your command, as also that of Col.
Tourtellotte and garrison, that | shall
make the defense of Allatoona the sub
ject of n General Order. l will move my
army one step north tomorrow, and want
you to exercise a general care over the
operations from Allatoona as far as
Kingston. l will so place my command
that in one days work they will replace
all the ties burned between AllatOona and
Kenesaw, and leave the laying of the iron
to the construction party. We have 2,IO0,-
600 rations of bread in Atlanta, and can
afford to await repairs. My infantry is
now near Dallas, and cavalry must be
below it. Gen. Garrard passed New Hope
before noon, and Gen. Fitzpatrick at Pow
der Springs at 11:30 a. m. Both are
ordered to push the enemy and develop his
route of movement. lie is already too
far south to make the Etowah bridge via
Stilesborough. Still, too much care can
not be exercised. Gen. John Z. Smith
should be down, and l will be much
obliged if you can manage to send TO
Gems. Thomas and Webster notice that
Atlanta is safe in our possession, the new
and contracted line finished and ready for
defense. so that Gen. Slocum can hold
it against Hoods whole army. The bridge
across Chattahoochee, which was carried
away by the freshet, will be done by to-
morrow, and 1 will put 10000 men at work
at once to replace the ties burned by the
enemy 35,000 and have the road ready
for the iron by the time the construction
train comes from the north. l want more
news from the north. / almost share the
pain IF your wound with you, but you
know for quick work / cannot get along
without you, and ask you, spite of pain,
to keep your head clear and leave others
to do your bidding. Your presence alone
saved to us Allatoona the day before yes
terday, but this does not detract from
the merit of others. Keep me well adj
vised, for / now think Hood will rather
swing against Atlanta and the Chatta-
hoochee bridge than against Kingston and
the Etowah bridge, but he is eccentric,
and l cannot guess his movements as l
could those of Johnston, who was SEN
sible man and only did sensible things. 1t
Hood does not mind. l will catch him yet
in a worse snap than he has been In.
Rome is no value at all, save as a flank.
itc hridOac and foctOriQC tba
slightest provocation, and cover the vital
points of your road.
"Yours truly, w. T. SHERMAN.
"Major-General, Commanding"
Headquarters Fourth Division. Fifteenth
"A, Army Corps, in the Field,
Oct. Z, 1864.
'Maj.-Gen. W. T. Sherman:
General: The railroad to Chattanooga
is all right except the bridge across the
Oostanaula and Etowah, the latter having
become shaky since u IN. to-day, from an
unusual rise and consequent drift against
the bents The bridge over the Oostenau-
Ia ought to be done to-day, and that over
the Etowah / had q construction party
sent to and will push it in hopes of finish
ing before daylight. / will go in an am
bulance with my command to Gainesville,
ready to strike toward Rome, Kingston,
or the Etowah bridge, as the case may be-
My train of wounded IS cut off on this side
of the Etowah, and l will leave it here
tonight We hear nothing of the enemy.
'JoHN NJ. CoRsE, Brigader-General."
SHERMAN ABANDoNs PURSUIT OF HOOD.
1t will be seen from his dispatch to
Sen. Corse that Gen. Sherman decided
not to follow Gen. Hood with his whole
army, but to have the cavalry, supported
strongly by infantry, follow him closely
and ascertain his movements, holding the
bulk of his army ready to attack Hood if
he should attempt to cross either the Eto-
wah or Chattahoochee Rivers to attack
either Rome or Atlanta. On the morning
Of Oct. he changed his plans, however,
and issued the following order:
Special Field Orders, No. 81.
Headquarters Military Division of the
Mississippi, in the Field,
Kenesaw, Oct. 8, 1864.
81. The armies will march at once
toward Allatoona-that of the Ohio by
roads south and west of AcwOrth; that
of the Cumberland by roads south and
west of Kenesaw Mountain, leading
through Acworth, and that of the Ten
-nessee by roads north and east of Kene-
saw via Big Shanty and Acworth.
I'll. The Army of the Ohio will halt
for orders near good grass and water two
or three miles this side OF AllatOOna; that
of the Cumberland this side of Acworth,
and that of the Tennessee this side of Big
Shanty, all giving attention to the graz
ing of their animals when not on the
march.
'III. All details for repairing roads
will remain at work until relieved, or new
orders are made. The repairs will be
pushed to the maximum, and as soon as
the Chattahoochee bridge is done the hos.
pitfalls and sick now at Marietta will be
sent TO Atlanta.
CIV. Until further orders, Gen. Elliott
will keep all his cavalry force watching
the enemy, but ready to march to Stiles
envy turns north toward Rome or Kings.
ton; otherwise the cavalry will remain a,
the front or left flank of the army.
"V. Should the enemy attempt our
road about Kingston, or to invest Rome
the army must be prepared to leave al
Allatoona the principal wagon trains anc
to march rapidly to the point threatened
but if the enemy simply move off TOWARD
Jacksonville or Blue Mountain, the arm!
will remain, its right at Allatoona and lef
at Kenesaw, until our roads are repaired
"By order of Maj.-Gen. w. 7. Sher
man.
81. NJ. DAYTON, Abide Camp"
This drew off all the infantry from tn,
pursuit of the Confederates, leaving to til,
cavalry tine duty of careful observation
as it could not be expected that Gen. Ell
lott would be justified in bringing on
general engagement with the whole Con
federate Army.
UNION CAVALRY ACTIVE.