The National tribune., 1903-02-05

With the Mayor-Gen. Logan and the Com
mand of the Army of the Tennessee.
DELAYED INsTALMENT.
The Campaign in Virginia and the Cam
paign in Georgia opened on the same day,
May ), 1864. On that day Gen. Thomas
had assembled the Army of the Cumber-
land in the vicinity of the strong position
held by the Confederate forces at Rocky
Face Ridge. north of Dalton, and the Army
Of the Tennessee, under Gen. Mcpherson,
and the Army of the OHIO, under Gen.
Schofield, were moving up to their assign
ed positions. The mighty struggle began,
and during the months of May, June, July,
August and until Sept. 3 the bloody
contest went on. It was contest in
which on the part of the Commanding
Generals the highest order of military
science was displayed, and on the part of
the rank and file of both armies the dis
cipline, fortitude and valor exhibited was
never surpassed.
The weight of numbers was with the
Union forces; the Confederate army oper-
ated in its own country with a friendly
population on every hand, but from the
start the National Commanders took the
offensive and continued this system of
warfare to the end. There is unQuestiona-
bly, great advantage in war in taking the
initiative; this method of campaigning was
practiced with consummate skill by the I'm
ion commanders when, finally, Gen. Hood
was forced to abandon Atlanta and re-
treat with his entire army, after futile
effort to dislodge the Union forces from
the Macon Railroad, his last line of COM
munication.
On Sept. 5, just four months from the
commencement of the campaign, Gen.
Sherman ordered his army northward
from Lovejoy Station.
The Army of the Cumberland was as
signed to positions in and around Atlanta,
the Army of the Tennessee was assigned
to East Point nine miles below Atlanta,
and the Army of Ohio was assigned to De-
catur, seven miles East of Atlanta.
SHERMAN ENTERS ATLANTA.
These encampments were all well forti-
fed, and constituted a safe defense against
any attack that might be made.
Gen. Sherman rode into Atlanta on
Sept. 8. He was welcomed by Maj.-Gen.
w. II. Slocum, who had arrived from
Vicksburg after the great flank move
nlent began, assumed command of the
Twentieth Corps, and marched into At
lanta on Sept. 2, when the place was
abandoned by Gen. Hood. Gen. Sherman
found the city occupied by a portion of
Gen. Slocum's command The I'd Mass.
from the Second Brigade, First Division,
and the 33d Mass, from the Third Bril-
gade, Third Division, were encamped in
the Courthouse Square. These two regi-
ments had maintained fine regimental
bands. During their stay in Atlanta their
music was a source Of inspiration and
pleasure to officers and soldiers, who as
sembled of evenings to hear their martial
strains.
Gen. Sherman occupied with his staff
Ii. A.
House Square, and belonged to Judge
Lyons.
The General Immediately upon estab-
fishing his Headquarters in the city, took
up the subject of the future operations of
his army.
Gen. Hood with the Confederate army
still occupied Loyejoy, only 80 miles away
from the Courthouse at Atlanta. Gems.
Wheeler and Forrest had their forces well
in hand, were both enterprising and ac-
tive, and were threatening the railroads to
the rear of Sherman's Army. 1t is 800
miles from Atlanta to Nashville, the rear
base of supplies for and the General Head
quarters of the Military Division of the
Mississippi, where the principal officers
for supplying the army and keeping its
records had their Offices. This was long
line to maintain and an easy one to be
attacked by such intrepid raiders as For
rest ard Wheeler.
Three important questions pressed upon
Gen. Sherman's attention: First, the es-
Enlistment of shorter line of defensive
works around Atlanta than the Confeder
ate line, SO that division or a corps at
most could securely garrison the city; sec
ond, to remove the population from At
lanta, so as to make that city simply a
military post, and. third, to secure an ex-
change of prisoners with Gen. Hood
Gen. Sherman made a careful personal
examination of the ground around Atlanta
in company with Col. Orlando NJ. Poe,
Chief Engineer on his staff. They found
that while the rebel works were well built
for defense, they were all right for large
army, but were too extensive to meet the
requirements for defense of such a garri-
son as it was intended should hold this
point. Col. Poe went to work and laid
off an interior line of sufficient dimensions
to accommodate about 10000 men, and
with the large Pioneer Corps of the army
he constructed the new line. Atlanta, like
Chattanooga and Nashville, was to be-
come a great depot for supplies and a
rallying point in case of disaster to any
army operating in Georgia from that
point as base.
REMOVAL OF ALL CITIZENS.
The proposition to remove the noncom-
blatant population of men, women and
AhhuiCh AioAi hlidutd dIuuScu all IlIluEelSe
opposition on the part of the Mayor and
Council of Atlanta and Gen. Hood, Com
mander of the Confederate army.
On Sept. IL. 1864, James NJ. Calhoun.
Mayor, and Il. E. Rawson and s. C.
Wells, Councilmen, addressed an earnest
letter to Gen. Sherman urging him to re-
consider his order requiring the people to
leave the city OF atlanta. They set out
the great hardships that would be imposed
upon great many people who had no
friends to go to outside of the city
They insisted that large portion of the
population would be able to care for
themselves. and would in no event be-
come a charge upon the Government
Gen. Sherman gave due consideration to
all these representations, but was fixed in
his opinion that the exigencies of the war
made it necessary for him to convert At
lanta into strong fortified camp, and that
1t would be source of weakness and dan
ger to permit the population to remain and
allow Atlanta to become a great center of
Illicit trade, as Memphis and other cities
occupied by the Union forces had become.
GEN. SHERMAN REPLIES TO MAYOR.
Following is Gen. Sherman's reply:
Headquarters Military Division of the
Mississippi, In the Field, Atlanta
Ga, Sept. II, 1864.
FLAMES NJ. Calhoun, Mayor; i. e. Raw.
son and S. G. Wells, representing
City Ccupo;1 Of tIo,tc