Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-15
Sustained Officers in Emergencies.

General Dodge gives the following in
stance in support of the assertion that
Sherman always sustained his officers who
assumed great authority in an emergency,
although they might be wrong:
Before General Sherman crossed the
Chatta hoochee for his attack upon Atlanta
his army was scattered from Soap creek to
Sandtown ferry, facing the river My corps
the 10th was upon the extreme right, ana
/ thought the crossing was to be by the
right flank. as it was much nearer to
Atlanta and my orders were to seize all
ferry boats and other means of crossing.
General Sherman came to my headquar-
tiers. took out his map, and asked how long
IL would take to construct bridge
across the river at Roswell, some forty
miles away beyond our extreme left' telllns
me il was rock bottom and could De lordeu,
and that there was a road bridge at that
potnt which the confederates had destroyed.
j supposed l would have to go into the
woods and cut the timber. and told him 1t
would require at least week.
He had not been gone more than an
hour when / received orders from General
Mcpherson to move to Roswell, and that
General Sherman would communicate
directly with me. The march was not,
dusty one. IN the rear of the army but L
Gid not halt. except for our meals, and an
occasional hours rest l received at Mar
ietta a dispatch from Sherman urging me
ION arriving l Immediately put a brigade
across the river and IT was fine sight
as l ever saw when Fuller's Ohio Brigade.
in line of battle. forded the river. The enc
my's cavalry held the other side. As the
troops moved across. holding thef guns
and cartridge boxes high above their heads,
the bands OF the corps struck up lively
tunes. The rebels poured in a heavy fire,
but II was too high. Now and then a boy
would step into a hole and disappear for
moment. but all got across and Immediately
sought shelter under the steep-cut bank.
where Fuller reformed and made his
charge, clearing out the enemy In short
order and built a strong tete de pont
Roswell had cotton and wooden factories
that had been running up to the time that
General GerrardS cavalry captured them,
and burned most OF the factories The oper-
atives mostly women. and these Gar
rard moved TO Marietta by detailing a regi-
ment of cavalry, each member of which
took one of the operatives on his horse, and
in this way they were all taken into Mar
ietta. and We're sent north by Sherman.
over the proprietor's house was flying
French flag. l saw Immediately that If
utilized the balance of the buildings l could
erect the bridge in half the time. and in
structed Captain Armstrong. who had
charge of the 100 men detailed to build
the bridge, to tear down the buildings
which were LETT from Garrard's fire and
utilize them.
1.-The next morning some of my officers
who were better lawyers than l was, told
me that the proprietor was making a strong
protest. and that l was liable to get into
trouble on account of violation of interna-
tional law. Although l was using the ma
terial i thought ii best to write General
Sherman letter stating what | had done
and what the claims Were, at the same
time notifying him that by using this ma
terial / would have the bridge completed by
Wednesday. l arrived there by noon on
Monday. the 10th OF July. Sherman
answered in the following characteristic
letter:
- know you have big job. but that is
nothing new for you. Tell Gen. Newton
that his corps IS now up near Gen. Scho-
fields crossing. and all is quiet thereabout
He might send down and move his camps
TO proximity of his corps. but l think Ros-
well and Shallow Ford so important that I
prefer him to be near you until you are well
fortified. If he needs rations tell him to
get MS wagons up, and / think you will be
able TO spare him day after tomorrow 1
know the bridge at Roswell is important
and you may destroy all Georgia to make
IL good and strong.
wv. T. SHERMAN"
Major Gen. Command. ,g'"
at Will be perceived that the letter is
very diplomatic; he says nothing in klation
to international law. or the Frent, flag.
but ends his letter by telling me that I NAV
destroy all Georgia to accomplish what
am sent to do OF course l read etween