The National tribune., 1904-09-01
BATTtHOF ATLANTA.


| The whole of Hoods army, except Stew
arts Corps. was thrown into our rear upon
the flank and the front of the Army of the
tennessee. and after fighting from midday
until dark were repulsed and driven back,
and that army held or commanded the en-
tire battlefield. demonstrating the fact that
the Army of the Tennessee alone was able
and competent TO meet and defeat Hoods
entire army The battle fell almost en-
tirely upon the Sixteenth and Seventeenth
Corps and two divisions of the Fifteenth
Corps, three brigades of the Sixteenth be-
ing absent The attack of the enemy was
made along this line some seven times, and
| they were seven times repulsed.
We captured IL stands Of colors. 5000
stands of arms. 2.O11 prisoners. We lost in
killed and wounded 3,321 men, 10 pieces of
artillery. and over 500 men, mostly from
Blair's Corps, were taken prisoners. The
enemy's dead reported as buried in front
of the different corps was over 1000 and
| the enemy's total loss in killed, wounded
and prisoners was 5000.
WHY WERE TIE OTHER ARMIES IDLE?
| The criticism has often been made of
this battle that with two armies idle that
day, one the Army of the Ohio (two-thirds
the other the Army of the Cumberland (the
largest of all Shermans armies), why we
did not enter Atlanta. Gen. Sherman urged
Thomas to make the attack. Thomas's
| answer was that the enemy were in full
force behind his intrenchments. The fact
was, Stewards Corps was guarding that
front, but Gen. Schofield urged Sherman to
allow him to throw his army upon Cheat
hams flank, and endeavor to roll up the
Confederate line and so interpose between
Atlanta and Cheathams Corps, which was
SO persstently attacking the Fifteenth and
Sherman, whose anxiety had been very
great, seeing how successfully we were
meeting the attack, his face relaxing into
a pleasant smile. said to Schofield: Let
| the Army of the Tennessee fight it out this
| time This flank attack of Schofield on
Cheatham would have no doubt cleared
our front facing Atlanta intrenchments, but
Stewart was ready with his three divisions
and the militia to hold the Atlanta in
| trenchments.
Gen. Sherman in speaking of this battle
always regretted that he did not allow
Schofeld to attack as he suggested, and
also to force the fighting on Thomas's
front; but no doubt the loss of Mcpherson
| really took his attention from everything
except the Army of the Tennessee.
At about 10 o'clock on the night of the
I'D, the three corps commanders of the
Army of the Tennessee Zone of them in
command of the army met in the rear of
| the Fifteenth Corps, on the line of the
Decatur road, under an oak tree, and there
discussed the results of the day. Blair's
men were at the time in the trenches in
some places the enemy held one side and
they the other: the men of the Fifteenth
Corps were still in their own line, but tired
and hungry, and those of the Sixteenth
were, after their hard days fight. busy
| throwing up intrenchments on the field they
had held and won. 1t was thought that the
Army of the Cumberland and the Army of
the Ohio. which had not been engaged that
day, should send a force to relieve Blair,
and Dodge. being the junior corps COM
mander, was dispatched by Gen. Logan, at
the requests of Gems. Logan and Blair to
see Gen. Sherman. My impression is that
| met him in tent | have heard it said
that he had his headquarters in. a house.
When met him he seemed rather surprised
to see me. but greeted me cordially. and
spoke of the loss of Mcpherson. l stated
to him my errand. He turned upon me and
said; Dodge. you whipped them to-day,
he said: Cant YOU do it again to-mor-
row" and | said, Yes, sir" babe him
good night. and went back to my command,
determined never to go upon another such
errand. AS he explained it afterward, he
wanted it said that the little Army of the
Tennessee had fought the great battle that
day. needing no help, no aid. and that it
could be said that all alone it had whipped
the whole. of Hoods army. Therefore, he
let us hold our position and our line, know
ing that Hood would not dare attack us
after the "thrashing" he had already re-
ceived. When we consider that in this the
greatest battle of the campaign the little
Army of the Tennessee met the entire rebel
army. secretly thrust to its rear, on it's
flank and upon its advance CENTER with its
idolized commander killed in the first shock
of battle. and at nightfall found the
enemys dead and wounded on it's front,
showing that no disaster, no temporary re-
buff could discourage this army. every man
at his post. every man doing hero's duty.
they proved they might be wi ped out but
never made to run they were invincible.
! Companions. regarding so great battle,
against such odds, with such loss. the ques-
ton has often been asked me--and l know
it has come to the mind of all of us-why
! it was that this battle was never put forth
ahead of MANY others its inferior, but bet
| ter known to the world and made of much
| greater comment!
The answer comes to all of us. 1t is
nnpa rent to us today as it was that night.
We had lost our best friend, that superb
soldier. our commander. Gen Mcpherson j:
his death counted so much more to us than
victory. that we spoke of our battle. our
great success, with our loss uppermost in
our minds.
! LETTER TO GEN RAUM
i Letter written to Gen. Green r. Raum on
his description of Battle of Atlanta. pub
1902.
New YORK. Oct 90, 1902.
i My dear General: Referring to my con-
versation with You in Washington, l will
endeavor to aid YOU in getting at the actual
facts connected with the battle of Atlanta,
as it has never yet been properly written
| up.
i / delivered an address on Sept. D. 1889,
to the Army of the Tennessee on that bat
tie, copy of which l am sending to you, and
from which / think you can get a good
deal of information.
! ! first want to call your attention to the
| fact that the battle commenced about Is
minutes after ~ o'clock. and that the Six
teenth Corps fought long time before the
Seventeenth Corps was attacked. You can
i verify this statement by reading Gen.
| Strong's account of the battle. which is
given in our Army of the Tennessee
records. volume II to IL. page 242
/ 1t was Just II o'clock exactly when
. reached Fuller's headquarters Having
gone to the front to select my position.
Fuller asked me to stop and take luncheon,
and | got down from my horse and went
into his tent. had sat down at the table
when / heard skirmish firing in the rear.
Fuller said it was a lot of the bows out
there killing hogs. The stiffness was OPP
nressive rs we went clear to the left AMI
| front of Blar's line to select nv new posi-
ton. We INQUIRED from the pickets. and