The National tribune., 1909-07-22

the State, keeping his troops on the
main roads and paying for all the sup
plies that he might take. He also OF
fered to give Gov. Brown pass within
his lines and safeguard. lie would
then be allowed TO make a speech in
Atlanta and be assured Of dig audi
ence.
GOV. Brown took the first step in this.
direction by ordering his militia to go
home and gather their crops. He did
this on the ground that the campaign
| for which they had been called out had
| terminated by the fall of Atlanta. that
tthey had left their personal affairs in
much confusion by their response to
| the cali. and that It was desirable that
tthey should go home and get in their
for further service. Brown also called
q special session of the Legislature to
meet at Milledgeville and take under
consideration the military situation as
it affected Georgia.
jefferson Davis Takes Alarm.
Naturally jefferson Davis was at once
advised Of alb this, and, as he had good
| reason to be, became intensely alarmed
He started Immediately for Georgia and
! Hoods army. All the way from Rich
mond he made speeches of strong en-
| couragement- TO the Confederates and
| full of promise as to what was to be
done to restore the tottering fortunes
OF the Confederacy. He went so far in
these as to give Sherman and Grant a
very correct idea of what he contem-
plated in the way OF, military manuyers.
He was full of bitterness against Gen.
Joseph u. Johnston and GOV. Brown.
whom nc denounced as traitors. and
whose Dlismanagemsnt had brought
about most Of the mfsfortunes which
the Georgians had suffered Now things
were going to be different. Gen. For
rest would reinforce Gen. Wheeler, and
Hood with his army would soon be with
the cavalry leaders, when Sherman's
communications would be efYectually
destroyed and the Yankee army forced
| TO a retreat as disastrous as that of
Napoleon from Moscow. He promised
| the Tennesseeans and. Kentuckians that
their feet would soon be upon their ma
two soil once more. Some preliminary
movements made by Hoods army con-
firmed what Davis had said. and Sher-
man made radicaf change In his plans.
Shcrman's New Plans.
Sherman had been for weeks thinking
about cutting loose from Atlanta and
4 marching to the sea, and had suggested
land discussed several plans with Gen.
Grant and the War Department. One
OF these was to march to Mobile, where
IFarragut had securely planted his fleet
a Few weeks before. Another was to
lgo down the Chattahoochee and Appa-
lachicola Rivers to the Gulf Others
were to reach the Atlantic seacoast at
brunswick. Savannah, Charleston, etc
Cen Grant was quite favorable 10 q
move of that kind. but thought that
lShermah should first cripple Hood and
drive off Forrest. Forrest had now
been promoted to Northumberland,
which gave him command of all the
jConfe6erate cavalry in the West, and
made him far more formidable oppo-
inent than ever before. Gen. Sherman
isent Gen. Thomas back to Chattanooga
taking with him Morgan's Division of
the Fourteenth Corps. All the new
troops in Ohio. Indiana and Illinois
lwere ordered to Nashville to augment
his strength. Hoods army began to
move away from Sherman's front and
isoon was across the Chattahoochee and
istrlking for the railroad in Sherman's
rear. Sherman made some counter
moves to protect this railroad He had
ishong garrisons at the principal points
between Atlanta and CHATTANOOGA with
all the important bridges protected by
good block houses, which could beat off
the cavalry or infantry unprovided with
taftliiery Hood struck first for Ala
toona Pass. which was at that time held
by a small brigade under the command
Of Lieut.-Col. Tourtellotte, and Gen.
sherman sent message over the heads
OF the enemy to Gen. Corse at Rome to
hasten to Allatoona to the defense of
the garrison.
L "IfOld tho Fort, For Am COming.n
AS to the sharp little battle at ALA
itoona which was made the basis OF the
beautiful religious song. entitled Hold
the Fort, For Am Coming" Gen Sher-
man gives this picturesque account in
his Memoirs:
Reaching Kenesaw Mountain about
s a. m. of Oct. s "a beautiful day), I
had superb view of the vast pano-
rama to the north and west. To the
southwest about Dallas, could be seen
the smoke of campfires. indicating the
presence of large. force OF the enemy,
and the whole line of railroad from
Big Shanty up to Aiiatoona (full Is
mlies) was marked by the fires of the
burning railroad. We could plainly sec