The Washington herald., 1914-08-31
THE WAR DAY BY DAY
Fifty Years Ago.
August 1S64-T Armies Under Reached the Macon
Railroad South of Atlanta G and Defeated the Cnfederates
Bloody Struggle Near JOnesbOrO-Gen Hoods Bewiderment
Iwrltten exrresslv for The washtngtt

he Washington HeraIdD
from the road-bed. Rails and all came
away. and the whole section of ira K
was toppled down the enbankment- II
then was broken up. The ties served
as feel for bon-fres over which the rails
were heated Afterward they were bent
around trees When ten or fifteen regi-
ments set to work in this manner it did
not take long to destroy mile after mile
OF track.
Satisfied as he was with the wrecking
OF the West Point road. Sherman was
vet inpatient to gain the main objec-
tive Of his movement. the Macon Rail
road. which Yet lay several miles away
10 the southwest On the morning Of
August % ne urged his troops forward
SChofield moved astride the West Point
road. facing East Point. and then swung
around toward the Macon road. all the
while acting as a pivot and shield for
the movement Of the forces under Gems.
Thomas and Howard.
A Dangerous Position.
On August 81 the final dash for the
Macon Railroad was made. SchofeII
reached II at Rough and Ready Station.
six miles south Of Atlanta: Howard. near
JonesborO. nine miles south. and Thomas
about midway between the two places.
Schoheld and Thomas met with little
serious resistance. but Howard, after
crossing Flint River. less than two miles
west Of JonesbOrO. came in contact with
heavy masses Of Confcderatos From
prisoners he learned that Gen. W !.
Harde's corps had been sent down from
Atlanta to guard the railroad. Later in
the day ii was found that a second army
C rps, under Gen. $. d. Lee. had come
down to reinforce it,
Howard realized that he was in a dan
erous position and ordered his men to
throw up breastwOrks. His own COM
mand. comprising the Fifteenth. Six
teenth and Seventeenth Corps. numbered
scarcely 5000. and the combined Con-
federate force OutnUmberd him consid-
erably. His nearest support was Gen.
Thomas army, fully five miles away to
the north.
Sending word of the situation at Jones'
bOro to Gen. Sherman, Howard prepared
to meet an attack. Shortly after O'Clock
Gen. Hardee attacked Howard's army.
to drive IL into the Flint River. The as
sault. which fell principally upon John A
Logan's Fifteenth Corps, was a fierce
one. but the persistency usual in Con-
federate attacks was wanting The men
were disheartened.
Hardee's corps. commanded by Gen
P. r. Cleburne. was late in getting into
action. The heaviest fighting was done
by Lee's corps. The Confederates made
only one general attack. and then retiYed
from the field. leaving about 400 dead be-
hind them.
The failure of this attack was carefully
investigated by Gen. Hood, who three
days later wrote, Il am officially in
formed that there Is a tacit IL not eX-
pressed determination among the men OF
this army. extending to officers as high
in some instances as colonel. that they
will not attack breastworks."
This determination doubtless was due
to the heavy losses of Confederates in
the battles around Atlanta in July. where
the bloody execution Of the FederaIs be-
hind their works broke the spirit and
energy OF the Confederate rank and file.
1t was late in the afternoon when Gen.
Sherman, who was at the Federal center,
with Thomas army. received Gen. How
ards note telling of the presence of the
COnfederates al JonesborO. He at once
issued orders sending both Schofield and
Thomas south along the railroad tearing
up track as they marched. Their move
ments were necessarily slow. and II was
not until the afternoon OF September
that a connection was formed with Gen.
Howard. who was sitting tight behind his
breastworks.
Copyright. I9l4I