The Washington herald., 1914-07-01
THE WAR DAY BY DAY
Fifty Years Ago.
July l. 1s64-Gen W. Sherman Moving Against Atlanta Losing
Half Dozen More Supply Trains Month Through Guerrilla Attacks
Peril, of Army Raikoadng.

board of locomotive. in any capacity
was accepted as an engineer-if he had
daring. energy and endurance.
The trains were run in sections Of ten
cars each. on no special schedule time
and with few telegraph Offices along the
lines. Certain stations were fixed as
meeting points, and it was no uncommon
thing for train to wait twelve hours at
such a station"
An Engineer Under Fire.
The life Of an engineer OF a military
supply train entailed day and night work,
extreme danger, and always a near pros
pect OF death.
Gen. Sherman. in his memoirs. makes
note OF an incident attending the estab-
lIshment Of his supply depot at AIatoona.
The bridge over the Etowah River had
been completed after great labor by Col.
W. w. Wright and the men OF his con-
struction corps. and the first train of
supplies that the army had seen in fully
two weeks came whistling down the track
to Allatoona- The men cheered Il as they
would have the news of a great victory,
for II meant that food was at hand
The locomotive. detached. was run for
ward to a water tank within range of the
enemy's guns on Kenesaw. and a hot fire
was directed upon it by the Confederate
Ne~NNSAASS- DNA AAit IOdT OF exploding
shells was answered by the defiant whis-
tie OF the engine. and the man al the
throttle came OF without a scratch.
As IL was absolutely necessary to keen
up the traffic without interruption of even
an hour, no expense was spared to Keep
the road open If q train ran of the
track and could not be replaced without
considerable trouble. II was burned and
its wreckage toppled down the embank-
ment. Col. Stone declared that on one
incline. where the road climbed the west
slope OF the Cumberland. between Nash
Vile and Chattanooga, he had seen a
stretch or at least five miles OF high en-
bankment so thickly strewn with wrecks
Of cars and locomotives that one could
walk the whole distance on broken iron
and trucks.
II was only by such means that traffic
could be kept up. Delay meant disaster,
for at the end OF that 45O-mile line there
was the great host of men and horses
clamorinB for food. and the even greater
number OF guns, rifles, and pistols that
continually called for an immense sup
ply OF projectiles and powder.
In the Army OF the Cumberland alone
which embraced half OF Gen. Sherman's
months ending June 90 no less than n. iSo
rounds of artillery ammunition. s.e09. 21s
OF small arms ammunition. a total Of
6,2i9,6i6 rounds. In the entire campaign
Of four months there was TO be expfa,1ei
by the entire Federal forces operating
against Atlanta 1850 rounds of artillery
and 22,i3T,l52 rounds Of small arms am
munition, a total of 2. ese.sO2 rounds.
Every want OF the army was neccssar-
lily filed by the railroad, and Gen. Sh,r-
man and the officers inErusted with the
responsibility of maintaining an adequate
supply of food and ammunition at the
front realized the tremendous sacrifices
Of the railroad men. who seldom are
given proper credit for their work In the
war.
TOmorrowI Wilson's cavalry reaches
the James and safety.
lCoprnCht MAl