The Washington herald., 1914-07-29
THE WAR DAY BY DAY
Fifty Years Ago.
July g. 1S64Fed Cavalry Raiders Under Cen George SOnemn Cut
the Railroad East Of Maeon Ca and Advanced Within Twelve Miles
CAn Attempt Release the Prisoners Macon and And.rsOnve

captured, together with nearly 1000 OF
Of his command.
Stoneman. with his command, started
the same day as McCook. July "a but
headed in the opposite direction. Passing
through Decatur. the men crossed the
! ocmulgee. River near Covington. thirty
miles east Of Atlanta, and then turned
! south toward Macon.
| BY the night OF July . the FederaIs
were within a few miles Of the city, and
tidings of their coming had gone ahead
| OF them. There was great excitement
/ among the townspeople Gen. Howell
Cobb, who was in command, hurriedly
called out the State militia, and armed
| the citizens
Detachments OF Federals were sent OF
to destroy the railroads east Of Macon,
and the next morning, July 30. Stoneman
advanced toward the city.
But Macon was safe. Between II and
the Federals was the Ocmulgee River,
with the railroad bridge the only avail
able means of crossing. Stonemsn pushed
back the militia opposing him and came
near enough to Macon to throw a few
shells into It's streets. Then, finding the
| conflict hotter than he had expected, not
relishing the task of forcing a passage
of the bridge and being informed that
the Federal prisoners had all been sent
away, he turned south with the intention
OF crossing the river at another point
and making toward Andersonville. which
lies nearly sixty miles southwest from
Macon.
BY this time the attachments had done
their work on the railroad and had re-
Joined the column. The bridge over the
Oconee River. forty miles east OF Macon,
had been burned, the branch road to Mil
ledgeville, the State capital, torn up for
several miles, a portion near Macon
damaged and the telegraph wires cut
and removed for a great distance. In ad-
dition a number Of locomotives were de-
stroyed and many cars burned.
While seeking seeking a suitable cross
ing of the Ocmulgee River below Macon
Gen. Stoneman received news that a force
OF cavalry. under Gen. Alfred Iverson
had entered Macon. and. fearing that Il
might cut on his line of retreat, he de-
termined to abandon the proposed visit
TO Andersonville and to return to Atlanta
Followingthe same route by which he
had come Gen. Stoneman reached the
town Of Clinton. ten miles north Of Ma
con, h. dark on the 30th, and after n
short rest, again took the road. BY this
time there was heavy skirmishing with
the enemy, whose numbers could not be
determined.
At daybreak on the 31st Gen. Iverson
attacked. His command was much
smaller than the Federals, but the inn
petuosity Of the assault, and the fears
OF Gen. Stoneman. who supposed he was
confronted by a superior force Offset
the difference In strength. After short
fighting some OF Stoneman's troops gave
way. 1t was told in the Federal camps
afterward that thev had INDUCED in too
much peach brandy on the trip, and
were in no condition to fight.
Seeing his line giving way Stoneman
gave orders to beat a retreat. He, with
about 100 other men, remained to check
the pursuit. and after a hard fight sur
rendered.
OF the ALI men with which Gen. Stone
man had started onlv go reached the
Federal lines. and OF that number IS
were wounded. The others were ac-
counted for as follows: Ten dead and l.
22s captured. However. many OF those
listed as prisoners must have been killed
in the action near Clinton and in the
subsequent pursuit
Gen. Sherman was discouraged over the
result OF his raid It practically rem
dered his cavalry useless and left the
Confederate cavalry free to leave At
lanta and throw itself upon the single |
thread Of railroad that stretched north |
to Chattanooga 40 miles and upon which |
Gen. Sherman was dependent for his sup |
plies.
Tomorrow-The Petersburg Mine.
tCopUisht. inL) J