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westerly toward Lost Mountain and New Hope church, while Stewart's corps struck the railroad near Big Shanty.
Loring went to Ackunth, Walthall to Moon Station, and my command to Big Shanty to destroy the railroad.
We continued at this labor all the evening of the 3d, all night, and the next day till noon.
Now, while engaged at this work, commanding officers learned from citizens that Allatoona was fortified and garrisoned by about three and a half regiments, and that it was a great depot of provisions.
When General Stewart received the order that required me to move on Allatoona to fill up the cut, he handed it to me and said: “General Hood does not seem to be aware that the place is fortified, and now French, here is a fine opportunity for you;” and after talking the matter over he increased my artillery to twelve guns and sent Major Myrick to command them.
And thus it was we knew that a garrison was there, and filling up that cut through the mountain became a very minor matter.
But I am not disposed to fight the battle of Allatoona over again here, as a report of it was published in the annals of the Army of Tennessee.
But before I close, I will briefly allude to another error regarding myself, in Hood's Advance and Retreat.
On page 326 it is written:
Just at this critical juncture, General French received information which he considered correct, but which subsequently proved false, that a large body of the enemy were moving to cut him off from the remainder of the army, and he immediately withdrew his command from the place without having accomplished the desired object.On page 147, volume II. General W. T. Sherman says in his Memoirs:
I reached Kennesaw mountain about 8 A. M. of October 5: * * that I could plainly see the smoke of battle about Allatoona and hear the faint reverberation of the cannon. From Kennesaw I ordered the Twenty-Third Corps (General Cox) to march due west on the Burnt Hickory road, and to burn houses and piles of brush as it progressed to indicate the head of the column, hoping to interpose this corps between Hood's main army at Dallas and the detachment then assailing Allatoona. The rest of the army was directed straight for Allatoona, northwest, distant eighteen miles. * * * I watched with painful suspense the indications of the battle raging there, and was dreadfully impatient at the slow progress of the relieving column, whose advance was marked by the smokes which were made according to orders; but about 2 P. M. I noticed with satisfaction that the smoke of battle about Allatoona grew less and less, and ceased
