October 11, 1864, 10 A. M.
Hood moved his army from Palmetto Station across by
Dallas and
Cedartown, and is now on the
Coosa River, south of
Rome.
He threw one corps on my road at
Acworth, and I was forced to follow.
I hold
Atlanta with the Twentieth Corps, and have strong detachments along my line.
These reduce my active force to a comparatively small army.
We cannot remain now on the defensive.
With 25,000 men, and the bold cavalry he has, he can constantly break my road.
I would infinitely prefer to make a wreck of the road and of the country from
Chattanooga to
Atlanta, including the latter city, send back all my wounded and worthless, and, with my effective army, move through
Georgia, smashing things to the sea.
Hood may turn into
Tennessee and
Kentucky, but I believe he will be forced to follow me. Instead of being on the defensive, I would be on the offensive; instead of guessing at what he means to do, he would have to guess at my plans.
The difference in war is full 25 per cent. I can make
Savannah,
Charleston, or the mouth of the
Chattahoochee.
Answer quick, as I know we will not have the telegraph long.
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