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line somewhere near the center, and, forcing in a strong column, overwhelm half of Johnston's army while the other was held in check by the remainder of his.
The assault was made at 9 o'clock in the morning after a furious cannonade, and amid a musketry fire which extended along the whole front of ten miles. The brunt of the attack by McPherson was borne by the right and left of Loring's corps, and the force of Thomas' blow mainly fell upon the left of Hardee.
On the right, next the railroad, the Twelfth Louisiana, deployed as skirmishers, held its ground until the enemy was within twenty-five paces, and then fell back to its brigade, Scott's of Featherston's division.
The Federal troops in three lines, preceded by skirmishers, advanced steadily and met the fire of Scott's brigade and artillery in the flank, and, unable to advance, halted and remained under fire an hour before they would consent to fall back.
A single line of Federal infantry attacked Wheeler and the skirmishers of Featherston's, Adams' and Quarles' brigades, all in rifle-pits, and it also failed, although a daring body of the enemy gained the rifle-pits in front of Quarles, where most were killed or captured.
In this assault Logan lost seven regimental commanders.
The heaviest fighting was in front of Thomas, who sent forward two columns—one, Newton's division supported by Stanley; the other, Davis' division supported by Baird.
One of these attacks, near the southwest extremity of Kenesaw, on the Burnt Hickory road, fell upon Cockrell's Missouri brigade on Loring's left and on Sears' brigade, and was pressed through the skirmishers of Walker's right.
Lieut.-Col. Robert A. Fulton, of the Fifty-third Ohio infantry, says that the skirmishers encountered by his regiment were from the Sixty-third Georgia, and reports that his command had with them ‘a hand-to-hand fight, in which bayonets and butts of muskets were used.’
About 80 of these skirmishers were killed, wounded or captured.
Many of the wounds were
Atlanta, Ga. 1899.
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