[
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- The opposing armies in Northern Georgia, 374.
-- Sherman's advance
-- battle of Resaca, 375.
-- the Nationals in possession of Resaca
-- flight and pursuit of the Confederates, 376.
-- a series of battles and skirmishes between Resaca and Big Kenesaw, 377.
-- the Confederates on and around Kenesaw hard pressed, 378.
-- operations around Kenesaw
-- battle of the Kulp House, 380.
-- a race for the Chattahoochee
-- movements of the National troops, 381.
-- the Nationals across the Chattahoochee, 382.
-- Atlanta invested, 383.
-- the Confederates and their works at Atlanta, 384.
-- a bold movement by Hood, 385.
-- First battle of Atlanta, 386.
-- Stoneman sent on a cavalry raid, 387.
-- misfortunes of Stoneman's command, 388
-- reorganization of Sherman's Army
-- Hood flanked at Atlanta, 389.
-- Second battle of Atlanta, 390.
-- siege of Atlanta raised, 391.
-- battles at Jonesboroa, 392.
-- Hood's flight from Atlanta, 393.
-- Sherman in Atlanta, 394.
-- Sherman and the people of Atlanta, 395.
-- Hood on Sherman's communications, 396.
-- battle of Allatoona Pass, 397.
-- Hood chased into Northern Alabama by Sherman, 398.
-- Sherman's preparations for a March to the sea, 399.
-- the author's visit to the scenes of the campaign from Chattanooga to Atlanta, 401, 402, 403, 404.
At the same time when the Army of the Potomac moved from the
Rapid Anna toward
Richmond, at the beginning of May,
General William T. Sherman, who had succeeded
General Grant in the command of the Military Division of the Mississippi, marched southward from the vicinity of
Chattanooga,
with nearly one hundred thousand men,
1 having for his chief objectives, the destruction of the Confederate army under
General Joseph E. Johnston, then at
Dalton, in
Northern Georgia,
2 and the capture of the city of
Atlanta.
General Sherman received his orders from
Lieutenant-General Grant y to advance, on the 30th of April, and he moved on the 6th of May.
On that morning the Army of the Cumberland lay at and near
Ringgold; that of the
Tennessee at
Lee and Gordon's Mill,
3 on the
Chickamauga, and that of the
Ohio near
Red Clay, on the
Georgia line north of
Dalton.
The Confederate army then lay in and about
Dalton.
To strike that position in front was impracticable, for between the armies lay a rugged
mountain barrier known as the
Rocky Face Ridge.
Through it, at an opening called Buzzard's Roost Gap,
4 a
[
375]
small stream flowed and the railway and wagon road passed; but it was so thoroughly fortified that no army could safely attempt the passage.
Sherman therefore determined to turn the
Confederate position at
Dalton, and for that purpose he sought a passage of the great hills at Snake Creek Gap, farther south.
To mask that movement,
General Thomas menaced
Johnston's front; but in so doing, he had quite a severe engagement with the
Confederates at Buzzard's Roost Gap.
He pushed their cavalry well through the pass, and two divisions (
Newton's of
Howard's [Fourth] corps, and
Geary's, of
Hooker's [Twentieth] corps) gained portions of the
Ridge.
But they were soon driven off with considerable loss.
Meanwhile,
Schofield, with the Army of the Ohio, came down from the north and pressed heavily on
Johnston's right; and
McPherson, marching rapidly from the
Chickamauga, by way of Ship's Gap and
Villanow, passed through Snake Creek Gap, at the southern end of the
Chattanooga Mountain, and appeared suddenly before the
Confederate works at and near
Resaca, on the railway south of
Dalton.
These works were too formidable to warrant an attack with his force alone, and so
McPherson fell back to a strong position in Snake Creek Gap, to await the arrival of the main army.
Sherman was somewhat disappointed by the result of
McPherson's movement, but felt that an advantage was gained.
On the 10th
he ordered
Thomas to send
Hooker's corps to the support of
McPherson, and to follow with
Palmer's (Fourteenth) corps.
Schofield was ordered to follow on the same day with his entire force; and on the 11th the whole army, excepting
Howard's corps and some cavalry left to menace
Johnston's front at
Dalton, was marching in the grand turning movement, westward of Rocky Pace Ridge, for Snake Creek Gap and
Resaca.
This compelled
Johnston to abandon
Dalton, and fall back, closely pursued by
Howard, to the menaced position.
That position, by good and direct roads, he reached, and took post behind a line of intrenchments, before
