The Atlanta (Georgia) Campaign: May 1 - September 8, 1864., Part I: General Report.
Maj. George B. Davis, Mr. Leslie J. Perry, Mr. Joseph W. Kirkley, Ed.

[707] twenty-first Ohio was in the second line on the right of the brigade. About 4 o'clock we charged the enemy's position. Just as we advanced to the charge the Thirty-fourth Illinois was posted on my right; to my front and right was the Seventy-eighth Illinois. I was now ordered to leave one-half of my regiment with one-half of the Thirty-fourth Illinois to intrench a position for our protection should we be driven back. In order to have all the companies represented in the charge I left the rear rank and moved on with the front. We passed over the enemy's works in our front, when a staff officer from Colonel Mitchell brought me orders to hasten to the right to the support of the Seventy-eighth Illinois. I moved on double-quick, by the flank, to the right about 200 yards, through the woods, and found the Seventy-eighth Illinois had possession of a 6-gun battery, from which it had driven all of the enemy that it had not either killed or captured. Simultaneous with my arrival the Thirty-fourth Illinois came up. Our arrival was in good. time; the enemy had rallied and was coming back upon the Seventyeighth Illinois (which had already lost largely) in heavy force. But he was turned back from this, and another attempt to retake the guns was most severely punished. The guns were captured by the Seventy-eighth Illinois. The One hundred and twenty-first Ohio and the Thirty-fourth Illinois held the guns and repulsed two desperate charges of the enemy to retake the battery. The second charge was made about 6 o'clock, and from this time until darkness put an end to the conflict the battle raged fiercely. During the night the enemy retreated, leaving his dead upon the field, and his wounded in and about Jonesborough. He left many arms and accouterments scattered over the field. The victory was complete; the enemy had fled in confusion. Cleburne's division, the pride of the Southern army, whose boast had been “they had never been whipped,” was whipped and captured, with all their guns, by the old Second Division, from behind their strong line of earth-works. Sherman's army had struck their center, divided and routed their army, and compelled the evacuation of Atlanta. After collecting the spoils of the victory we returned, and are now in camp near Atlanta.

Throughout the long and tedious campaign the officers, non-commissioned officers, and men of my command have been at their posts and did their duty. I know of no instance during the campaign of any part of my command-officers, non-commissioned officers, or privates-failing in the performance of his or their duty. I know of no circumstances so trying or hour so gloomy in the campaign (although I have lost in killed and wounded more than onehalf of the armed and equipped men with which I started on the campaign) as to cause my men to lose hope or fail to have perfect confidence in our final success. I started with 429 non-commissioned officers and men, armed and equipped, and 18 commissioned officers. Of the officers, 3 were killed on the battle-field on the 27th of June; 1 was mortally wounded and 8 others have been wounded. Of the non-commissioned officers and men? 22 have been killed and 185 have been wounded, making a total of 218. Two that were wounded in the outside ditches of the enemy's works on the 27th of June were captured and 1 is missing. Among the dead we mourn the gallant Maj. John Yager. Absent on duty in Ohio when the cam. paign commenced, he asked to be relieved and hastened to join his regiment. His high sense of honor would not permit him to be absent