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.

[195] did not show themselves to the enemy, nor open any fire to attract his attention on General Wood's right, so that the enemy was able to pour a cross-fire of artillery and musketry into his right flank. Under these circumstances it soon became evident that the assault had failed, and that the troops must be withdrawn with care in order to bring off our wounded, and to prevent a successful sally of the enemy from his works. General Johnson formed his troops in rear of and to the left of the entire position, while General Wood carefully withdrew his division and formed on a ridge farther to the right. General McLean having been requested to push farther to the right in order to-make connection with the rest of the army., disregarded the request and moved off at once by the road, leaving these two divisions isolated. He (McLean) alleged in excuse that his men were entirely without rations. Our losses were very heavy, being upward of 1,400 killed, wounded, and missing in General Wood's division alone. Though the assault was repulsed, yet a position was secured near Pickett's Mills of the greatest importance to the subsequent movements of the army, and it has been subsequently ascertained that the enemy suffered immensely in the action, and regarded it as the severest attack made during this eventful campaign. Johnson and Wood made strong intrenchments during the night. General Johnson received quite a severe wound from a shell and was obliged to leave his command the next morning.. During this movement and fighting on the left, Stanley and Newton made strong demonstrations in their respective fronts. At 4 p. m. the enemy tried their lines, from which he was driven back with loss.

May 28, very little occurred on my front of interest except the readjusting lines. Stanley placed a brigade in reserve on the Acworth road opposite the interval between General Wood and Major-General Schofield. At 4.30 p. m. the enemy made a slight demonstration in front of Generals Stanley and Newton, while he was making a regular assault upon General McPherson's lines near Dallas. The enemy was repulsed at every point.

May 29, very little of interest occurred during the day. An assault was made by the enemy upon General Newton's line at 11 p. m., which his troops handsomely repulsed. Heavy firing was heard in the direction of Dallas a little later, whereupon a strong demonstration by artillery and musketry firing was made by Stanley and Newton.

May 30 and 31, skirmishing and some slight reconnaissances by ourselves and the enemy, but no material change occurred.

June 1, the movement of the army to the left commenced, General McPherson and General Davis having withdrawn from the extreme right position.

On the 2d the movement was continued; the Twentieth and Twenty-third Corps and part of the Fourteenth passed beyond our extreme left.

June 3 and 4, nothing of consequence, excepting that I thinned and extended my lines so as to cover the ground occupied by the Twenty-third Corps, and afterward by Davis' division, of the Fourteenth Corps, relieving those troops in order to prolong our lines to the left. The result of these movements was to cause the enemy to abandon his lines on the night of June 4.

June 5, the command rested.