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.

Cruft's brigade was started back to Kingston as escort to the wagon train of the corps on the 30th. On the night of the 3d of June we relieved half of Davis' front on the left of this division. Our time was constantly employed, whilst in this position, in pushing out works, by successive advances, close to the enemy; and a constant fire of musketry and artillery was kept up whenever we could annoy the enemy. The 5th we lay in camp near New Hope Church. On the 6th the division moved on the Acworth road to the vicinity of Morris Hill Chapel. The division remained in position at Morris Hill until the morning of the 10th, when, moving through the lines of the Twentieth Corps, on the Marietta road, we soon struck the pickets of the enemy. Pushing forward, the enemy was found in force, with an intrenched line extending across the summit of Pine Top Mountain. The division was formed facing this line of the enemy and intrenched in full view and under easy cannon-range of them. This position we maintained with some modifications until the morning of the 15th. On the 14th the position of the enemy was sharply cannonaded by all our batteries, and, as we learned subsequently, the second shot fired from a rifled section of the Fifth Indiana Battery exploded in a group of rebel generals, killing Lieut. Gen. Leonidas Polk. Early the morning of the 15th it was found the enemy had abandoned his work on Pine Top. The position was at once occupied by our skirmishers, and it was learned that Pine Top was an advanced work, the main rebel line being in the rear and connecting Kenesaw and Lost Mountains. Shortly after noon the division was formed in column of attack, following the Second Division, but the general commanding the corps having decided an attack impracticable at the point the head of the column struck the rebel line, this division formed in line and intrenched opposite to the rebel position. On the 16th the line was advanced under severe fire. A heavy cannonade was kept up upon the rebel position all day. While laying out a position for a battery this day Capt. Peter Simonson, Fifth Indiana Battery, chief of artillery, was instantly killed by a sharpshooter. This was an irreparable loss to the division. I have not in my military experience met with an officer who was the equal of this one in energy, efficiency, and ingenuity in the handling of artillery. He never missed an opportunity and allowed no difficulties to deter him from putting in his batteries in every position that he could prove annoying or destructive to the enemy. On the morning of the 17th it was found the enemy had again evacuated his line, and we advanced to find that he had abandoned his hold on Lost Mountain with his left. Again we had the experience of feeling for the position of the rebels and found him, as usual, strongly intrenched on one of the small branches of Noyes' Creek. On the 18th the rain poured in torrents. Kirby's brigade was sent to support General Newton's division, which engaged the enemy's lines closely all day. This night the enemy again abandoned his line, and on the 19th we moved forward and found him in his intrenched line of Kenesaw Mountain. Our lines were pushed up close to the rebel position and intrenched during the night, Grose's brigade on the left, Whitaker's in the center, and Kirby's on the right. These positions were gained after severe skirmishing. During the 20th we strengthened our position, and at 4 p. m. we made a demonstration with a strong line of skirmishers on our whole line. Colonel Price, in command of General Whitaker's skirmishers, gallantly charged the hill in his