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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
Sherman could get to
Resaca over the rough country from Snake Creek Gap.
McPherson was pushed forward from that gap, preceded by
Kilpatrick's cavalry, which drove the
Confederates from a cross-road near
Resaca.
Kilpatrick was wounded, and his command was turned over to
Col. Murray.
McPherson pressed on, drove the
Confederate pickets within their intrenchments, and took post on a ridge of bald hills, with his right on the Oostenaula River, and his left abreast the village.
Thomas came up on his left, facing
Camp Creek, and
Schofield forced his way through the dense woods to the left of
Thomas, and confronted the
Confederate intrenchments on a group of hills covered with chestnut-trees, at the north of the village.
Such was the position of the opposing forces at
Resaca, on the 14th of May, when
Sherman ordered a pontoon bridge to be laid across the
Oostenaula at Lay's Ferry, and directed
Sweeny's division, of the Sixteenth Corps, to cross and threaten
Calhoun, farther south.
At the same time the cavalry division of
General Garrard moved from
Villanow in the direction of
Rome, with orders to destroy the railway between
Calhoun and
Kingston.
Sherman, meanwhile, was severely pressing
Johnston at
Resaca, at all points, and a general engagement ensued in the afternoon and evening of the 15th.
McPherson had secured a lodgment across
Camp Creek, near the town, and held a hill which commanded the bridges across
