Benson J. Lossing, Pictorial Field Book of the Civil War. Volume 3.

[388] down the west side of the Chattahoochee to Rivertown, where he crossed the stream on a pontoon bridge, tore up the track of the railway between Atlanta and West Point, near Palmetto Station, and pushed on to Fayetteville. There he captured five hundred of Hood's wagons and two hundred and fifty men, and killed and carried away about a thousand mules. Pressing on, he struck and destroyed the Macon railway at the appointed time and place, but Stoneman was not there. McCook had no tidings of him; so, being hard pressed by Wheeler's cavalry, he turned to the southwest and struck the West Point road again at Newman's Station. There he was met by a heavy body of infantry from Mississippi, on its way to assist Hood at Atlanta. At the same time his rear was closely pressed by Confederate cavalry, and he was compelled to fight great odds. He did so gallantly, and fought his way out, but with the loss of his prisoners, and five hundred of his own men, including Colonel Harrison, who was made a captive.

Stoneman, in the mean time, attempting to do too much, failed in nearly all things. At the last moment before leaving, he obtained General Sherman's consent to go farther after striking the railway at Lovejoy's, and sweeping southward, capture, Macon, the capital of Georgia, and pushing on to Andersonville, release the thousands of Union prisoners then suffering horribly there. He had gone but a short distance, when he cut loose from Garrard's cavalry, and, in disobedience of Sherman's orders, omitted to co-operate with McCook in his movement upon the railway at Lovejoy's. With his own command, about three thousand in number, he pressed directly upon Macon. There he was met so stoutly by Confederate cavalry, under General Iverson, that he not only abandoned all thoughts of capturing Macon, or becoming the liberator of the prisoners at Andersonville, but he turned hastily back, impelled by the urgent business of trying to escape. In so doing, he weakened his force by dividing it, and instructing the three brigades of which it was composed, to seek safety by separate paths. Iverson pressed closely upon the fugitives. One of the brigades, commanded by Colonel Adams, reached Atlanta without much loss. Another, under Colonel Capron, was dispersed by a charge of Confederate cavalry; and the remainder, about one thousand strong, commanded by Stoneman himself, and who had been employed in checking Iverson while the others should escape, were surrounded by the active Georgian, and seven hundred of them were made prisoners. The remainder escaped. Iverson had only about five hundred men, but deceived his antagonist with a show of superior force. Stoneman's unfortunate expedition cost Sherman about one-third of his cavalry, without any compensating advantage. Garrard, meanwhile, had been compelled to skirmish heavily with Wheeler's cavalry, near Flat Rock, where Stoneman had left him. Hearing nothing from his superior, he returned to the army before Atlanta.

Simultaneously with the raids just mentioned, Sherman began a movement for flanking Hood out of Atlanta. Some important changes in the commands of his army had just been made.

July 27, 1864.

By order of the President, O. O. Howard¹ was made the successor of McPherson in the command of the Army of the Tennessee. This preference was regarded by General