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rapidly northwestward, and threatened
Kingston and other important points on the railway.
Sherman followed as rapidly.
He pressed through the
Allatoona Pass and across the
Etowah, and by a forced march reached
Kingston and saved it. There he found that
Hood had turned westward, threatened
Rome, and was crossing the
Coosa over a pontoon bridge, eleven miles below that town.
Sherman then hurried on to
Rome,
and pushed
Garrard's cavalry and
Cox's (Twenty-third) corps across the
Oostenaula, to threaten
Hood's flank should he turn northward.
That vigorous leader had moved so rapidly that he avoided the intended blow, excepting a slight one by
Garrard, which drove a brigade of Confederate cavalry, and secured two of their guns; and he suddenly appeared before
Resaca, and demanded its surrender.
Sherman had re-enforced that post with two regiments of the Army of the Tennessee, and
Colonel Weaver, the commander, gallantly repulsed a vigorous attack.
The assailants then moved on, closely followed by
Sherman.
They destroyed the railway from
Tilton to the tunnel at
Buzzard's Roost, and captured the
Union garrison at
Dalton.
On his arrival at
Resaca,
Sherman determined to strike
Hood in flank, or force him to fight.
He was now puzzled by
Hood's movements, and knew no better way to force him to develop his designs.
General Howard moved to Snake Creek Gap, and skirmished with the
Confederates there, for the purpose of holding them while
General Stanley, with the Fourth and Fourteenth Corps, should move round to
Hood's rear, from
Tilton to the vicinity of
Villanow.
But the
Confederates gave way and withdrew to Ship's Gap, and on the following day
Sherman's forces moved directly toward
Lafayette, with a view of cutting off
Hood's retreat.
That leader was watchful, and being in lighter marching order than his pursuer, outstripped and evaded him.
Sherman still pressed on and entered the
Chattanooga Valley, and on the 19th, his forces were all grouped about
Gaylesville, a fertile region in
Northern Alabama.
Sherman was now satisfied that
Hood was simply luring him out of
Georgia, and did not intend to fight.
He had an army strong enough to endanger the
National communications between
Atlanta and
Chattanooga, but not of sufficient power to engage in battle.
So the patriot leader determined to execute a plan, which he had already submitted to the consideration of
General Grant, namely, to destroy
Atlanta and its railway communications with
Chattanooga, and, moving through the heart of
Georgia, capture one or more of the important seaport towns-Savannah or
Charleston, or both.
So he remained at
Gaylesville a week, watching the movements of
Hood,
