Horace Greeley, The American Conflict: A History of the Great Rebellion in the United States of America, 1860-65: its Causes, Incidents, and Results: Intended to exhibit especially its moral and political phases with the drift and progress of American opinion respecting human slavery from 1776 to the close of the War for the Union. Volume II.

[634] two bodies of horse should be concentrated at Lovejoy's, and Wheeler defeated or chased off by their superior force; but, this failing. Wheeler was too strong for either division, and the scheme became chimerical.

Stoneman, with his segment of the raiding force, struck out eastward to Covington ; thence moving down the east side of the Ocmulgee, breaking up roads and burning bridges, without even attempting to keep his tryst with McCook at Lovejoy's. When at length he appeared before Macon, he had not more than 3,000 men; and, being confronted with spirit by a hastily collected Rebel force under Iverson, he was unable even to cross the river; but, abandoning all idea of reaching Andersonville, turned on his trail, pursued by Iverson. Now he consented to a still further dispersion of his force — the three brigades composing it attempting to escape separately. That led by Col. Adams reached Sherman nearly unharmed; that under Col. Capron was surprised by the way, charged and dispersed: those who escaped generally straggling into camp before Atlanta on foot and disarmed ; while that with which Stoneman attempted to maintain some show of resistance was soon surrounded by Iverson, and Stoneman induced, by an imposing pretense of superior force, to surrender at discretion — he having 1,000 men left, and Iverson at hand only some 500. Stoneman, it was reported, cried when he discovered how he had been duped; but his sorrow subserved no good purpose. He had, by incapacity, imbecility, and disobedience of orders, squandered a full third of Sherman's cavalry.

Gen. Howard succeeded,¹ by the President's order, to the command of the Army of the Tennessee; where-upon, Gen. Hooker, considering himself disparaged, was relieved, at his own request, from the command of his corps, which( was given to Gen. Slocum. Gen. Palmer was soon relieved from the command of the 14th corps by Gen. Jeff. C. Davis. Gen. D. S. Stanley succeeded Gen. Howard as the head of the 4th corps.

The Army of the Tennessee was now shifted² from our extreme left to our extreme right; moving behind the rest of the army from the Decatur road on the east to Proctor's creek on the south-west ; initiating a general movement to flank Hood out of Atlanta by cutting the railroads in his rear. The movement was of course detected by Hood; yet it had been substantially completed, and our men were hastily covering their new front with a rude breastwork of logs and rails, when Hood struck out³ as heavily from his left as he had done the week before from his right. Evidently expecting to catch Howard in disorder, or at least unprepared, he poured out his masses from the west side of Atlanta, and charged impetuously on our new right, held by Logan's (15th) corps, which had been formed on the crest of a wooded ridge, with open fields sloping from its front, its right refused, and something like a rail breastwork in its front; Howard standing behind it, ready to hurry Blair's and Dodge's corps to its support; and Sherman himself on hand, eager and alert for the encounter. After a brief cannonade, Hood's infantry, under Hardee and Lee, was thrown forward against