[
100]
He thus closes the account of these opening operations of the
Atlanta campaign:
‘On the night of May 15th Johnston got his army across the bridges, set them on fire, and we entered Resaca at daylight.
Our loss up to that time was about six hundred dead and thirty-three hundred and seventy-five wounded—mostly light wounds that did not necessitate sending the men to the rear for treatment.
That Johnston had deliberately designed in advance to give up such a strong position as Dalton and Resaca, for the purpose of drawing us further south, is simply absurd.
Had he remained in Dalton another hour it would have been his total defeat, and he only evacuated Resaca because his safety demanded it. The movement by us through Snake Creek Gap was a total surprise to him. My army about doubled his in size, but he had all the advantages of natural positions of artificial forts and roads, and of concentrated action.
We were compelled to grope our way through forests, across mountains, with a large army, necessarily more or less dispersed.
Of course I was disappointed not to have crippled his army more at that particular stage of the game; but, as it resulted, these rapid successes gave us the initiative, and the usual impulse of a conquering army.
Johnston having retreated in the night of May 15th, immediate pursuit was begun.’
Thus, seven days after the movement began,
General Sherman had finally accomplished what
General Thomas, who, assisted by
General Schofield, had thoroughly reconnoitered the position in February, had urged should be done at the first, as will now appear from the record history of
Buzzard Roost and
Resaca.
On the 28th of February, 1864, before
General Sherman had succeeded
General Grant in the command of the Military Division of the Mississippi,
General Thomas, who was in command of the Army of the Cumberland at
Chattanooga, telegraphed
General Grant at
Nashville, proposing the following plan for a Spring campaign:
‘I believe if I can commence the campaign with the Fourteenth and Fourth Corps in front, with Howard's corps in reserve, that I can move along the line of the railroad and overcome all opposition as far, at least, as Atlanta.’
In a subsequent report upon the campaign, dated March 10, 1864,
General Thomas thus speaks of this proposition:
‘The above proposition was submitted to General Grant for his approval, ’
