The Atlanta (Georgia) Campaign: May 1 - September 8, 1864., Part I: General Report.
Maj. George B. Davis, Mr. Leslie J. Perry, Mr. Joseph W. Kirkley, Ed.

By orders from Major-General Stanley, division commander, we marched with the balance of his command on the 3d day of May, 1864, from our camp at Blue Springs, near Cleveland, Tenn., to Red [257] Clay, on the Georgia line, and camped for the night. May 4, marched with the division to Catoosa Springs, Ga. (with light skirmishing), for concentration with the army, where we rested until May 7, when we marched with the corps, drove the enemy from and took possession of Tunnel Hill, Ga. For several succeeding days we advanced upon and ineffectually endeavored to drive the enemy from Rocky Face Ridge in our front. My position was on the left of the rail and wagon roads leading through Buzzard Roost Gap, on the Dalton road. The enemy had strongly fortified this pass and the high ridge on either side. I had some previous knowledge of the position, and knew that it was impregnable to our assaults; but in obedience to orders we frequently made the attempt with a heavy skirmish line, at which my loss was about 40 men. Finally, a portion of our army having passed the ridge farther south, on the morning of the 13th of May it was found that the enemy had retreated from our front, when I was ordered and moved in pursuit on the Dalton road, but soon came up with the rear guard of the enemy and skirmishing commenced. We drove them to and through Dalton, my forces (the Ninth and Thirty-sixth Indiana) the first to enter the place so long a stronghold of the enemy. We continued the pursuit, and about 12 m., three miles south of Dalton, on the Resaca road, we came upon the enemy in line upon a high wooded hill. As we approached he opened upon us with a battery of artillery. Our artillery was placed in position, and a heavy duel commenced across a large open farm with a low valley between. The Ninth and Thirty-sixth Indiana, supported on the right by the Eighty-fourth Illinois, were ordered into line and advanced across the valley double-quick under a heavy fire. ascended the wooded hill, drove the enemy from his barricades, and carried the place with very light loss. This was the last of our fighting for the day, and we advanced a few miles to right, entered Sugar Valley, and camped with the corps in line for the night.

May 14, early this morning our corps moved toward the enemy's position at Resaca, on the right bank of the Oostenaula River, Ga. At about 12 m. we came upon the enemy in position about three miles from the river. The face of the country rough and hilly, interspersed with small farms, but mostly heavy woodland with thick underbrush. I was directed and put my command in position in double lines on the left of General Hazen's brigade, of General Wood's division, the Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania, Eightieth Illinois, Seventy-fifth Illinois, and Thirtieth Indiana in front line. The ground was too rough for the artillery to move with us. About 1 o'clock General Wood informed me he was ready to advance, and I had received orders to advance in connection with his division. The other two brigades of our division were to have been in line on my left, but did not come up, and the lines advanced about 2 o'clock, my brigade on the extreme left of the advancing lines. We drove the enemy from the woodland in which we formed, across a farm in my front through another woodland, then over another small valley farm, and over a high wooded hill beyond, upon which we were ordered to halt — a farm in a valley to our front, and the enemy fortified on the wooded hills beyond. Here I caused barricades to be constructed in front of my front line. Late in the afternoon the other two brigades of our division came up and took position — on my left. The enemy, near night, advanced upon them and drove them back. When I discovered them giving way I immediately formed [258] a line from my rear regiments facing to my left perpendicular to the rear to protect the left flank of the main line. This new formation was made by the Fifty-ninth Illinois, one wing of the Eighty-fourth Illinois, and Thirty-sixth Indiana. It was formed and ready for action, with skirmishers out, in less than ten minutes. Our batteries in the meantime had been brought up and put into position. under the command of the gallant, brave, and lamented Captain Simonson, of the Fifth Indiana Battery, on the left of this flank line; but the enemy moved rapidly forward toward and to the left of the batteries, with, as he thought no doubt, a sure prize before him; but the ever ready Maj. Gren. Joe Hooker was advancing with his corps at the point, and met the advancing enemy, engaged, and drove him back with severe punishment. My front line was engaged at long range with the enemy while the fight with Hooker was going on. Night soon threw her mantle over the bloody scene, and all was quiet except continued skirmishing. In this day's battle some of our bravest and best officers and men were among the fallen. My assistant inspector-general, Captain Davis, of the Seventy-seventh fPennsylvania, brave and good soldier, fell here. May 15, Major-General Hooker's corps advanced on my left, swinging around to assist, and a severe engagement ensued, in which we gained signal advantages, capturing prisoners and artillery and the enemy had to retreat during the night, leaving most of his dead and wounded in our possession. May 16, we pursued the retreating enemy across the Oostenaula at Resaca, and advanced to near Calhoun and camped for the night. May 17, advanced, encountering the enemy's rear with heavy skirmishing to near Adairsville, Ga., and halted for the night. My command not engaged to-day. May 18, passed Adairsville, the enemy retreating with light skirmishing, and camped for the night on the Kingston road. May 19, moved to Kingston, found the enemy in position; attacked and drove him. Most of the Fourth Corps engaged. My command captured the enemy's hospitals, with property, &c. Continued to drive the enemy, with heavy skirmishing and artillery firing on both sides, so at night-fall the enemy was driven into his prepared trenches on a high ridge to the southeast of Cassville. At this point we made a junction with the Twentieth Corps, Major-General Hooker, and during the night the enemy again retreated, crossing the Etowah River, seven miles distant, burning the bridges behind him. Our loss not heavy.

We rested in camp at Cassville until May 23, when we marched across the Etowah River, to the right of the Atlanta road, and camped at Euharlee. May 24, marched to Burnt Hickory. May 25, advanced toward Dallas; crossed Pumpkin Vine Creek, rested in reserve in rear of Major-General Hooker's corps, while he had heavy fighting in front late in the evening. May 26, moved into position on left of Twentieth Corps, pressed close upon the enemy's lines, and fortified four miles north of Dallas. May 27, changed position to left, relieving General Wood's division. Close skirmishing all day. May 28, advanced, drove in the enemy's outposts, and fortified. May 29, advanced the battery to front line; heavy skirmishing; during the night the enemy attacked and was repulsed with heavy loss.

We continued the varied scenes, some changes in position, with heavy skirmishing, until the night of June 4, when the enemy withdrew from our front, [259]

June 6, marched with the corps east ten miles to within two and a half miles of Acworth, on the railroad, where we remained with comparative quietness until June 10, when we moved three miles southeast and found the enemy in strong position on Pine Mountain in my front. Skirmishing commenced and continued until the night of June 13, when the enemy retreated and my brigade advanced upon the mountain early on the morning of June 14. On this mountain is where Bishop Polk, general of the rebel army, fell by a shot from the Fifth Indiana Artillery, Captain Simonson. The battery was in position at the front and right of my lines. We pursued the enemy two miles to his new position, and found him strongly fortified. June 16, advanced my lines of trenches, with hard skirmishing. On this day we had the sad misfortune to lose the brave and gallant officer, Captain Simonson, our chief of artillery. June 17, the enemy again withdrew; we pursued, Wood's division in front, with heavy skirmishing.

June 19, the enemy retired during the night; we pursued, my brigade in advance. After proceeding two miles we came upon the enemy upon the east side of a large farm. My lines were formed for an attack. The Ninth and Thirty-sixth Indiana and Eightieth and Eighty-fourth Illinois, in the front line, advanced, and drove the enemy from his position and into his fortifications upon Kenesaw Mountain and the adjacent hills. My loss was severe, particularly in officers; Lieutenant Bowman, Thirty-sixth Indiana, fell mortally wounded, bravely leading his men in the advance. June 20, contest continued, the enemy trying to hold and we to drive him from a swamp between our main trenches and his, in which we succeeded, but were compelled to abandon a portion of the ground, because of a destructive fire from the enemy's artillery, bearing thereon from their main works, and during the evening of this day the Ninth Indiana, afterward relieved by the Fifty-ninth Illinois, were moved across the creek to the right to assist the Second Brigade (General Whitaker). I have learned by the newspapers that the enemy made seven unsuccessful assaults on the lines of this brigade at this point. I will have to refer to the reports of Colonel Suman, Ninth Indiana, and Colonel Post, Fifty-ninth Illinois, for the facts in the premises, as they participated in whatever fighting took place. In these two days the losses in my command were very heavy. June 21, on this day I was ordered to send my rear regiments to the right of the division to support the First Brigade in an attack and critical position, and accordingly moved with the Eightyfourth and Eightieth Illinois, Thirtieth Indiana, and Seventyseventh Pennsylvania to the position indicated and placed in reserve. June 22. moved with my whole brigade during the afternoon and night two miles to the right to support and relieve a part of the Twentieth Corps; took position in close proximity to the enemy and fortified. June 23, was ordered and made an attack on the enemy's line, which was unsuccessful and with fearful loss to my skirmish line so heavily formed. Lieutenant Hendricks, Thirtysixth Indiana, an accomplished young officer, fell dead in this attack, pierced by a minie-ball. June 24, 25, and 26, heavy firing at the enemy's intrenched position 450 yards distant. June 27. heavy assaults made upon the enemy's lines at various points. My command was in one line, all in the trenches, and was not to advance, yet suffered considerable loss. The assault failed with heavy loss to our arms. Heavy skirmishing and artillery firing kept up on both sides [260] until the night of July 2, when the enemy retreated under cover of the night and loosed their hold on Kenesaw Mountain and vacated Marietta. July 3, pursued the enemy early, my brigade in advance. The Fifty-ninth Illinois, the first to enter Marietta, found the enemy in the evening five miles from that place on the Atlanta road strongly intrenched. July 4, celebrated our national anniversary by a charge over a large corn-field, carried the enemrry's outer works, capturing many prisoners, with a loss of 89 killed and wounded in my brigade, and held the position until night, under the cover of which the enemy withdrew four miles to the Chattahoochee River. Captain Hale, brigade officer of the day, of the Seventy-fifth Illinois, one of the best officers in the army, fell here. July 5, pursued the enemy (Wood's division in front) to the river.

Continued skirmishing until July 10. Marched five miles up the river. July 12, crossed the Chattahoochee; marched down the left bank. and encamped at Powers' Ferry, in front of the Twenty-third Corps, with our corps. Thirty-sixth Indiana commenced and built while here a trestle bridge over the river, which was completed on the 16th day of July. July 18, moved from Powers' Ferry with corps to near Buck Head, south seven miles. July 19, advanced across Peach Tree Creek, Seventy-fifth Illinois in advance. Skirmished and drove the enemy from the destroyed bridge and rebuilt the same. July 20, moved with division, Second Brigade in front; crossed south Peach Tree Creek and came upon the fortified position of the enemy. Went into position on the right of the Second Brigade, attacked the rifle-pits of the enemy, carried the same, taking 43 prisoners. July 21, advanced my lines, fortified, and skirmished all day. At night the enemy retreated. July 22, pursued the enemy at 3 a. m.; came upon him in his fortifications at sunrise in front of Atlanta, Ga., on the north two miles from the center of the city. Took position. The balance of the division came up on the left, Wood's division on the right. Here we intrenched, skirmished with the enemy daily, took up his picket-line twice, capturing the most of them, until July 27, Major-General Stanley being assigned to command the corps, I came in and assumed command of the division. August 5, relieved of command of the division and assigned as brigadier to the command of the brigade again. On this day, by orders from corps headquarters, the brigade attempted an assault on the enemy's lines and lost 36 men. Among them was the brave Captain Walker, of the Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania, and the gallant young officer, Lieutenant Willard, Thirty-sixth Indiana. August 22, marched at 3 a. m. with six regiments two miles to the left, struck the enemy's out picket-line, drove them, captured 8 prisoners, made a demonstration, and returned with small loss.

On the 15th of August the Eighty-fourth Indiana, Lieutenant- Colonel Neff, was transferred into my brigade, and the Fifty-ninth Illinois into the Second Brigade. With frequent skirmishing and changes of lines and positions of regiments this brigade substantially remained at the same position in the siege of Atlanta from the morning of the 22d of July until the night of the 25th of August. We received orders and marched to the right, seven miles south across Proctor's Creek, and rested until daylight on the morning of August 26, when, starting at 8 a. m., we moved with corps seven miles south across Utoy Creek and camped for the night. August 27, marched four miles south with the corps to Camp Creek and camped. [261] August 28, marched three miles southeast to Red Oak Station, on West Point railroad, striking this road twelve miles southwest of the Atlanta. August 29, lay still and fortified. August 30, marched to Shoal Creek, distance five miles. August 31, the Army of the Tennessee fighting to-day in front and on the west of Jonesborough, Ga. Our corps advanced east, met cavalry behind works on the east bank of the Flint River. My brigade formed-Ninth Indiana, Eighty-fourth Illinois, and Eighty-fourth Indiana in front line-and with a strong skirmish line drove the enemy from their position and advanced, Wood's division in front, the Twenty-third Corps on our left, and both corps struck the Macon railroad about 4 p. m., and fortified the position. My command in line on the right of the division; the Second Division (General Newton) extending my right; our corps fronting south. All quiet during the night. September 1, our division marched at 6 a. m., First Brigade in advance, moving on the railroad toward Jonesborough; and under orders spent most of the day in the destruction of the railroad as we advanced. At about 4 p. m. the advanced brigade of our division made a junction with the left of the Fourteenth Corps on the railroad at a point about two miles north of Jonesborough. The First Brigade formed in line, its right near or upon the railroad. I was ordered by General Kimball to prolong the. left of the First Brigade, which I did without halting, until my advance was checked by getting into a thick bramble or underbrush and a swamp in a dense woodland, through which it was impossible to ride; and the enemy with a heavy skirmish line in our front and his artillery in reach, playing upon us, contributed to impede our progress. The course or direction when I entered the woods seemed to be about south, and upon emerging from it, at a distance of a half to three-fourths of a mile, the brigade to my right had shifted to the right to such an extent that I had to move to the “right oblique” to fill the space, and my left swinging around so that when my lines came upon the lines of the enemy behind barricades, my front was about southwest; and, by the time we got the line straightened up and the enemy's skirmishers driven back and the position of the enemy discovered, night came on; yet my lines-Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania, Eighty-fourth and Eightieth Illinois, and Ninth Indiana in front line-pressed forward under a heavy fire of canister from the enemy's guns to within 300 yards--of their barricaded lines. When the fighting ceased at dark one of General Newton's brigades had moved up toward my left and his skirmish line connected with the left of my front battle line. The barricades of the enemy ceased opposite the left of my lines. During the night the enemy withdrew. September 2, at early day, I advanced my brigade into the enemy's vacated works, issued rations, and marched in pursuit of the enemy on the road toward Lovejoy's Station, my brigade in advance of our division; the Second and Third Divisions in advance of me. At about I or 2 p. m. our advance came upon the enemy, and in the deploying of the column, I was ordered and moved to the left. Formed my lines-Eighty-fourth Indiana, Eighty-fourth Illinois, and Seventy-fifth Illinois in the front line — in a corn-field on the left of Colonel Knefler's brigade, of Wood's division, and advanced rapidly as the ground would permit, it being very rough and hilly. We soon came upon the enemy in rifle-pits about 500 yards in advance of their main line of works-heavy trenches; assaulted and carried the pits, taking the most of the men in them prisoners. Our advance [262] skirmishers went beyond these pits toward the main works of the enemy, but were driven back with severe loss. Much of the injury I received here was from the enemy's artillery with canister. Our artillery did not come up till the next day, nearly twenty-four hours after the fight. My front lines maintained their position at the lines of these pits and fortified during the night. Colonel Taylor's brigade soon came into position on my left. The loss in my command during these last two days was 90 killed and wounded. Among the latter were Captain Brinton, my acting assistant adjutant-general, severely wounded in his arm; Major Phillips, Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania, arm off; Captain Fellows and Captain Taylor, Eighty-fourth Indiana, all fell bravely at their posts. September 3, no change in position to-day, but much firing at each other's lines, with some casualties; remained so until the morning of September 5, then twenty-six miles east of south of Atlanta, in front of Lovejoy's, a station on the Macon railroad, seventy-five miles from the latter place, when orders were received announcing that the campaign had ended, and that the army would fall back to Atlanta, rest for one month, and “prepare for a fine winter's campaign.”

Thus ended the most eventful and successful campaign in the history of the war. The enemy driven from Dalton, his stronghold, over rivers and mountains, natural strong military positions, one after another were yielded up to the strong arms of our power until the Gate city --Atlanta — was at last vacated to the onward march of our brave and gallant armies.

It is due to the officers and men of my command to notice in terms of gratification to myself and commendation to them, that better soldiers I never wish nor expect to command; all ready and willing to obey every order without regard to fatigue, peril, or danger, without halt or hesitation. Many acts of distinguished valor could be mentioned that came under my immediate observation and notice, but they are so numerous it would be impossible to do full justice to all.

The effective force of my command during the campaign was as follows: May 30 (including battery), 2,753; June 30 (including battery), 2,739; July 31 (including battery), 2,395; August 31 (without battery), 1,979.

Recapitulation of casualties during the campaign.

[263]

This presents the bitter of such a brilliant campaign and leaves many aching hearts, not only with families and friends at home, but these fallen heroes will ever be remembered and lamented by their comrades in arms, as the jewels sacrificed upon the altar of their country.

A change of provost-marshals inadvertently deranged the papers, so I am unable now to give an accurate list of the prisoners captured by my command during the campaign, but the probable number was about 500 to 600.

From my situation, I have been unable to have the reports of regimental commanders before me, and will respectfully refer to thenl, to be forwarded herewith, for more minute particulars, and for a list of casualties in their respective commands.

I am, captain, your most obedient servant, &c.,