PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



731 



of Kansas, immediately collected such forces as he 

 could to repel the invasion of .Kansas, while General 

 Rosecrans's cavalry was operating in his rear. 



The enemy was brought to battle on the Big Blue 

 and defeated, with the Toss of nearly all his artillery 

 and trains and a large number of prisoners. He 

 made a precipitate retreat to Northern Arkansas. 

 The impunity with which Price was enabled to roam 

 over the State of Missouri for a long time, and the 

 incalculable mischief done by him, shows to how lit- 

 tle purpose a superior force may be used. There is 

 no reason why General Rosecrans should not have 

 concentrated his forces, and beaten and driven Price 

 before the latter reached Pilot Knob. 



September 20th, the enemy's cavalry, under For- 

 rest, crossed the Tennessee near Waterloo, Alabama, 

 and on the 23d attacked the garrison at Athens, con- 

 sisting of six hundred men, which capitulated on the 

 24th. Soon after the surrender two regiments of 

 reenforcements arrived, and after a severe fight were 

 compelled to surrender. Forrest destroyed the rail- 

 road westward, captured the garrison at Sulphur 

 Branch trestle, skirmished with the garrison at Pu- 

 iaski on the 27th, and on the same day cut the Nash- 

 ville and Chattanooga Railroad near Tullahoma and 

 Dechard. On the morning of the 30th one column 

 of Forrest's command, under Buford, appeared be- 

 fore Huntsville, and summoned the surrender of the 

 garrison. Receiving an answer in the negative, he 

 remained in the vicinity of the place until next morn- 

 ing, when he again summoned its surrender, and 

 received the same reply as on the night before. He 

 withdrew in the direction of Athens, which place had 

 been regarrisoned, and attacked it on the afternoon 

 of the 1st of October, but without success. On the 

 morning of the 2d he renewed his attack, but was 

 handsomely repulsed. 



Another column under Forrest appeared before 

 Columbia on the morning of the 1st, but did not 

 make an attack. On the morning of the 3d he moved 

 toward Mount Pleasant. While these operations 

 were going on, every exertion was made by General 

 Thomas to destroy the forces under Forrest before 

 he could recross the Tennessee, but was unable to 

 prevent his escape to Corinth, Mississippi. 



In September, an expedition under General Bur- 

 bridge was sent to destroy the salt works at Saltville, 

 Virginia. He met the enemy on the 2d of October, 

 about three miles and a half from Saltville, and drove 

 him into his strongly intrenched position around the 

 salt works, from which he was unable to dislodge 

 him. During the night he withdrew his command 

 and returned to Kentucky. 



General Sherman, immediately after the fall of 

 Atlanta, put his armies in camp in and about the 

 place, and made all preparations for refitting and 

 supplying them for future service. The great length 

 of road from Atlanta to the Cumberland River, how- 

 ever, which had to be guarded, allowed the troops 

 but little rest. 



During this time Jefferson Davis made a speech in 

 Macou, Georgia, which was reported in the papers 

 of the South, and soon became known to the whole 

 country, disclosing the plans of the enemy, thus en- 

 abling General Sherman to fully meet them. He ex- 

 hibited the weakness of supposing that an army that 

 had been beaten and fearfully decimated in a vain 

 attempt at the defensive, could successfully under- 

 take the offensive against the army that had so often 

 defeated it. 



In execution of this plan, Hood, with his army, 

 was soon reported to the southwest of Atlanta. 

 Moving far to Sherman's right, he succeeded in 

 reaching the railroad about Big Shanty, and moved 

 north on it. 



General Sherman, leaving a force to hold Atlanta, 

 with the remainder of his army fell upon him and 

 drove him to Gadston, Alabama. Seeing the con- 

 stant annoyance he would have with the roads to his 

 rear if he attempted to hold Atlanta, General Sher- 



man proposed the abandonment and destruction of 

 that place, with all the railroads leading to it, and 

 telegraphed me as follows : 



CENTRE VILLE. GA., October 10 noon. 



Despatch about Wilson just received. Hood is now cross- 

 ing Coosa Elver, twelve miles below Eome, bound west If 

 he passes over the Mobile and Ohio road, bad I not better ex- 

 ecute the plan of my letter sent by Colonel Porter, and leave 

 General Thomas, with the troops now in Tennessee, to defend 

 the State ? He will have an ample force when the reenforce- 

 ments ordered reach Nashville. 



W. T. 8 HERMAN, Major-GeneraL 



Lieutenant-General GRANT." 



For a full understanding of the plan referred to in 

 this despatch, I quote from the letter sent by Colonel 

 Porter : " I will therefore give my opinion, that your 

 army and Canby's should be reeuforced to the max- 

 imum ; that after you get Wilmington, yon strike 

 for Savannah and the river , that Canby be in- 

 structed to hold the Mississippi River, and send a 

 force to get Columbus, Georgia, either by the way 

 of the Alabama or the Appalachicola, and that I keep 

 Hood employed and put my army in final order for a 

 march on Augusta, Columbia, and Charleston, to be 

 ready as soon as Wilmington is sealed as to com- 

 merce, and the city of Savannah is in our posses- 

 sion." This was in reply to a letter of mine of date 

 September 12th, in answer to a despatch of his con- 

 taining substantially the same proposition, and in 

 which I informed him of a proposed movement 

 against Wilmington, and of the situation in Vir- 

 ginia, etc. 



CITY POINT, VA., October 11, 180411 A. M. 



Tour despatch of October 10th received. Does it not look 

 as if Hood was going to attempt the invasion of Middle Ten- 

 nessee, using the Mobile and Ohio and Memphis and Charles- 

 ton roads to supply his base on the Tennessee Eiver, about 

 Florence or Decatur ? If he does this, he ought to be met 

 and prevented from getting north of the Tennessee River. 

 If you were to cut loose, I do not believe you would meet 

 Hood's army, but would be bushwhacked by all the old men, 

 and little boys, and such railroad guards as are still left at 

 home. Hood would probably strike for Nashville, thinking 

 that by going north ho could inflict greater damage upon 113 

 than we could upon the rebels by going south. If there is 

 any way of getting at Hood's army I would prefer that ; but 

 I must trust to your own judgment. I find I shall not be 

 able to send a force from here to act with you on Savannah. 

 Your movements, therefore, will be independent of mine ; at 

 least until the fall of Eichmond takes place. I am afraid 

 Thomas, with such lines of road as he has to protect, could 

 not prevent Hood from going north. With Wilson turned 

 loose, with all your cavalry, you will find the rebels put 

 much more on the defensive than heretofore. 



IT. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General. 



Major-General W. T. SHERMAN. 



KINGSTON, GA., October 11 11 A. M. 



Hood moved his army from Palmetto Station across by 

 Dallas and Cedartown, and is now on the Coosa Eiver, south 

 of Kome. He threw one corps on my road at Acworth, and 

 I was forced to follow. I hold Atlanta with the Twentieth 

 Corps, and have strong detachments along mv line. This 

 reduces my active force to a comparatively small army. AVe 

 cannot remain here on the defensive. With tho 25,000 men, 

 and the bold cavalry he has, he can constantly break my 

 roads. I would infinitely prefer to make a wreck of the road, 

 and of the country from Chattanooga to Atlanta, including 

 tho latter city send back all my wounded and worthless, 

 and, with my effective army, move through Georgia, smash- 

 ing things, to the sea.' Hood may turn into Teunessee and 

 Kentucky, but I believe he will be forced to follow me. In- 

 stead of my being on the defensive, I would be on the offen- 

 sive ; instead of guessing at what hb means to do, he woulii 

 have to guess at my plans. The difference in war is full 

 twenty-five per cent. I can make Savannah, Charleston, or 

 the mouth of the Chattahoochee. 



Answer quick, as I know we will not have tho telesrrnph 

 lona. W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General. 



Lieutenant-General GRANT. 



CITY POINT, VA., October 11. 1SW 11:80 p. M. 

 Tour despatch of to-day received. If you are satisfied 

 the trip to the sea-coast can be made, holding the line of the 

 Tennessee Kiver firmly, you may make it, destroving all the 

 railroad south ofDalton or Chattanooga, as yon think best. 

 U. 8. GRANT, Lieutenant-General. 

 Major-General W. T. SHERMAN. 



