76 



ARMY OPERATIONS. 



FTardee were standing near Gen. Polk when he 

 was struck, and narrowly escaped death. 



Gen. Johnston now drew back his centre 

 about a mile, to a strong line of intrenchments 

 in the rugged hills connecting Kenesaw and 

 Lost Mountains, keeping his flanks on these 

 two eminences. The 15th, 16th, and 17th, 

 were occupied with incessant skirmishing, 

 which told upon the spirits and endurance of 

 the Federal army almost as much as a pitched 

 battle. "The enemy," says a correspondent, 

 " seems to have marked out this whole country, 

 from the Allatoona Mountains to the Chatta- 

 hooche, with line after line of rifle-pits and in- 

 trenchments and fortification. No sooner do we 

 take possession of one formidable line of works 

 than another confronts us, and each seems to 

 be stronger than the preceding." On the ex- 

 treme right daring the afternoon of the 15th, 

 Gen. Schofield carried the first line of the rebel 

 works at the foot of Lost Mountain. During 

 the 17th, the left and centre 'remained quiet, 

 its line being so far advanced that a general 

 engagement would otherwise have resulted. 

 The right and right centre were pushed for- 

 ward more than a mile, occupying a heavy line 

 of intrenchments which the rebels had evacu- 

 ated, and their main line at the foot of Lost 

 Mountain, without serious loss. Toward even- 

 ing, after much heavy skirmishing, the enemy's 

 left was dislodged from the strong intrench- 

 ments at the Lost Mountain and in the rear 

 of Kenesaw, and driven back upon his centre, 

 the Federal army swinging around so as to 

 threaten his flank. The movement occupied 

 the whole day, and was rendered difficult by 

 the thick growth of timber and underwood 

 and the pertinacity of the skirmishers of the 

 enemy. During the 18th, the right crowded 

 the rebel left still further backward. The 

 possession of the Dallas and Marietta road was 

 secured, and the enemy pushed so hard at dusk 

 that the 20th corps was in a line perpendicular 

 to their own. The Federal troops met with 

 considerable loss during the day, as in many 

 places it was necessary to construct opposing 

 works under the fiercest fire, especially from 

 the enemy's sharpshooters ; but from extreme 

 right to extreme left the rebel skirmishers 

 were steadily driven, and many of them killed 

 and wounded. Several hundred prisoners were 

 also taken. These made the number taken since 

 the llth about one thousand. 



Apprehending that his position on Lost 

 Mountain was in danger of being enveloped, 

 Gen. Johnston, on the night of the 18th, under 

 cover of the darkness and a violent storm of 

 rain, drew in his left flank toward Kenesaw, 

 which he made his salient, his right wing being 

 thrown back to cover Marietta, and his left 

 behind Nose's Creek, for the purpose of guard- 

 ing his railroad communication with the Chat- 

 tahooche. The abandoned works on Lost 

 Mountain, and the line of breastworks connect- 

 ing it with Kenesaw, were at once occupied 

 by the Federal troops, and during the 19th the 



enemy was steadily pressed at all points. On 

 the evening of that day our left held the base 

 of Kenesaw on its north face, and the first ridge 

 of hills running thence to the northeast, while 

 our right lay to the west and rear of Kenesaw, 

 and within three miles of Marietta. During 

 these operations the rain fell almost incessantly, 

 and the roads were rendered so heavy that a 

 general movement would have been impossible. 

 The most that could be attempted was to press 

 the enemy without cessation, and harass him 

 by constant skirmishing. The fact that under 

 such discouraging circumstances so many strong 

 positions were carried, testifies to the discipline 

 and endurance of the troops. 



The operations of the 20th and 21st were of 

 a similar character to those above described, 

 but on the 22d the enemy made a sudden at- 

 tack upon portions of Gens. Hooker's and 

 Schofield's troops on the Federal right, near 

 what is known as the " Kulp House," and 

 was handsomely repulsed, leaving his dead, 

 wounded, and many prisoners behind him. 

 The Federal centre was now established square- 

 ly in front of Kenesaw, but it required so many 

 men to hold the railroad and the line running 

 along the base of the mountain, that but a 

 small force was left with which to attempt a 

 flank movement to the right. So small was it 

 that Gen. Sherman hesitated to push it vigor- 

 ously toward the railroad, in the rear of Marietta, 

 for fear that it might be altogether detached 

 from the army and exposed to disaster. He 

 therefore contented himself with extending his 

 right along the enemy's flank, hoping that Gen. 

 Johnston would thereby be induced to weaken 

 his centre sufficiently to render an assault in that 

 direction practicable. " Although inviting the 

 enemy at all times," says Gen. Sherman in his 

 official report, "to make such mistakes, I could 

 not hope for him to repeat them after the ex- 

 amples of Dallas and the 'Kulp House;' and 

 upon studying the ground, I had no alternative 

 but to assault his lines or turn his position. 

 Either course had its difficulties and dangers. 

 And I perceived that the enemy and our own 

 officers had settled down into a conviction that 

 I would not assault fortified lines. All looked 

 to me to 'outflank.' An army to be efficient 

 must not settle down to one single mode of 

 offence, but must be prepared to execute any 

 plan which promises success. I waited, there- 

 fore, for the moral effect, to make a successful 

 assault against the enemy behind his breast- 

 works, and resolved to attempt it at that point 

 where success would give the largest fruits of 

 victory." The general point selected was the 

 rebel left centre, in the belief that if this should 

 be once forced, a road to the railroad below 

 Marietta would be opened to the assaulting 

 column, the enemy's retreat cut off, and their 

 army overwhelmed in detail. Simultaneous 

 with this an attack was directed to be made on 

 Little Kenesaw by McPherson. The 27th was 

 selected for the movement, and three days wera 

 allowed for preparation. 



