ARMY OPERATIONS. 



79 



The Federal line then held the arc of a circle, 

 extending from the railroad between Atlanta 

 and the river to seme distance south of the 

 Georgia Railroad, and in a direction north and 

 northeast of Atlanta. 



Meanwhile, on the 17th, Gen. Johnston had, 

 in accordance with orders from the confederate 

 war department, turned over his command to 

 Gen. Hood, accompanying the act with the fol- 

 lowing farewell address to his troops : 



HEADQUARTERS, ARMY OF TENNESSEE, | 



July IT, 1S64. f 



In obedience to the orders of the War Department, 

 I turn over to Gen. Hood the command of the Army 

 and Department of Tennessee. I cannot leave this 

 noble army without expressing my admiration of the 

 high military qualities it has Displayed so conspicu- 

 ously every soldierly virtue, endurance of toil, obe- 

 dience to orders, brilliant courage. 



The enemy has never attacked but to be severely 

 repulsed anj punished. You, soldiers, have neve'r 

 argued but from your courage, and never counted 

 your fears. No longer your leader, I will still watch 

 your career, and will rejoice in your victories. To one 

 and all I offer assurances of niy friendship, and bid 

 an affectionate farewell. 



J. E. JOHNSTON, General. 



General Hood, on assuming command, issued 

 the following address : 



HZADQ.UAETEBS, ARMY or TEXXESSEE. ) 

 July 1. 1-<U. f 



SOLDIERS : In obedience to orders from the War 

 Department, I assume command of this Army and 

 Department. I feel the weight of the responsibility 

 so suddenly and unexpectedly devolved upon me by 

 this positio'n, and shall bend all my energies and em- 

 ploy all my skill to meet its requirements. I look 

 with confidence to your patriotism to stand by me, 

 and rely upon your prowess to wrest your country 

 from the grasp of the invader, entitling yourselves 

 to the proud distinction of being called the deliverers 

 of an oppressed people. J. B. HOOD, General. 



With this change in commanders commenced 

 a change in the method of conducting the cam- 

 paign, by which it was expected that the morale 

 of the rebel army, weakened by the persistent 

 Fabian policy of Gen. Johnston, would be fully 

 reestablished". The time for retreating had 

 passed when the chief city of western Georgia 

 lay almost in the grasp of Gen. Sherman ; and 

 the rebel army, which, to give Gen. Johnston 

 due credit, had been kept in a compact body, 

 and had experienced but insignificant losses of 

 guns or material of war, was to be launched, 

 after their well-known tactics, in fierce assaults 

 upon the invader. With this view the command 

 was given to Gen. Hood, who had an unequalled 

 reputation among their generals for energy and 

 impetuous bravery. 



On the 20th the Federal lines converged still 

 more closely around the northern and eastern 

 eides of Atlanta, and as a gap existed between 

 Gens. Schofieid and Thomas, Stanley's and 

 Wood's division of Gen. Howard's corps were 

 moved to the left to connect with Gen. Scho- 

 fieid, leaving Gen. Xewton's division of Gen. 

 Howard's corps, with inadequate force, to hold 

 an important position on the road leading from 

 Atlanta to Buckhead. This weak point was 

 soon detected by Gen. Hood, -who determined 

 to signalize his appointment to the chie r com- 



mand by an assnalt which, at one blow, should 

 retrieve the disasters of the campaign. Gen. 

 Sherman also was well aware that his line waa 

 vulnerable at this point ; and as there were 

 indications during the morning of a concen- 

 tration of troops on the enemy's right, as if 

 to attack the left, orders were sent to Gen. 

 Xewton and the rest of the Army of the Cum- 

 berland to close rapidly up in the latter direction. 

 Gen. Xewton accordingly pushed forward'to a 

 prominent ridge, where, about two o'clock in 

 the afternoon his troops stacked arms and 

 made a temporary halt. Some prisoners, gath- 

 ered up by the skirmishers, having reported 

 that there was no considerable force of the 

 enemy within a mile and a half, no apprehen- 

 sion of an attack seems to have been felt, and 

 no preparations had been made beyond the ac- 

 customed piles of logs and rails, which the Fed- 

 eral troops constructed as a matter of course, 

 whenever halting for any considerable time on 

 new ground in presence of the enemy. Gen. 

 Hood had meanwhile been massing his main 

 body in the woods immediately in front of 

 Gen. Xewton and of Gen. Hooker, who was 

 approaching from the right, expecting, by a sud- 

 den and overwhelming attack upon the col- 

 umns while in motion, to cut the Federal army 

 in twain. At 4 o'clock he advanced from his 

 covert without skirmishers, and pushed direct- 

 ly for Gen. Xewton's position. Xotwithstand- 

 ing the unexpectedness of his appearance, the 

 Federal troops sprang instantly to their arms, 

 and from behind their breastworks poured 

 deliberate and deadly volleys into the dense 

 masses of the Confederates, who were further 

 kept in check by well-served batteries which 

 Gen. Xewton had posted on each of his flanks. 



Almost at the instant of the attack on Gen. 

 Xewton, Gen. Geary's division of Gen. Hooker's 

 corps was struck by the advancing columns of 

 the enemy and thrown back in some confusion. 

 But quickly rallying, it recovered its ground 

 and kept the enemy in check until Ward's di- 

 vision could arrive to its assistance. The lat- 

 ter met the enemy's charge by a counter charge, 

 and the two columns mingling in the shock of 

 battle, the enemy, after a brief and fierce strug- 

 gle, were driven back. Further to the right, 

 and next to Geary, Williams' division, though 

 attacked with desperation, stood manfully up 

 to the work, and repulsed with heavy loss every 

 onset of the enemy. After four hours of in- 

 cessant fighting, the latter retired precipitately 

 to his intrenchments. leaving on the field up- 

 ward of six hundred dead, one thousand severe- 

 ly wounded, seven regimental flags, and a num- 

 ber of prisoners. His total loss Vas estimated 

 by Gen. Sherman at five thousand. That of 

 the Federal troops was one thousand nine 

 hundred, of which the greater part fell on Gen. 

 Hooker's corps, which fought wholly on open 

 ground, and bore the brunt of the battle. 



During the 21st the enemy kept within his 

 intrenched position, commanding the open val- 

 ley of Peach Tree Creek, his right beyond the 



