86 



ARMY OPERATIONS. 



will. Twelve and a half miles were destroyed, 

 the ties burned, and the iron rails heated and 

 tortured by the utmost ingenuity of old hands 

 at the work. Several cuts were filled up with 

 trunks of trees, with logs, rock and earth, inter- 

 mingled with loaded shells prepared as tor- 

 pedoes, to explode in case of an attempt to clear 

 them out." On the 30th the army was again 

 in motion in a southeasterly direction, aiming 

 to strike the Macon Railroad from Eough and 

 Ready to Jonesboro. Gen. Hood now began 

 to understand the object of Gen. Sherman's 

 movement ; but still ignorant, apparently, that 

 nearly the whole Federal army was moving 

 upon his communications, he contented himself 

 with sending Gens. Hardee and S. D. Lee's 

 corps to Jonesboro, where they intrenched, re- 

 maining in Atlanta with Gen. Stewart's corps 

 and the militia. Gen. Howard, marching due 

 east from Fairburn, arrived within half a mile 

 of Jonesboro on the evening of the 30th ; but 

 encountering Gens. Hardee and Lee, he halted 

 for the night in a strong position, and proceeded 

 to throw up intrenchments. The remainder 

 of the army, moving en echelon to the left, did 

 not succeed in reaching the railroad. 



Meanwhile the 15th corps, having seized a 

 prominent hill which formed the key to the 

 enemy's position, took post in the centre of the 

 Army of the Tennessee, the 16th somewhat 

 retired, holding the extreme right, and the 

 17th the left. The 15th corps spent the night 

 in intrenching, and early next day, before the 

 right and left flanks had taken up their ad- 

 vanced position, the enemy burst in masses on 

 the 15th corps, but were steadily and repeat- 

 edly repulsed, losing several general officers, in- 

 cluding Major- Gen. Anderson, mortally wound- 

 ed, and five colonels and majors (wounded) 

 taken prisoners, besides upward of three thou- 

 sand rank and file killed, wounded, and cap- 

 tured. The Federal loss was slight, as the men 

 fought behind breastworks. It was observed 

 that the rebel attacks lacked the enthusiasm 

 and dash which had characterized the severe 

 assaults before Atlanta. During the 31st the 

 23d and 4th corps reached the railroad near 

 Rough and Ready, and commenced destroying 

 it north and south from' that point, in the same 

 thorough manner which had characterized their 

 operations on the West Point road. 



Upon the repulse of the enemy on the after- 

 noon of the 31st, Gen. Sherman directed Gen. 

 Howard to hold him in his fortifications until 

 the remainder of the army could close in upon 

 him. The 14th corps only, having a compar- 

 atively short distance to travel, succeeded in 

 getting up to Jonesboro on September 1st, the 

 other two being too far from the field, and too 

 much embarrassed by the difficult character of 

 the country and the want of good roads, to move 

 with rapidity. At 4 p. M. the 14th corps, which 

 had. taken position on the left of the Army of 

 the Tennessee, was ordered to assault the ene- 

 my's works, Gen. Sherman fearing that, if he 

 waited for the arrival of Gens. Schofield and 



Stanley, darkness might intervene, and tlu 

 enemy escape without a fight. The troops 

 steadily advanced under a withering fire of 

 musketry and artillery, and after a desperate 

 conflict of two hours drove the enemy from 

 their works, capturing two batteries one of 

 them Loomis' battery, captured at Chiek- 

 amauga, some battle flags, and a large number 

 of prisoners, including Gen. Govan and the 

 greater part of his brigade, forming part of the 

 celebrated "fighting division" of Gen. Cle- 

 burne. Darkness now setting in, Gen. Hardee 

 was enabled to fall back seven miles to Love- 

 joy's, where he intrenched himself in a natu- 

 rally strong position. Had Gens. Stanley and 

 Schofield succeeded in coming up in season, he 

 would in all probability have been overwhelmed 

 and forced to capitulate. 



Meanwhile, in Atlanta on the 1st, all was 

 excitement and consternation, as it gradually 

 transpired that the main body of the Federal 

 army lay between the city and Gen. Hardee. 

 Gen. Hood at once gave orders for the evacu- 

 ation of his works, and the destruction of such 

 stores and ammunition as could not be removed. 

 The removal of all the supplies and ammunition 

 that the transportation facilities of the army 

 would permit commenced early in the morn- 

 ing, and was continued throughout the day. 

 Large quantities of provisions were also dis- 

 tributed to the people, and the several bodies of 

 troops, as they were withdrawn from the de- 

 fences and went through the city, were allowed 

 access to the public stores. The rolling stock 

 of the railroads, consisting of about one hun- 

 dred cars and six engines, was concentrated 

 near the rolling mill before dark, by which time 

 all the troops had passed through, with the ex- 

 ception of the rear guard, left to prevent strag- 

 gling. The cars were then laden with the sur- 

 plus ammunition, and together with the loco- 

 motives, depots; and store houses, and every 

 thing, in fine, which would be of use to the Fed- 

 eral army, fired about midnight. The flames 

 lit up the heavens for many miles, and the ex- 

 plosion of the ordnance trains was distinctly 

 heard by the army in front of Jonesboro, and 

 by Gen. Slocum at his position on the Chatta- 

 hoochee. The latter sent out a heavy recon- 

 noitring column at daybreak on the 2d, which, 

 pushing forward without opposition, entered 

 the city at 9 o'clock, where it was met by the 

 mayor, who made a formal surrender, at the 

 same time requesting protection for non-com- 

 batants and private property. This having 

 been freely granted, Gen. "Ward's division 

 marched into the city with drums beating and 

 colors displayed, and the national flag was 

 raised over the Court House amidst hearty 

 cheers. Eleven heavy guns were found in the 

 fortifications, beside a number subsequently ex- 

 humed ; and among the additional spoils were 

 three uninjured locomotives, three thousand 

 muskets in good order, a quantity of tobacco, 

 and other stores. Of the valuable machinery 

 in the workshops part had been removed tc 



