ARMY OPERATIONS 



139 



enemv being more intent upon destroying the 



word Dalton than wasting their time 



i upon the reduction of a post, the 



of which they wisely considered 



would be of no particular advantage to them. 



During the night they captured, after a gallant 



. a block house at Tilton, garrisoned 



by part of the 17th Iowa regiment. Through- 



out the 12th and the 13th the work of destruc- 



tion continued, the enemy gradually passing to 



the north, out of sight of Resaca, and on the 



evening of the latter day the advance of Gen. 



Sherman's army arrived from Rome, followed 



on the 14th by the main body, which encamped 



around Resaca for the night. 



Meanwhile the rebel army, pursuing its de- 

 'mg march north, reached Dalton on the 

 14th. and, in consequence of the negligence of 

 the Federal scouts, surrounded the fort, garri- 

 soned by the 44th colored regiment, Col. John- 

 ston. before adequate preparations for defence 

 could be made. A demand for surrender simi- 

 lar to that sent to Col. "Weaver was at once 

 made, which was refused. But Col. Johnston, 

 discovering that the beleaguering force com- 

 prised the whole of Hood's army, and that Buz- 

 zard Roost and other important points com- 

 manding his work had been occupied, subse- 

 quently surrendered his whole command. The 

 14th and loth were employed by the enemy in 

 continuing the destruction of the railroad as 

 far as Tunnel Hill, which, whether through 

 want of time or scarcity of gunpowder, they 

 neglected to mine. They found no rolling 

 stock of consequence on the road, and beyond 

 the destruction of a few box-cars did little 

 damage to this species of property. The ap- 

 proach of the Federal columns now warned 

 Gen. Hood to move off to the west, and the 

 16th found him in full retreat for Lafayette, 

 followed by Gen. Sherman, who, instead of 

 marching along the railroad to Dalton, pushed 

 -::ake Creek Gap, through which, in spite 

 of obstructions accumulated there by Hood, he 

 rapidly passed. At Ship's Gap he captured 

 part of the 24th Xorth Carolina regimen^ 

 stationed to delay his march. From Lafayette 

 the enemy retreated in a southwesterly direc- 

 tion into Alabama through a broken and moun- 

 tainous country, but scantily supplied with food 

 for man or beast ; and passing through Sum- 

 merville, Gaylesville, and Blue Pond, halted at 

 Gadsdens, on the Coosa River, 75 miles from 

 Lafayette. Here he paused for several days, 

 receiving a few reinforcements brought up by 

 Gen. Beauregard, who had on the 17th assumed 

 command of the Confederate military division 

 of the "West in the following address : 



EIlS MlLTTABY DIVISION OF THE WEST, ) 



October 17th, 1864. f 

 In assuming command at this critical juncture of 

 the Military Division of the West, I appeal to" my 

 countrymen of all classes and sections for their gen- 

 erous support and confidence. In assigning: me to 

 this responsible position, the President of tfie Con- 

 federate States has extended to me the assurance of 

 his earnest support. The Executives of your States 



meet me with similar expressions of their devotion 

 to our cause. The noble army in the field, composed 

 of brave men and gallant officers, are strangers to 

 me, and I know that they will do all that patriots can 

 achieve. The history of the past, written in the 

 blood of their comrades, but foreshadows the glori- 

 ous future which lies before them. Inspired by these 

 bright promises of success, I make this appeal to the 

 men and women of my country to lend me the aid of 

 their earnest and cordial cooperation. Unable to 

 join in the bloody conflicts of the field, they can do 

 much to strengthen our cause, fill up our ranks, en- 

 courage our soldiers, inspire confidence, dispel gloom, 

 and thus hasten on the day of our final success and 

 deliverance. 



The army of Sherman still defiantly holds Atlanta. 

 He can and must be driven from it. It is only for 

 the good people of Georgia and the surrounding 

 States to speak the word, and the work is done. V>'e 

 have abundant provisions. There are men enough 

 in the country liable to and able for service to accom- 

 plish this result. To all such I earnestly appeal to 

 report promptly to their respective commands ; and 

 let those who cannot go see to it that none remain 

 who are able to strike a blow in this critical and de- 

 cisive hour. To those soldiers, if any, who are ab- 

 sent from their commands without leave, I appeal in 

 the name of their brave comrades, with whom they 

 have in the past so often shared the privations of the 

 camp and the dangers of the battle-field, to return at 

 once to their duty. To all such as shall report to 

 their respective commands, in response to this appeal, 

 within the next thirty days, an amnesty is hereby 

 granted. My appeal is to every one, of all classes 

 and conditions, to come forward freely, cheerfully, 

 and with good heart to the work that lies before us". 



My countrymen, respond to this call as you 

 have done in days that have passed, and, with 

 the blessing of a kind and overruling Providence, 

 the enemy shall be driven from your soil. The 

 security of your wives and daughters from the 

 insults and outrages of a brutal foe shall be 

 established soon, and be followed by a permanent 

 and honorable peace. The claims "of nome and 

 country, wife and children, uniting with the demands 

 of honor and patriotism, summon us to the field. 

 VTe cannot, dare not, will not fail to respond. Full 

 of hope and confidence, I come to join in your strug- 

 gles, sharing your privations, and with "your brave 

 and true men to strike the blow that shall" bring suc- 

 cess to our arms, triumph to our cause, and peace to 

 our country. G. T. BEAUREGAKD, General. 



Gen. Hood still retained his special com- 

 mand, subject to the supervision or direction 

 of Gen. Beauregard, and his army, after re- 

 maining a few days in Gadsden, moved, about 

 the 1st of November, for "Warrington, on the 

 Tennessee River, 30 miles distant. Gen. Sher- 

 man meanwhile remained at Gaylesville, which 

 place his main body reached about the 2 1st, 

 watching the enemy's movements. During the 

 retreat of Gen. Hood into Northern Alabama, 

 he had frequent opportunities to join battle 

 with his pursuers, which he uniformly declined. 



The injuries to the railroad were confined to 

 two sections, and covered about 28 miles of 

 track : viz., 7 miles between Big Shanty and 

 Allatoona, and 21 miles between Resaca and 

 Tunnel Hill. So rapidly were the repairs 

 effected, that, by the 20th, the road was in 

 running order from Resaca to Atlanta ; and on 

 the 28th, while Gen. Hood was still lying at 

 Gadsden, trains again left Chattanooga for At- 

 lanta. "Whatever, therefore, might be the final 

 result of Hood's flanking movement, it had 



