Chapter XV

Our Army Falls Back from Kennesaw--Confederate "Rebel
Yell"--Occupy Works on the Chattahoochee River--A. P.
Stewart Appointed Lieutenant General--Assumes Command of
the Army of Mississippi--Texas Brigade Fight to Obtain
Tools--We Cross the Chattahoochee--Arrival of Gen. B.
Bragg--Gen. Johnston Relieved--President Davis's Remark
about Relieving Johnston from Command--Johnston's Policy
versus Hood's--Battle of Peachtree Creek--We Occupy
Atlanta--Battle of Atlanta--S. D. Lee Assigned to Command of
Hood's Corps--Gen. Ector Wounded--Capt. Ward Killed--Battle
of July 28, 1864--I Apply to Be Relieved from Serving with
Hood--Gen. M. Jeff Thompson--Condition of the Camps of
United States Troops--Evidence of the Terrible Fire of Small
Arms--Evacuation of Atlanta--Jonesboro and Lovejoy's Station.

I left Kennesaw with regret. From its slopes we repelled the assaults of the enemy, and from its top, where I loved to sit and witness the almost daily conflicts, and hear the "Rebel yell" from away down the throat, and the Federal cheer from the lips. The "Rebel yell" was born amidst the roar of cannon, the flash of the musket, the deadly conflict, comrades falling, and death in front--then, when rushing forward, that unearthly yell rose from a thousand Confederate throats, loud, above "the thunder of the captains and the shoutings," and with the force of a tornado they swept on over the field to death or victory. O how the heart throbs and the eye glares! As that yell is the offspring of the tempest of the battle and death, it cannot be heard in peace, no, never, never! The Federal cheer lives on, and is heard daily in the land. That Confederate yell was never, as far as I know, made when standing still. It was really an inspiration arising from facing danger and death which, as brave men, they resolved to meet. Ye children of peace can never hear it; wherefore I write of a sound that was produced by environment ye will never have. It died with the cause that produced it. The yell produced _awe_; the cheer indicated _joy_.

July 2. Not content with the waste of ammunition last
evening, the enemy commenced again at 4:15 this morning--the
heathens--and kept it up until 6 A.M. from every battery,
and from some guns until 11 A.M. I went up the mountain early
in the morning. The fire was not confined to my guns on the
mountain, but extended some distance down the line. All this
was intended, no doubt, to hold Johnston's main force on his
own right while they moved to our left, flanking as usual.
At 1 P.M. I received orders to withdraw my division to-night,
and did so at 10 P.M.

3d. The regiments left in the trenches and the skirmishers
did not leave until 3 A.M. Owing to detention of the trains,
etc., we did not reach our new position until after daylight.
I went to work intrenching our line--and it is a bad one.
Soon in the morning the enemy drove in our cavalry, and by
noon had out his skirmishers and artillery to the front. It
is wonderful how well our soldiers understand this falling
back. Never before did an army constantly fight and fall
back for seven weeks without demoralization, and it plainly
establishes the intelligence and individuality of the men.

4th. The shelling this morning was very severe. This caused
the Mississippi Brigade to seek protection in this way: They
used the shingles from a house for spades, and bayonets for
picks, and thus in a few minutes the men were in a shallow
ditch. My men in rifle pits were shelled out and driven in.
We were ordered to fall back to-night, which was done with
much difficulty.

5th. At 3 A.M. we were on the retreat, and it was well
executed by the troops, and we came into Vining Station ahead
of the other divisions. Some sharpshooters with Whitworth
rifles and a lieutenant of Hoskin's Battery were left in
camp asleep, and they barely escaped capture. We were now on
the right bank of the Chattahoochee river. The right of my
line was a small redoubt east of the railroad (Western and
Atlantic), thence it crossed it, thence across the Marietta
dirt road, etc. At 10 A.M. the enemy swept the whole plain
with shells down to the river. I established headquarters
with Gen. Walthall in an old log house by the roadside.

6th. The enemy is quiet this morning. Yesterday the impolite
followers of Sherman came near spoiling our dinner as we sat
on the ground eating, by sending a twenty-pound Parrott shell
near enough to throw the sand about and over it.

7th. This morning I rode along the lines with Gens. Loring
and Shoup. Gen. A. P. Stewart, having been promoted to
a lieutenant general, assumed command of the Army of
Mississippi. After the death of Gen. Polk I unhesitatingly
said that Gen. Stewart would be promoted. I rode along the
whole of his command with him.

8th. The enemy keep up a sharp fire on our skirmish line at
night. They evidently are apprehensive that we will cross the
river at night, for during the day they are quiet.

As we have no tools for throwing up breastworks, Gen. Ector
came to me for permission to move a regiment to his front in
the woods, from where he had swung back, so as to attack the
enemy when they came out to establish a picket line. This
he did successfully, and returned with good picks, spades,
and steel axes (ours were cast iron) that will cut wood.
Shingleur, Robinson, and Yerger, aids, are all sick.

9th. About 9 A.M. the enemy attacked the line of skirmishers
in front of Sears's Brigade with force and drove them from
their pits. Col. Barry advanced the Thirty-Sixth Mississippi
Regiment, under command of Maj. Parton, and forced them back,
captured their line, and drove them nearly to their main
works, and reëstablished ours. Prisoners were captured from
five different regiments. Our loss was fifty-two men in all.
After this they shelled my line for hours. About 2 P.M. the
enemy commenced a slow cannonade on my front, and continued
it till dark. The twenty-pound Parrotts passed over our
quarters constantly and exploded in the road.

This P.M. I was sent for by Gen. Stewart, and received orders
to withdraw my command across the river by the railroad
bridge. After all were crossed both the railroad and dirt
road bridges were burned. We moved on toward Paces' Ferry,
and bivouacked by the wayside.

10th. The morning has been quiet, and the wearied troops
have rested. This retrograde movement was caused by the
enemy crossing the river above, near Roswell. The works
of Gen. Shoup, with its stockades, did not give Johnston
spare troops enough to prevent this movement of the enemy.
Thus we are constantly outflanked by a superior force not
disposed to attack us behind any kind of works. At 4 P.M.
it commenced raining, and then artillery firing began at the
railroad crossing and farther down the river. Now for nearly
two months we have had daily firing, save only one day when
on Lost Mountain. Gen. Ector was left to guard the railroad
crossing and the river, above and below. This was on the
11th.

12th and 13th. The camp is filled with rumors. The enemy
is reported to have crossed the river and then gone back.
I rode to Stewart's headquarters, and thence to Atlanta. I
saw Capt. Maupin in the hospital. Poor fellow; he was shot,
at the Latimar House, through the breast. I went to see Gen.
Johnston, and found Gen. Braxton Bragg there. He comes from
Richmond. What is his mission? Who knows? Is Sherman on this
side of the river? Has Grant's failures in Virginia, and
Early's invasion of Pennsylvania, affected movements down
here? A few days will determine. O for brighter days for the
Confederacy! I have been obliged to order the guards to fire
on the cavalry when they go in the river to bathe with the
Federal cavalry. Federals never venture in unless our men
are bathing. Our men are not seeking fords; they are. This is
what they are looking for.

14th, 15th, 16th. We remained in bivouac, and nothing unusual
occurred. We are still anxious to learn more about Early in
Maryland. There is the usual amount of firing on our front.

Sunday, 17th. The enemy commenced a more rapid and continued
fire from their batteries near the railroad bridge, where
I have pickets. This, as usual, presages some movement. And
here it is: "Hold your command ready for a movement." It does
seem strange that we cannot have one quiet Sabbath. Sherman
has no regard for the Fourth Commandment. I wish a Bible
society would send him a prayer book, instead of shipping
them all to the more remote heathen; but it would be the
same in either case. The one is wicked by nature; the other,
I fear, is becoming so from habit. Perhaps "Tecumseh" has
something to do with it. There is much in a name.

18th. I moved into a position where my left rested on the
Marietta road, and commenced intrenching at night. Gen.
Johnston was relieved on yesterday from the command of this
army, and Gen. J. B. Hood assumed command by orders from
Richmond. Early this morning I rode down to army headquarters
and bade Johnston good-by.

And here I will state the conversation that occurred between Hood and me. I told him that I was sorry Johnston had been relieved; that I had often, when in Mississippi, talked with him concerning the manner of conducting the war; but "now that you are in command, I assure you I will serve under you as faithfully and cheerfully as with him." Although he took my hand and thanked me, I was ever afterwards impressed with the belief that he never forgave me for what I said.

Now, since I have alluded to it, I will state that in our conversation I agreed with Johnston that our success mainly depended on breaking the enemy down financially, by procrastinating the war; that to do this the strength of the army in the East and in the West should be maintained; that the armies upheld the government, and a great defeat would be disastrous.

It was because we could obtain no more recruits that Grant refused to exchange prisoners and receive the Andersonville prisoners and return a like number to increase the ranks of Lee's army. Here is Grant's letter on exchange of prisoners:

CITY POINT, August 18, 1864.

To Gen. Butler.

On the subject of exchange, however, I differ from Gen.
Hitchcock. It is hard on our men held in Southern prisons
not to exchange them, but it is humanity to those left in
the ranks to fight our battles. Every man released, on parole
or otherwise, becomes an active soldier against us at once,
either directly or indirectly.

If we commence a system of exchange, which liberates all
prisoners taken, we will have to fight on until the whole
South is exterminated. If we hold those caught, they amount
to no more than dead men. At this particular time to release
Rebel prisoners North would insure Sherman's defeat, and
would compromise our safety here.

As Gen. Grant discusses the humanity of his acts, I will compare it with what other distinguished men have written on the subject of exchange of prisoners.

Carthage, dispirited by her losses, wished for peace. For this purpose ambassadors were dispatched to Rome. Regulus (a prisoner in Carthage) was sent with the ambassadors to further the exchange, bound by an oath to return to Carthage in case of a failure to make peace or exchange of prisoners. He dissuaded his countrymen from agreeing to either proposition, and, bound by his oath, returned to Carthage, where he well knew torture and death awaited him.

Cicero applauds Regulus in both particulars in returning to Carthage. Sir Walter Raleigh commends Regulus in maintaining the obligation of his oath, but in dissuading the Senate not to agree to exchange of prisoners he condemns his inhumanity, which no good reasons of state could justify.

However, be this as it may, one thing is certain, and that is that the inhumanity, if there were any, was assumed by the act of the United States (the North) in refusing to mitigate their sufferings on both sides by not exchanging prisoners, and it releases the South from the charge of all suffering incident, always, to prison life.[28]

O! had the gifted Senator from Georgia, Benjamin H. Hill, known of the existence of this letter defining the policy of the North in the treatment of prisoners of war, he would have vanquished his antagonist, Hon. J. G. Blaine, and silenced the jingoes and stopped the waving of the bloody shirt to fire the Northern heart against the South.

In a private conversation with President Davis he told me that so great was the pressure made on him by deputations, committees, individuals, officials, and the press demanding to know if Atlanta and the State of Georgia were to be given up without a battle for its preservation, that he was reluctantly obliged to relieve Gen. Johnston to satisfy the clamorous demands made for a halt and a battle in defense of the State while the army was in the mountainous region, and so he yielded to the cry of the people.

20th. This morning it was resolved to attack the three corps
of the enemy that were on the Peachtree creek and separated
from the corps that were near Decatur. Sears's Brigade being
on duty on the river and creek, I moved with the brigades
of Cockrell and Ector to the right and formed line of battle
in front of the Ragdale House. This position was the extreme
left of the army.

The plan of battle was a good one. Hardee was to gain the
enemy's rear, swing to the left, taking their line in flank,
while we attacked the line in front in echelon of brigades
as the battle swept down the creek. Walthall was on my
right, and I was to keep within about three hundred yards of
him. In advancing I came to an open field in front of the
enemy. Their line was fortified, with two field batteries
in position that kept up a continuous fire on my line. Gen.
Loring's troops broke through the enemy's line of works.
Reynolds and Featherston had to abandon the captured line
by reason of the flank fire on them. The failure of Hardee
deranged the plan of battle. After dark we withdrew.

22d. I had a slight skirmish with the enemy yesterday. We got
twenty-four of them. Last night the army occupied Atlanta. My
division formed the extreme left of the army. My headquarters
are at Mr. Jennings's house, and the line crosses the road
to Turner's Ferry and runs toward the Western and Atlantic
railroad. Preparations are being made to attack the enemy's
left wing over toward Decatur. Noon has passed, and there has
been no infantry-firing yet, only the booming of artillery;
but about 4 P.M. the volleys of musketry fell on the ear,
died away, and then burst out anew, and did not cease until
dark, when they receded in the distance, indicating the
advance of our troops. The fruits of the victory are reported
to be twenty-four pieces of artillery and three thousand one
hundred prisoners. With it comes sad regrets for the death of
Gen. W. A. T. Walker on our side, and Gen. McPherson, United
States army, on their side.

27th. Nothing has occurred, save the usual siege firing,
since the 22d. This morning when I was at Ward's Battery
there was some artillery-firing, and a shell exploded
overhead, striking Gen. Ector above the knee, requiring
amputation, and Capt. Ward, mortally wounding him. I sent
them to my quarters and thence to our hospital. Ward was an
accomplished gentleman and a brave soldier. I wrote to Mrs.
Ward, trying to console her in her bereavement. Gen. Ector in
due time was walking by the aid of crutches. Gen. S. D. Lee
to-day was assigned to the command of Hood's Corps.

28th. I rode to Gen. Stewart's and heard that the enemy was
moving to our left. I then went to Hood's. Knowing that four
divisions had been moved to my left, I felt assured that a
battle was pending. S. D. Lee was in command. About 1 P.M.
it began, and continued four hours. By request of Walthall
I sent them Guibor's guns and Ector's Brigade. The attack
was a failure because it was fought by weak detailed attacks
instead of a consolidated force. Gen. Stewart was struck by
a partly spent ball in the forehead, and Loring was wounded.
As soon as I learned the position of the enemy I opened fire
on them from my rifled thirty-two pounders and continued the
fire slowly all night.

29th. All is quiet this morning. I rode to corps
headquarters, and found that both Stewart and Loring had
left, which made me commander of the corps, but to my
surprise I found that Hood had placed Cheatham in command.
I wrote to Hood in regard to the matter. Hood's act was in
keeping with the intriguing so ruinous to this army, and I
asked to be relieved from serving in it any longer.

31st. Nothing unusual happened yesterday. To-day is Sunday,
and it dawned as though peace had spread her white wings
over the land, for not a gun has yet been heard, and so it
continued most of the day. Divine service was held in the
brigades, and in the pond in front of my quarters a baptism
took place.

August 1. My command was extended to cover Walthall's
original front. I made a call on Gens. G. W. Smith and R.
Toombs, and wrote to Richmond. This P.M. the enemy commenced
artillery fire on the redoubt in front of my house. One shell
killed a mule in the yard, another broke my wagon tongue,
while a third knocked the pipe from Hedrick's (my orderly)
mouth, etc. My application to be relieved from duty was
returned disapproved, and I was informed that I would not be
relieved. So on August 2 I wrote to the Adjutant General to
be relieved from command in or serving with this army.

2d, 3d, 4th, 5th. [To transcribe my diary for these days
would only be a reiteration of daily siege attacks.]

6th. I made a demonstration on the enemy this morning in
his works in my front to aid Lee on our left. I moved my
left over a mile to the front and attacked the enemy on his
skirmish line and then their main line, but it was done
at the expense of Lieut. Motherhead killed, Maj. Redwine
wounded, and forty-three men killed and wounded. I was
directed to make this demonstration; ordinarily they do but
little good against old soldiers, because they know so well
that they would not be attacked behind their works seriously
unless by massed troops. Neither will they attack ours. In
the afternoon they shelled my line complimentary to my attack
in the morning. How polite they are in returning attentions!
Bad news received from Mobile. It is reported that the United
States fleet has passed Fort Morgan and is now in the bay.

8th, 9th. I gave my large map of the Yazoo Valley to Gen. M.
L. Smith, who sent it to Macon to be copied, one copy for the
commander of the Department of Mississippi, and the other for
the War Department. I rode along the lines with Gen. Sears,
who has returned. Cockrell also got back yesterday. While I
was at Col. Young's the enemy commenced shelling, and it has
continued ever since, full seven hours. So far it has done
but little damage. Very many shells have fallen close by,
and exploded over the house, and it has become anything but
a pleasant residence, and at night disturbs pleasant dreams.

I sent a letter to the President on the matter of Gen. Hood's
conduct in the assignment of Cheatham to Stewart's Corps
during his absence.

10th and 11th. I rode out to our hospital this morning. The
enemy seems disposed to get possession of my vidette line,
which I have maintained up to this time. When the siege began
I sent for my principal officers and told them all that I did
not intend my camp should be rendered unpleasant from rifle
balls, that the vidette line away in front must be held; that
the picket line five hundred yards in front should be strong,
and on it the fighting should be to the last extremity. The
result of this course has been that my men are entirely free
from annoyance, except from some artillery fire, and that is
foolishly directed at our redoubts. I use artillery on their
infantry camps and lines so as to destroy their rest both
day and night. See the difference! While we sleep in safety,
in some parts of the lines around the city no one can move
without drawing the fire of the Yankees on themselves, so
near are the lines together.

12th to 17th. [The diary is too full of detail to record
here, so I will merely remark that the everlasting fire
continues on my picket line, and their guns shell my
redoubts.]

17th. Gen. Stewart came to my quarters early this morning,
at 6 A.M., and we went along the line. We returned and had
breakfast. Then the artillery, as usual, began at the redoubt
in front of the house. As the shells crossed the road on
both sides of the house, it was dangerous to leave, and he
remained an hour or more.

In the evening I was sitting on the fence enjoying my pipe
while watching the explosion of the shells, when who should
ride up but Gen. M. Jeff. Thompson, and he was invited to
our quarters. I could not keep from laughing. I have an
illustrated copy of the illustrious Don Quixote, and here was
a duplicate picture, or rather here before me was the Don
himself, in form and features, and if Sancho had seen Jeff
he would have called him "Master." He passed the night with
us, entertaining us with his adventures in the West. In the
morning he went to see his Missouri friends.

18th. The Yankees must be angry. Because my batteries dared
to wake them up with a few shells they raised--well--(I
begin it with a "w") and never ceased until 2 P.M., and they
threw not less than two thousand shot at us, and accomplished
nothing, only one shell went by accident through our house.

19th, 20th, 21st, 22d. These days witnessed the usual
expenditure of ammunition. On the 21st Lieut. Col. McDowell
was killed in the rear of our second skirmish line. What
an excellent man and gallant officer gave his life for the
Confederacy! Peace to him and his friends!

23d. Firing as usual.

24th. The enemy fired hot shot on the city all last night,
and to-day they set on fire some cotton, and burned a few
houses.

25th. I wrote to Judge Ould. Firing as usual.

26th. This morning at daylight I was informed that the enemy
had abandoned their works on my right and front nearly to
my left. I found everything in their works horribly filthy,
and alive with "dog" flies to such an extent that our horses
could not be managed. The clothing, new and old, was covered
with vermin. My servant boys carried some jackets home that
had to be buried. Their line of works was very strong. I
found the brick furnace where they made "shot red hot" to
fire day and night at intervals to burn the city. At first
little "niggers" got their fingers burned picking them up to
sell to the ordnance department. Again on my skirmish line
this evening was another good officer killed. Lieut. Col.
Samuels fell from a rifle ball. From Decatur all the way
around to the Turner's Ferry road the enemy has moved to our
left.... There are no flies or vermin in our camp--strange
but true.

27th. I made a reconnoissance with two brigades and artillery
to Turner's Ferry over the Chattahoochee river. We had a
fight there and captured some prisoners. They told me that
the place, as I could see, was strongly fortified; that the
Twentieth Corps (Hooker's) occupied the work; that Hooker had
gone and Slocum was in command. I think they told me this,
although not named in my diary. We slept in peace.

28th. I rode through the city. To give you an idea of the
terrible musketry fire, in an open field between their picket
line and mine one brigade picked up about five thousand
pounds of lead balls that had been fired on the lines. The
ground was literally covered with them--oxidized white like
hailstones. Trees three and four inches in diameter in front
of my line were cut down by balls. The lead was sold to the
ordnance officers, and the weight was thus known.

29th. 30th. Our troops are moving to the left. Six of our men
crossed the river and captured nine men and two wagons.

31st. Featherston and Walthall have been withdrawn from the
city. My division and some State troops under the charge of
Gen. G. W. Smith alone are in the city to-day. Some cavalry
scouts followed my scouts nearly into the city. Firing is
heard on our left. The railroad to Macon was cut to-day. This
is unpleasant news.

September 1. This morning the news is that Hardee had failed
to dislodge Sherman from his position. Everything indicates
that Atlanta is to be abandoned, and before noon the order
came. I became the rear guard. There is confusion in the
city, and some of the soldiers in the town are drunk. Common
sense is wanted. The five heavy guns that I had ordered to be
spiked by the rear guard at 11 P.M. were burned by order of
the chief of ordnance at 5 P.M., a proclamation to the enemy
in my front that we were evacuating the place. As soon as
I started to leave the works some of Hood's officers fired
the ordnance trains. This should have been done the last of
all, when the rear guard or pickets were withdrawn. Who would
extinguish an ordnance train of bursting shells? So lighted
by the glare of fires, flashes of powder, and bursting
shells, I slowly left Atlanta, and at daylight on the morning
of the 2d we were not five miles out of the city. I started
soon after for Lovejoy's Station.

3d. Featherston took the advance. Last evening artillery
was heard at Lovejoy's Station. Hardee was holding in check
all of Sherman's army except the Twentieth Corps, and we are
marching to his assistance. I passed S. D. Lee's Corps on the
road. It was yesterday at Rough and Ready. This is attacking
_in detail_ as usual. On arrival my division was ordered to
relieve Gen. Brown's. After dark I was ordered to move to my
left and Gen. Guist to his right to exchange positions. This
was a deliberately planned _trick_ of Hardee's to put me in
one side of a salient angle that was subject to a reverse
fire of artillery from the enemy.

4th. This morning cannonading was not so rapid.

5th. Last night I made a change of position. Firing as usual.
While I was on the line Capt. Kennedy (Mrs. Bowen's brother)
and four others were killed and five wounded. During the day
I lost forty men.

6th. It was now discovered that the enemy were falling back
to take possession of Atlanta, now abandoned. Gave Cockrell
permission to pursue them, and he skirmished with their rear
guard and killed many of them and returned with over twenty
prisoners.

7th, 8th, and 9th. [Diary records no important events.]

10th. A communication from Sherman to Hood was received
stating that the citizens of Atlanta must leave. Those who so
elect will be sent to the North. The remainder will be sent
South. The work is to commence on Monday. There are about
eighteen thousand people in the city. I am told that he also
offers to exchange prisoners, provided he should receive only
men who have yet two years to serve in the United States
army. Prisoners who have served out the period of their
enlistment, or have only a short time to serve, will not be
received. Gen. Loring returned to-day.