Audenried,aide—de—camp;Brigadier—GeneralJ。D。Webster,chiefofstaff;MajorR。M。Sawyer,assistantadjutant—general;CaptainMontgomeryRochester,assistantadjutant—general。TheselastthreewereleftatNashvilleinchargeoftheoffice,andwereempoweredtogiveordersinmyname,communicationbeinggenerallykeptupbytelegraph。
Subsequentlywereaddedtomystaff,andaccompaniedmeinthefield,Brigadier—GeneralW。F。Barry,chiefofartillery;ColonelO。M。Poe,chiefofengineers;ColonelL。C。Easton,chiefquartermaster;ColonelAmosBeckwith,chiefcommissary;CaptainThos。G。Baylor,chiefofordnance;SurgeonE。D。Kittoe,medicaldirector;Brigadier—GeneralJ。M。Corse,inspector—general;
Lieutenant—ColonelC。Ewing,inspector—general;andLieutenant—
ColonelWillardWarner,inspector—general。
Theseofficersconstitutedmystaffproperatthebeginningofthecampaign,whichremainedsubstantiallythesametillthecloseofthewar,withveryfewexceptions;viz。:SurgeonJohnMoore,UnitedStatesArmy,relievedSurgeonKittoeofthevolunteers(aboutAtlanta)asmedicaldirector;MajorHenryHitchcockjoinedasjudge—advocate,andCaptainG。WardNicholsreportedasanextraaide—de—camp(afterthefallofAtlanta)atGaylesville,justbeforewestartedforSavannah。
DuringthewholemonthofAprilthepreparationsforactivewarweregoingonwithextremevigor,andmyletter—bookshowsanactivecorrespondencewithGeneralsGrant,Halleck,Thomas,McPherson,andSchofieldonthousandsofmattersofdetailandarrangement,mostofwhichareembracedinmytestimonybeforetheCommitteeontheConductoftheWar,vol。i。,Appendix。
Whenthetimeforactionapproached,viz。,May1,1864,theactualarmiespreparedtomoveintoGeorgiaresultedasfollows,presentforbattle:
Men。
ArmyoftheCumberland,Major—GeneralTHOMAS。
Infantry……54,568
Artillery……2,377
Cavalry……3,828
Aggregate……60,773
Numberoffield—guns,130。
ArmyoftheTennessee,Major—GeneralMcPHERSON。
Infantry……22,437
Artillery……1,404
Cavalry……624
Aggregate……24,465
Guns,96
ArmyoftheOhio,Major—GeneralSCHOFIELD。
Infantry……11,183
Artillery……679
Cavalry……1,697
Aggregate……13,559
Guns,28。
Grandaggregate,98,797menand254gunsThesefiguresdonotembracethecavalrydivisionswhichwerestillincomplete,viz。,ofGeneralStoneman,atLexington,Kentucky,andofGeneralGarrard,atColumbia,Tennessee,whowerethenrapidlycollectinghorses,andjoinedusintheearlystageofthecampaign。GeneralStoneman,havingadivisionofaboutfourthousandmenandhorses,wasattachedtoSchofield’sArmyoftheOhio。GeneralGarrard’sdivision,ofaboutfourthousandfivehundredmenandhorses,wasattachedtoGeneralThomas’scommand;
andhehadanotherirregulardivisionofcavalry,commandedbyBrigadier—GeneralE。McCook。Therewasalsoasmallbrigadeofcavalry,belongingtotheArmyoftheCumberland,attachedtemporarilytotheArmyoftheTennessee,whichwascommandedbyBrigadier—GeneralJudsonKilpatrick。Thesecavalrycommandschangedconstantlyinstrengthandnumbers,andweregenerallyusedontheextremeflanks,orforsomespecialdetachedservice,aswillbeherein—afterrelated。TheArmyoftheTennesseewasstillshortbythetwodivisionsdetachedwithGeneralBanks,upRedRiver,andtwootherdivisionsonfurloughinIllinois,Indiana,andOhio,butwhichwererendezvousingatCairo,underGeneralsLeggettandCrocker,toformapartoftheSeventeenthCorps,whichcorpswastobecommandedbyMajor—GeneralFrankP。Blair,thenamemberofCongress,inWashington。Onthe2dofAprilInotifiedhimbyletterthatIwantedhimtojoinandtocommandthesetwodivisions,whichoughttobereadybythe1stofMay。GeneralBlair,withthesetwodivisions,constitutingtheSeventeenthArmyCorps,didnotactuallyovertakeusuntilviereachedAcworthandBigShanty,inGeorgia,aboutthe9thofJune,1864。
InmyletterofApril4thtoGeneralJohnA。Rawains,chiefofstafftoGeneralGrantatWashington,Idescribedatlengthallthepreparationsthatwereinprogressfortheactivecampaignthuscontemplated,andthereinestimatedSchofieldattwelvethousand,Thomasatforty—fivethousand,andMePhersonatthirtythousand。
AtfirstIintendedtoopenthecampaignaboutMay1st,bymovingSchofieldonDaltonfromCleveland,ThomasonthesameobjectivefromChattanooga,andMcPhersononRomeandKingstonfromGunter’sLanding。MyintentionwasmerelytothreatenDaltoninfront,andtodirectMcPhersontoactvigorouslyagainsttherailroadbelowResaca,fartotherearoftheenemy。Butbyreasonofhisbeingshortofhisestimatedstrengthbythefourdivisionsbeforereferredto,andthusbeingreducedtoabouttwenty—fourthousandmen,Ididnotfeeljustifiedinplacinghimsofarawayfromthesupportofthemainbodyofthearmy,andthereforesubsequentlychangedtheplanofcampaign,sofarastobringthatarmyuptoChattanooga,andtodirectitthencethroughShip’sGapagainsttherailroadtoJohnston’srear,atornearResaca,distantfromDaltononlyeighteenmiles,andinfullcommunicationwiththeotherarmiesbyroadsbehindRockyfaceRidge,ofaboutthesamelength。
Onthe10thofAprilIreceivedGeneralGrant’sletterofApril4thfromWashington,whichformedthebasisofallthecampaignsoftheyear1864,andsubsequentlyreceivedanotherofApril19th,writtenfromCulpepper,Virginia,bothofwhicharenowinmypossession,inhisownhandwriting,andareheregivenentire。Theselettersembracesubstantiallyalltheordersheevermadeonthisparticularsubject,andthese,itwillbeseen,devolvedonmethedetailsbothastotheplanandexecutionofthecampaignbythearmiesundermyimmediatecommand。ThesearmiesweretobedirectedagainsttherebelarmycommandedbyGeneralJosephE。
Johnston,thenlyingonthedefensive,stronglyintrenchedatDalton,Georgia;andIwasrequiredtofollowitupcloselyandpersistently,sothatinnoeventcouldanypartbedetachedtoassistGeneralLeeinVirginia;GeneralGrantundertakinginlikemannertokeepLeesobusythathecouldnotrespondtoanycallsofhelpbyJohnston。NeitherAtlanta,norAugusta,norSavannah,wastheobjective,butthe\"armyofJos。Johnston,\"gowhereitmight。
[PRIVATEANDCONFIDENTIAL。]
HEADQUARTERSARMIESOFTHEUNITEDSTATES
WASHINGTOND。C。,April4,1864。
Major—GeneralW。T。SHERMAN,commandingMilitaryDivisionoftheMississippi。
GENERAL:Itismydesign,iftheenemykeepquietandallowmetotaketheinitiativeinthespringcampaign,toworkallpartsofthearmytogether,andsomewhattowardacommoncentre。ForyourinformationInowwriteyoumyprogramme,asatpresentdeterminedupon。
IhavesentorderstoBanks,byprivatemessenger,tofinishuphispresentexpeditionagainstShreveportwithalldispatch;toturnoverthedefenseofRedRivertoGeneralSteelsandthenavy,andtoreturnyourtroopstoyou,andhisowntoNewOrleans;toabandonallofTexas,excepttheRioGrande,andtoholdthatwithnottoexceedfourthousandmen;toreducethenumberoftroopsontheMississippitothelowestnumbernecessarytoholdit,andtocollectfromhiscommandnotlessthantwenty—fivethousandmen。
TothisIwilladdfivethousandfromMissouri。WiththisforceheistocommenceoperationsagainstMobileassoonashecan。Itwillbeimpossibleforhimtocommencetooearly。
GillmorejoinsButlerwithtenthousandmen,andthetwooperateagainstRichmondfromthesouthaideofJamesRiver。ThiswillgiveButlerthirty—threethousandmentooperatewith,W。F。Smithcommandingtherightwingofhisforces,andGillmoretheleftwing。IwillstaywiththeArmyofthePotomac,increasedbyBurnside’scorpsofnotlessthantwenty—fivethousandeffectivemen,andoperatedirectlyagainstLee’sarmy,whereveritmaybefound。
Sigelcollectsallhisavailableforceintwocolumns,one,underOrdandAverill,tostartfromBeverly,Virginia,andtheother,underCrook,tostartfromCharleston,ontheKanawha,tomoveagainsttheVirginia&TennesseeRailroad。
Crookwillhaveallcavalry,andwillendeavortogetinaboutSaltville,andmoveeastfromtheretojoinOrd。Hisforcewillbeallcavalry,whileOrdwillhavefromtentotwelvethousandmenofallarms。
YouIproposetomoveagainstJohnston’sarmy,tobreakitup,andtogetintotheinterioroftheenemy’scountryasfarasyoucan,inflictingallthedamageyoncanagainsttheirwarresources。
Idonotproposetolaydownforyouaplanofcampaign,butsimplytolaydowntheworkitisdesirabletohavedone,andleaveyoufreetoexecuteitinyourownway。Submittome,however,asearlyasyoucan,yourplanofoperations。
Asstated,Banksisorderedtocommenceoperationsassoonashecan。GillmoreisorderedtoreportatFortressMonroebythe18thinst。,orassoonthereafteraspracticable。Sigelisconcentratingnow。NonewillmovefromtheirplacesofrendezvousuntilIdirect,exceptBanks。Iwanttobereadytomovebythe25thinst。,ifpossible;butallIcannowdirectisthatyougetreadyassoonaspossible。Iknowyouwillhavedifficultiestoencounteringettingthroughthemountainstowheresuppliesareabundant,butIbelieveyouwillaccomplishit。
>FromtheexpeditionfromtheDepartmentofWestVirginiaIdonotcalculateonverygreatresults;butitistheonlywayIcantaketroopsfromthere。WiththelonglineofrailroadSigelhastoprotect,hecansparenotroops,excepttomovedirectlytohisfront。Inthiswayhemustgetthroughtoinflictgreatdamageontheenemy,ortheenemymustdetachfromoneofhisarmiesalargeforcetopreventit。Inotherwords,ifSigelcan’tskinhimself,hecanholdalegwhilesomeoneelseskins。
Iam,general,veryrespectfully,yourobedientservant,U。S。GRANT,Lieutenant—General。
HEADQUARTERSMILITARYDIVISIONOFTHEMISSISSIPPI
NASHVILLE,TENNESSEE,April10,1864
Lieutenant—GeneralU。S。GRANT,Commander—in—Chief,Washington,D。
DEARGENERAL:YourtwolettersofApril4tharenowbeforeme,andaffordmeinfinitesatisfaction。Thatwearenowalltoactonacommonplan,convergingonacommoncentre,lookslikeenlightenedwar。
Likeyourself,youtakethebiggestload,andfrommeyoushallhavethoroughandheartycooperation。IwillnotletsideissuesdrawmeofffromyourmainplansinwhichIamtoknockJos。
Johnston,andtodoasmuchdamagetotheresourcesoftheenemyaspossible。IhaveheretoforewrittentoGeneralRawlinsandtoColonelComstock(ofyourstaff)somewhatofthemethodinwhichI
proposetoact。Ihaveseenallmyarmy,corps,anddivisioncommanders,andhavesignifiedonlytotheformer,viz。,Schofield,Thomas,andMcPherson,ourgeneralplans,whichIinferredfromthepurportofourconversationhereandatCincinnati。
First,Iampushingstorestothefrontwithallpossibledispatch,andamcompletingthearmyorganizationaccordingtotheordersfromWashington,whichareampleandperfectlysatisfactory。
ItwilltakeusallofApriltogetinourfurloughedveterans,tobringupA。J。Smith’scommand,andtocollectprovisionsandcattleonthelineoftheTennessee。Eachofthearmieswillguard,bydetachmentsofitsown,itsrearcommunications。
Atthesignaltobegivenbyyou,Schofield,leavingaselectgarrisonatKnoxvilleandLondon,withtwelvethousandmenwilldropdowntotheHiawassee,andmarchagainstJohnston’srightbytheoldFederalroad。Stoneman,nowinKentucky,organizingthecavalryforcesoftheArmyoftheOhio,willoperatewithSchofieldonhisleftfront——itmaybe,pushingaselectbodyofabouttwothousandcavalrybyDucktownorElijahtowardAthena,Georgia。
Thomaswillaimtohaveforty—fivethousandmenofallarms,andmovestraightagainstJohnston,whereverhemaybe,fightinghimcautiously,persistently,andtothebestadvantage。Hewillhavetwodivisionsofcavalry,totakeadvantageofanyoffering。
McPhersonwillhaveninedivisionsoftheArmyoftheTennessee,ifA。J。Smithgetshere,inwhichcasehewillhavefullthirtythousandofthebestmeninAmerica。HewillcrosstheTennesseeatDecaturandWhitesburg,marchtowardRome,andfeelforThomas。
IfJohnstonfallsbehindtheCoosa,thenMcPhersonwillpushforRome;andifJohnstonfallsbehindtheChattahoochee,asIbelievehewill,thenMcPhersonwillcrossoverandjoinThomas。
McPhersonhasnocavalry,butIhavetakenoneofThomas’sdivisions,viz。,Garrard’s,sixthousandstrong,whichisnowatColombia,mounting,equipping,andpreparing。IdesignthisdivisiontooperateonMcPheraon’sright,rear,orfront,accordingastheenemyappears。ButthemomentIdetectJohnstonfallingbehindtheChattahoochee,Iproposetocastofftheeffectivepartofthiscavalrydivision,aftercrossingtheCoosa,straightforOpelika,WestPoint,Columbus,orWetumpka,tobreakuptheroadbetweenMontgomeryandGeorgia。IfGarrardcandothisworkwell,hecanreturntotheUnionarmy;butshouldasuperiorforceinterpose,thenhewillseeksafetyatPensacolaandjoinBanks,or,afterrest,willactagainstanyforcethathecanfindeastofMobile,tillsuchtimeashecanreachme。
ShouldJohnstonfallbehindtheChattahoochee,Iwillfeigntotheright,butpasstotheleftandactagainstAtlantaoritseasterncommunications,accordingtodevelopedfacts。
ThisisaboutasfaraheadasIfeeldisposed,tolook,butIwilleverbearinmindthatJohnstonisatalltimestobekeptsobusythathecannotinanyeventsendanypartofhiscommandagainstyouorBanks。
IfBankscanatthesametimecarryMobileandopenuptheAlabamaRiver,hewillinameasuresolvethemoatdifficultpartofmyproblem,viz。,\"provisions。\"ButinthatImustventure。Georgiahasamillionofinhabitants。Iftheycanlive,weshouldnotstarve。Iftheenemyinterruptourcommunications,Iwillbeabsolvedfromallobligationstosubsistonourownresources,andwillfeelperfectlyjustifiedintakingwhateverandwhereverweoarfind。Iwillinspiremycommand,ifsuccessful,withthefeelingthatbeefandsaltareallthatisabsolutelynecessarytolife,andthatparchedcornoncefedGeneralJackson’sarmyonthatveryground。
Asever,yourfriendandservant,W。T。SHERMAN,Major—General。
HEADQUARTERSARMIESOFTHEUNITEDSTATES
CULPEPPERCOURTHOUSE,VIRGINIA,April19,1864。
Major—GeneralW。T。SHERMAN,commandingMilitaryDivisionoftheMississippi。
GENERAL:SincemylettertoyouofApril4thIhaveseennoreasontochangeanyportionofthegeneralplanofcampaign,iftheenemyremainstillandallowustotaketheinitiative。Rainhascontinuedsouninterruptedlyuntilthelastdayortwothatitwillbeimpossibletomove,however,beforethe27th,evenifnomoreshouldfallinthemeantime。IthinkSaturday,the30th,willprobablybethedayforourgeneralmove。
ColonelComstock,whowilltakethis,canspendadaywithyou,andfillupmanylittlegapsofinformationnotgiveninanyofmyletters。
WhatInowwantmoreparticularlytosayis,thatifthetwomainattacks,yoursandtheonefromhere,shouldpromisegreatsuccess,theenemymay,inafitofdesperation,abandononepartoftheirlineofdefense,andthrowtheirwholestrengthupontheother,believingasingledefeatwithoutanyvictorytosustainthembetterthanadefeatallalongtheirline,andhopingtoo,atthesametime,thatthearmy,meetingwithnoresistance,willrestperfectlysatisfiedwiththeirlaurels,havingpenetratedtoagivenpointsouth,therebyenablingthemtothrowtheirforcefirstupononeandthenontheother。
Withthemajorityofmilitarycommanderstheymightdothis。
Butyouhavehadtoomuchexperienceintravelinglight,andsubsistinguponthecountry,tobecaughtbyanysuchruse。Ihopemyexperiencehasnotbeenthrownaway。Mydirections,then,wouldbe,iftheenemyinyourfrontshowsignsofjoiningLee,followhimuptothefullextentofyourability。IwillpreventtheconcentrationofLeeuponyourfront,ifitisinthepowerofthisarmytodoit。
TheArmyofthePotomaclookswell,and,sofarasIcanjudge,officersandmenfeelwell。Yourstruly,U。S。GRANT,Lieutenant—General。
HEADQUARTERSMILITARYDIVISIONOFTHEMISSISSIPPI
NASHVILLE,TENNESSEE,April24,1864
Lieutenant—GeneralU。S。GRANT,Commander—in—Chief,Culpepper,VirginiaGENERAL:Inowhave,atthehandsofColonelComstock,ofyourstaff,theletterofApril19th,andamasfarpreparedtoassumetheoffensiveaspossible。Ionlyaskasmuchtimeasyouthinkproper,toenablemetogetupMcPherson’stwodivisionsfromCairo。Theirfurloughswillexpireaboutthistime,andsomeofthemshouldnowbeinmotionforClifton,whencetheywillmarchtoDecatur,tojoinGeneralDodge。
McPhersonisorderedtoassembletheFifteenthCorpsnearLarkin’s,andtogettheSixteenthandSeventeenthCorps(DodgeandBlair)atDecaturattheearliestpossiblemoment。FromthesetwopointshewilldirecthisforcesonLebanon,Summerville,andLafayette,wherehewillactagainstJohnston,ifheacceptbattleatDalton;
ormoveinthedirectionofRome,iftheenemygiveupDalton,andfallbehindtheOostenaulaorEtowah。Iseethatthereissomeriskindividingourforces,butThomasandSchofieldwillhavestrengthenoughtocoverallthevalleysasfarasDalton;and,shouldJohnstonturnhiswholeforceagainstMcPherson,thelatterwillhavehisbridgeatLarkin’s,andtheroutetoChattanoogaviaWilla’sValleyandtheChattanoogaCreek,openforretreat;andifJohnstonattempttoleaveDalton,ThomaswillhaveforceenoughtopushonthroughDaltontoKingston,whichwillcheckmatehim。MyownopinionisthatJohnstonwillbecompelledtohangtohisrailroad,theonlypossibleavenueofsupplytohisarmy,estimatedatfromforty—fivetosixtythousandmen。
AtLafayetteallourarmieswillbetogether,andifJohnstonstandsatDaltonwemustattackhiminposition。Thomasfeelscertainthathehasnomaterialincreaseofforce,andthathehasnotsentawayHardee,oranypartofhisarmy。Suppliesarethegreatquestion。Ihavemateriallyincreasedthenumberofcarsdaily。WhenIgothere,theaveragewasfromsixty—fivetoeightyperday。Yesterdaythereportwasonehundredandninety—three;
to—day,onehundredandthirty—four;andmyestimateisthatonehundredandforty—fivecarsperdaywillgiveusaday’ssupplyandaday’saccumulation。
McPhersonisorderedtocarryinwagonstwentyday’srations,andtorelyonthedepotatRinggoldfortherenewalofhisbread。
Beevesarenowbeingdrivenonthehooftothefront;andthecommissary,ColonelBeckwith,seemsfullyalivetotheimportanceofthewholematter。
OurweakestpointwillbefromthedirectionofDecatur,andIwillbeforcedtorisksomethingfromthatquarter,dependingonthefactthattheenemyhasnoforceavailablewithwhichtothreatenourcommunicationsfromthatdirection。
ColonelComstockwillexplaintoyoupersonallymuchthatIcannotcommittopaper。Iam,withgreatrespect,W。T。SHERMAN,Major—General。
Onthe28thofAprilIremovedmyheadquarterstoChattanooga,andpreparedfortakingthefieldinperson。GeneralGranthadfirstindicatedthe30thofAprilasthedayforthesimultaneousadvance,butsubsequentlychangedthedaytoMay5th。McPhersonstroopswerebroughtforwardrapidlytoChattanooga,partlybyrailandpartlybymarching。Thomas’stroopswerealreadyinposition(hisadvancebeingoutasfarasRinggold—eighteenmiles),andSchofieldwasmarchingdownbyClevelandtoRedClayandCatoosaSprings。Onthe4thofMay,ThomaswasinpersonatRinggold,hisleftatCatoosa,andhisrightatLeet’sTan—yard。SchofieldwasatRedClay,closinguponThomas’sleft;andMcPhersonwasmovingrapidlyintoChattanooga,andouttowardGordon’sMill。
Onthe5thIrodeouttoRinggold,andontheverydayappointedbyGeneralGrantfromhisheadquartersinVirginiathegreatcampaignwasbegun。Togivealltheminutedetailswillinvolvemorethaniscontemplated,andIwillendeavoronlytotracetheprincipalevents,orrathertorecordsuchasweighedheaviestonmyownmindatthetime,andwhichnowremainbestfixedinmymemory。
MygeneralheadquartersandofficialrecordsremainedbackatNashville,andIhadnearmeonlymypersonalstaffandinspectors—general,withabouthalfadozenwagons,andasinglecompanyofOhiosharp—shooters(commandedbyLieutenantMcCrory)asheadquartersorcampguard。IalsohadasmallcompanyofirregularAlabamacavalry(commandedbyLieutenantSnelling),usedmostlyasorderliesandcouriers。Nowall—tentswereallowed,onlytheflies。Ourmessestablishmentwaslessinbulkthanthatofanyofthebrigadecommanders;norwasthisfromanindifferencetotheordinarycomfortsoflife,butbecauseIwantedtosettheexample,andgraduallytoconvertallpartsofthatarmyintoamobilemachine,willingandabletostartataminute’snotice,andtosubsistonthescantiestfood。Toreapabsolutesucceesmightinvolvethenecessityevenofdroppingallwagons,andtosubsistonthechancefoodwhichthecountrywasknowntocontain。IhadobtainednotonlytheUnitedStatescensus—tablesof1860,butacompilationmadebytheControlleroftheStateofGeorgiaforthepurposeoftaxation,containinginconsiderabledetailthe\"populationandstatistics\"ofeverycountyinGeorgia。Oneofmyaides(CaptainDayton)actedasassistantadjutantgeneral,withanorder—book,letter—book,andwriting—paper,thatfilledasmallchestnotmuchlargerthananordinarycandle—boa。Theonlyreportsandreturnscalledforweretheordinarytri—monthlyreturnsof\"effectivestrength。\"AstheseaccumulatedtheyweresentbacktoNashville,andafterwardwereembracedinthearchivesoftheMilitaryDivisionoftheMississippi,changedin1865totheMilitaryDivisionoftheMissouri,andIsupposetheywereburnedintheChicagofireof1870。Still,duplicatesremainofallessentialpapersinthearchivesoftheWarDepartment。
The6thofMaywasgiventoSchofieldandMcPhersontogetintoposition,andonthe7thGeneralThomasmovedinforceagainstTunnelHill,drivingoffamerepicket—guardoftheenemy,andI
wasagreeablysurprisedtofindthatnodamagehadbeendonetothetunnelortherailroad。FromTunnelHillIcouldlookintothegorgebywhichtherailroadpassedthroughastraightandwell—definedrangeofmountains,presentingsharppalisadefaces,andknownas\"RockyFace。\"Thegorgeitselfwascalledthe\"BuzzardRoost。\"Wecouldplainlyseetheenemyinthisgorgeandbehindit,andMillCreekwhichformedthegorge,flowingtowardDalton,hadbeendammedup,makingasortofirregularlake,fillingtheroad,therebyobstructingit,andtheenemy’sbatteriescrownedthecliffsoneitherside。Thepositionwasverystrong,andIknewthatsuchageneralaswasmyantagonist(Jos。
Johnston),whohadbeentheresixmonths,hadfortifiedittothemaximum。ThereforeIhadnointentiontoattackthepositionseriouslyinfront,butdependedonMcPhersontocaptureandholdtherailroadtoitsrear,whichwouldforceJohnstontodetachlargelyagainsthim,orrather,asIexpected,toevacuatehispositionatDaltonaltogether。MyorderstoGeneralsThomasandSchofieldweremerelytopressstronglyatallpointsinfront,readytorushinonthefirstappearanceof\"letgo,\"and,ifpossible,tocatchourenemyintheconfusionofretreat。
Allthemovementsofthe7thand8thweremadeexactlyasordered,andtheenemyseemedquiescent,actingpurelyonthedefensive。
Ihadconstantcommunicationwithallpartsofthearmy,andonthe9thMcPherson’sheadofcolumnenteredandpassedthroughSnakeCreek,perfectlyundefended,andaccomplishedacompletesurprisetotheenemy。Atitsfartherdebouchehemetacavalrybrigade,easilydriven,whichretreatedhastilynorthtowardDalton,anddoubtlesscarriedtoJohnstonthefirstseriousintimationthataheavyforceofinfantryandartillerywastohisrearandwithinafewmilesofhisrailroad。IgotashortnotefromMcPhersonthatday(writtenat2p。m。,whenhewaswithinamileandahalfoftherailroad,aboveandnearResaca),andweallfeltjubilant。I
renewedorderstoThomasandSchofieldtobereadyfortheinstantpursuitofwhatIexpectedtobeabrokenanddisorderedarmy,forcedtoretreatbyroadstotheeastofResaca,whichwereknowntobeveryroughandimpracticable。
ThatnightIreceivedfurthernoticefromMcPhersonthathehadfoundResacatoostrongforasurprise;thatinconsequencehehadfallenbackthreemilestothemonthofSnakeCreekGap,andwastherefortified。Iwrotehimthenextdaythefollowingletters,copiesofwhichareinmyletter—book;buthistomeweremerenotesinpencil,notretainedHEADQUARTERSMILITARYDIVISIONOFTHEMISSISSIPPI
INTHEFIELD,TUNNELHILL,GEORGIA,May11,1864
Major—GeneralMcPHERSON,commandingarmyoftheTennessee,SugarValley,Georgia。
GENERAL:Ireceivedbycourier(inthenight)yoursof5and8。30
P。M。ofyesterday。
Younowhaveyourtwenty—threethousandmen,andGeneralHookerisinclosesupport,sothatyoucanholdallofJos。Johnston’sarmyincheckshouldheabandonDalton。HecannotaffordtoabandonDalton,forhehasfixedituponpurposetoreceiveus,andheobservesthatwearecloseathand,waitingforhimtoquit。Hecannotaffordadetachmentstrongenoughtofightyou,ashisarmywillnotadmitofit。
Strengthenyourposition;fightanythingthatcomes;andthreatenthesafetyoftherailroadallthetime。But,totellthetruth,I
wouldrathertheenemywouldstayinDaltontwomoredays,whenhemayfindinhisrearalargerpartythanheexpectsinanopenfield。Atallevents,wecanthenchooseourownground,andhewillbeforcedtomoveoutofhisworks。IdonotintendtoputacolumnintoBuzzard—RoostGapatpresent。
Seethatyouareineasycommunicationwithmeandwithallhead—
quarters。Afterto—daythesupplieswillbeatRinggold。
Yours,W。T。SHERMAN,Major—Generalcommanding。
HEADQUARTERSMILITARYDIVISIONOFTHEMISSISSIPPI
INTHEFIELD,TUNNELHILL,GEORGIA,May11,1864—EveningMajor—GeneralMcPHERSON,commandingarmyoftheTennessee,SugarValley,GeorgiaGENERAL:TheindicationsarethatJohnstonisevacuatingDalton。
Inthatevent,Howard’scorpsandthecavalrywillpursue;alltherestwillfollowyourroute。Iwillbedownearlyinthemorning。
Trytostrikehimifpossibleabouttheforksoftheroad。
Hookermustbewithyounow,andyoumaysendGeneralGarrardbySummervilletothreatenRomeandthatflank。Iwillcauseallthelinestobefeltatonce。
W。T。SHERMAN,major—generalcommanding。
McPhersonhadstartledJohnstoninhisfanciedsecurity,buthadnotdonethefullmeasureofhiswork。Hehadinhandtwenty—threethousandofthebestmenofthearmy,andcouldhavewalkedintoResaca(thenheldonlybyasmallbrigade),orhecouldhaveplacedhiswholeforceastridetherailroadaboveResaca,andtherehaveeasilywithstoodtheattackofallofJohnston’sarmy,withtheknowledgethatThomasandSchofieldwereonhisheels。Hadhedoneso,IamcertainthatJohnstonwouldnothaveventuredtoattackhiminposition,butwouldhaveretreatedeastwardbySpringPlace,andweshouldhavecapturedhalfhisarmyandallhisartilleryandwagonsattheverybeginningofthecampaign。
Suchanopportunitydoesnotoccurtwiceinasinglelife,butatthecriticalmomentMcPhersonseemstohavebeenalittlecautious。
Still,hewasperfectlyjustifiedbyhisorders,andfellbackandassumedanunassailabledefensivepositioninSugarValley,ontheResacasideofSnake—CreekGap。Assoonasinformedofthis,I
determinedtopassthewholearmythroughSnake—CreekGap,andtomoveonResacawiththemainarmy。
Butduringthe10th,theenemyshowednosignsofevacuatingDalton,andIwaswaitingforthearrivalofGarrard’sandStoneman’scavalry,knowntobenearathand,eoastosecurethefulladvantagesofvictory,ofwhichIfeltcertain。Hooker’sTwentiethCorpswasatoncemoveddowntowithineasysupportingdistanceofMcPherson;andonthe11th,perceivingsignsofevacuationofDalton,Igavealltheordersforthegeneralmovement,leavingtheFourthCorps(Howard)andStoneman’scavalryinobservationinfrontofBuzzard—RoostGap,anddirectingalltherestofthearmytomarchthroughSnake—CreekGap,straightonResaca。Theroadswereonlysuchasthecountryafforded,mereroughwagon—ways,andtheseconvergedtothesinglenarrowtrackthroughSnake—CreekGap;butduringthe12thand13ththebulkofThomas’sandSchofield’sarmiesweregotthrough,anddeployedagainstResaca,McPhersonontheright,Thomasinthecentre,andSchofieldontheleft。Johnston,asIanticipated,hadabandonedallhiswell—prepareddefensesatDalton,andwasfoundinsideofResacawiththebulkofhisarmy,holdinghisdivisionswellinhand,actingpurelyonthedefensive,andfightingwellatallpointsofconflict。Acompletelineofintrenchmentswasfoundcoveringtheplace,andthiswasstronglymannedatallpoints。Onthe14thweclosedin,envelopingthetownonitsnorthandwest,andduringthe15thwehadadayofcontinualbattleandskirmish。