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381 Series I Volume XXXVIII-I Serial 72 - The Atlanta Campaign Part I

Page 381 Chapter L. REPORTS, ETC.-ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND.

the enemy's intrenchments, and two brigades of my division were ordered to be in readiness to support the assaulting column and follow up any success that might be gained. Unfortunately, the attack was not successful, and as a consequence no part of my division was engaged. Constant skirmishing wore away the second week in front of Kenesaw Mountain, and brought us to Saturday night, July 2. On that night the enemy evacuated his position around Kenesaw Mountain, being the eight strong line of works abandoned, and retreated south of Marietta. Sunday morning, July 3, saw a renewal of the pursuit. Passing through Marietta, the enemies found again strongly intrenched some five miles south of the town. July 4 was passed in the usual skirmishing with the enemy and driving his pickets with our skirmishers. During the night of 4th the enemy abandoned his ninth line of works and retreated toward the Chattahoochee River. Pursuit was made early in the morning of the 5th, my division leading the Fourth Corps, and such was the vigor of the pursuit on the road we followed that the portion of the enemy retreating by this road was driven across the river and so closely followed that he was unable to take up or destroy his pontoon bridge. He had cut it loose from its moorings on the north side, but was unable to cut it loose on the southern side. Being under the guns of our skirmishers, the enemy was not able subsequently to get possession of the bridge.

Although the enemy had been driven across the river in front of the Fourth Corps on the 5th of July, he remained strongly intrenched lower down the river on the north side in front of other portions of our troops till Saturday night, July 9. Yielding that night his tenth intrenched position, the remainder of his force passed to the south side of the river. Tuesday, July 12, my division crossed the river at Powers' Ferry. Having reached the south side of the river it remained quietly in camp and enjoyed a much needed rest until Sunday, July 17. On that day it performed a critical and dangerous movement in moving down the river three miles from its supports (with a heavy force of the enemy in two and a half miles of it, having good roads to move on) to cover the laying down of a bridge and the passage of the Fourteenth Corps. Happily the whole operation was a success. Late in the afternoon the division returned to its camp, three miles up the river. Monday, July 18, the advance was resumed, and my division encamped for the night the corps at Buck Head. Tuesday, July 19, I was ordered to make a reconnaissance with two brigades of my division to Peach Tree Creek. Taking the First and Third Brigades I pushed rapidly to the creek, driving in the light parties of the enemy. The opposition was inconsiderable, and on approaching the stream it was found the enemy had previously burned the bridge, which must have been a considerable structure. The enemy was found intrenched on the opposite bank of the creek. About noon I received an order to force a passage of the stream and secure a lodgment on the southern side. I detailed the Third Brigade (Colonel Knefler) for this service. The average width of the creek is about thirty feet and the average depth about five feet. The crossing was effected in the following manner: 100 picked men (50 from the Seventy-ninth Indiana and 50 from the Ninth Kentucky) were selected to go over first and deploy rapidly as skirmishers to drive back the enemy's skirmishers seen to be deployed on the opposite bank. The brigade was moved down the stream some distance, to


Page 381 Chapter L. REPORTS, ETC.-ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND.