Today in History:

98 Series I Volume XXXVIII-II Serial 73 - The Atlanta Campaign Part II

Page 98 THE ATLANTA CAMPAIGN. Chapter L.

officers took the cartridge-boxes of the dead and wounded on the field, and distributed the cartridges among my men, and when the relief arrived I had two cartridges left and had just ordered fix bayonets, seeing that the enemy, observing the slackening of our fire, advanced. We were relieved by a regiment of the Third Division. This day cost me 11 man killed and 59 wounded, out of 245 muskets which I took into the fight; officers and men of my command behaved excellently. The 26th and 27th we remained in the third line of battle but had 2 men wounded by the enemy's sharpshooters, firing from the trees. On the 28th of May we struck camp at daybreak and marched to Kingston to bring an ammunition train to the front. We arrived at Kingston on the 29th of may, left again at dawn on the 30th with our train, and arrived in the afternoon of the 31st of May at same place from which we had started. We camped there over night, and the next day marched with our corps toward the left of the line. We took up a position for the night, our skirmishers keeping up a lively fire all night.

On the 2nd of June we continued our march to the left and took a position on the right of the Twenty-third Corps, while our pickets had a spirited engagement a new line was ordered, and we had to change our front and build a new line of works. Skirmishing and some artillery fire was kept up all day. The regiment remained in this position until the 5th of June. During the whole time a continual fire was kept up by our pickets, day and night. On the 5th we marched five miles east and pitched our camp five miles from Acworth. On the 6th of June we marched in a southeasterly direction and struck the pickets of the enemy near Lost Mountain about twelve miles west of Marietta. We formed line of battle, fronting southwest, and threw out our skirmishers. At 4 p. m. we changed our front to south and moved about a mile from the position we had occupied. Our pickets kept up a brisk skirmish with the enemy and their fire continued till late in the evening. We remained here on the 7th and 8th of June. On the 9th I was ordered to march to the extreme left of our division, and on the right of the Third. We pitched our camp there, behind the breast-works, and remained in the same position until the afternoon of the 11th, when my regiment marched with the division about a mile to the left. The regiment remained in this position until the 15th of June. Struck tents at 2 p. m. and marched toward, the enemy having fallen back. A little before dark we arrived at the top of a steep hill near Pine Hill, to re-enforce the Second Division, which had a pretty severe conflict with the enemy. The regiment formed line and marched forward under the fire of the enemy, relieved a regiment of the Second Division, and threw up breast-works; we were so close to the enemy's lines that it was very difficult to work, as the rebels kept up a constant fire, wounding 1 man severely. We remained behind our works during the forenoon of the 16th, the enemy shelling our lines and their sharpshooters firing constantly over our breast-works. At 2 p. m. we were relieved and placed in reserve, but still much exposed to the enemy's artillery fire. The enemy evacuated during the night. We struck camp at 9 a. m. on the 17th of June, following the rebels closely, and were soon greeted by their shells. We took a position in sight of the enemy's batteries, which were playing on us, and built our works in an open field, on a commanding position, the batteries in our rear shelling the woods


Page 98 THE ATLANTA CAMPAIGN. Chapter L.