about 500 yards of the rebel intrenchments on the Chattahoochee. General Leggett's division moved down to Howell's Ferry on the Chattachoochee, drove the enemy away on the opposite side of the river, where tehy were erecting rifle- pits, left a brigade there and four 24- pounder howitzers, and then moved up the river toward the mouth of Nickajack Creek, and connected with Gresham. We had some [pretty] lively skirmishing and a good deal of artillery firing.

During thenight of July 9 the enemy evacuated his strong works and crossed the river.

July 10, Geenral Blair moved forward and occupied the enemy' works. Nothing further was done of importance in this quarter, except the sending of a brigade of General Leggett's division down the river to the vicinity of Sandtown, to picket the river, relieving the whole cavalry force of General Stoneman, that he might cross the river below and get on the enemy's communications.july 9, General Dodge's command was sent to Roswell Ffactory, via Marietta, arriving the 10th, when it crossed the river and occupied the bridge- head already constructed by Newton's divisoion, of the Fourth Army Corps. During the next two or three days he built a bridge, 600 or 700 feet long, across the river. General Logan followed General Dodge on the evening of the 12th, reaching Roswell on the morning of the 13th, and on the 15th crossed the Chattahoochee and took position on the left of General Dodge. General Blair, who had been temporarily detached to await the return of General Stoneman, rejoined the Army of the Tennessee, crossing the river on the morning of the 17th of July. That evening the head of column of this army reached Nancy's Creek, near the place called Cross Keys, on the Roswell Factory and Decatur road.

By General Sherman's Special Field Orders, Numbers 36, the army of General McPherson was dirceted to move toward Stone Mountain, and to secure strong ground within four miles of General Schofield's position near Decatur. Accordingly he pusued the route, via Blake's Mill, to Browning's Court- House, on the Stone Mountain road. The Fifteenth Corps, which led, was krected to hold itself in readiness to assist General Garrard if necessary, who had been instructed to break the Augusta and Atlanta Railroad. Subsequently General McPheerson dirceted General Logan to move forward a part of his caommand directly on the railroad. This he did effectually, destroying it for a considerable distance to the left or the Decatur foad. He encamped for that night near Henderson's Mill. On the 19th the army was concentrated near Decatur, and spent a part of the time in destoying the railroad. The 20th the command moved toward Atlanta in two columns, the Fifteenth, followed by the Sixteenth Corps on the direct road, and the Seventeenth on a settlement road south of the railroad. The Fifteenth Corps encountered the rebel skirmishers soon after leaving Decatur, and drove them steadily toward Atlanta. The column advanced to within two miles and a half of the city, when this corps was placed in position for defense. General Blair's command, after reaching about the same distance from the city, formed to the left of the Fifteenth Corps. The Sixteenth Corps placed one division between the Fifteenth and the Army of the Ohio and held the other in reserve. Regarding this movement, General Blair says:

Aftermarching three or four miles I struck the road running nearly north and south in front of Clay's house. At this point the Fourht Division, Brigadier- Geeral Greshams', dicovered the enemy posted a half or three- quarters of a mile west of Clay's road in a strip of timber, who immediately opened with artillery upon my advance. I immediately ordered up two batteries and silenced the enemy's artillery,