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The detachment crossed the stream, as
ordered, and the work of loosening the
planks was commenced by the others.
The scouting paity, however, had
scarcely begun deploying on the east
side of the creek before the Confeder
ates, who had been watching them
some couple of hundred yards distant,
at the edge of the woods on the sum
mit of the elevation rising from the
bridge, opened fire, from a couple of
pieces of artillery. The very first dis
charge secured the range of the bridge,
and a bombshell exploding upon it,
knocked up some of the planks, and
killed one man, and wounded two oth
ers. Almost at the same instant a
volley of musketry was fired from the
same position.
The work of destruction of the
bridge by the Federals instantly
ceased, and there was a stampede for
cover to the forest near by. The de
tachment of cavalry on the east bank,
seeing the folly of attempting to cross
the bridge under a raking fire, gal
loped northeastward, down the creek,
endeavoring to find some other cross
ing place. After going about a mile
and a half and finding no regular ford,
they swam their horses through the
stream, and thus escaped.
In the meantime, the Confederates
charged across the bridge, dispersed
the cavalry, and immediately turned
downward, towards Alexander’s Bridge,
about one mile and a half distant, and,
after quite a struggle, possession of this
was also secured. i
Later on, during the day, crossing .
was effected at several other points. :
Accordingly, the next morning found
Bragg’s army in line of battle, on the
northwest side of West Chickamauga
Creek.
The struggle then began, which con
tinued with such desperate fury, and
resulted in such distressing carnage to
both sides, during the next three days.
Bragg’s object seems to have been to
crush Rosecrans’ left wing, and secure
possession of the road leading through
Missionary Ridge, via Rossville to
Chattanooga.
The result of the battle is well
known. Rosencrans’ army was routed
and driven back to Chattanooga; and,
but for the, stand which General
Thomas took, on Snodgrass Hill, and
his heroic defence of that position, and
the check which he gave to the Con
federates at that point, the defeat of
Rosencrans would have been a crush
ing one, and the sweep of the Confed
erate advance may have extended
back to Kentucky, and have almost
changed the fate of the war. “But
great battles are fought behind the
stars.”
The struggle at Snodgrass Hill was
desperate and bloody in the extreme,
and was characterized as being ‘unques
tionably one of the most terrific musket
ry duels ever witnessed; ’ but Thomas,
having been reinforced by Granger
and Steadman, who had moved, with
out orders, to join him, held this posi
tion until all the rest of the Federal
line of battle had been routed, and
only retreated on the evening of the
THE GREAT KENNESAW ROUTE GAZETTE.
20th, under orders from General Rose
crans himself.
The total losses sustained have never
been definitely ascertained ; but it is
generally estimated that there were
26,000 men killed and wounded in the
two armies, during these bloody three
days, on and near the banks of the
Chickamauga, or ‘ River of Death,’
as the Indians had prophetically named
it.
Among the killed was the Federal
General Lytle, the author of the fa
mous and beautiful poem, ‘ I am dy
ing, Egypt, dying.’
Os his death the Nashville Union, a
few days after the battle, said :
‘ He, with hundreds of his loyal
soldiers, lias consecrated with his life
blood the soil of Georgia to the Re
public. Let us solemnly pledge our
selves that the State thus baptized by
blood so dear shall never pass from
the possession of the Union. It isour
heritage and the heritage of our chil
dren forever, signed to us in the name
of freedom and sealed with the blood
of patriots.’
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The Confederates captured 8,000
prisoners, fifty-one cannon, over 15,-
000 stand of small arms, about forty
standards, and an enormous amount of
army stores.
Tim battle-field was principally in a
level, thickly wooded plain, where it
was hard to use artillery with much
effect, and where the movements of
large bodies of trocps were veiled in
obscurity.
It is stated that there were numer
ous instances of where portions of one
army’s line were driven back by its
enemy, and these in turn would soon
find themselves caught by a cross-fire,
or almost surrounded by a counter
successful movement by the other side.
The strength of Rosecrans’ army,
during the three days struggle, was
was 64,392 men. Bragg opened with
33,583 the first day; but during the
second, was re-inforced by Longstreet’s
corps, which had just arrived from
Virginia, and which made his total
force engaged, 47,321.
Longstreet’s troops arrived via the
Western and Atlantic railroad, and de
ployed from the trains at Ringgold
and Greenwood, just below, and hur
ried into the midst of the fray.
As the result of this battle the Fed
eral army was driven back into Chat
tanooga ; and the Confederates occu
pied Missionary Ridge and Lookout
Mountain, from which latter they
could overlook Chattanooga, and by
the possession of which they were en
abled to break Rosecrans’ communica
tions by rail with Nashville. They
also re-occupied Bridgeport.”
The Western and Atlantic Railroad
Company has a special “ theater-goer’s
rate,” from Marietta to Atlanta, of 50
cents for the round trip. Numbers of
people come down from Marietta to At
lanta on the evening train, attend the
theatre, leave Atlanta at 11 and reach
Marietta before 12 o’clock midnight.
Whenever necessary, the Western and
Atlantic railroad holds the 11 o’clock
train until 11:15 p. m., for the accom
dation of theatre-goers.
Over forty battles were fought along
the line of, or within cannon sound of
the Western and Atlantic railroad.
Excursion round trip rates from
Marietta to Allatoona and return, 75
cents. Allatoona is the place whereon
was located the fort to which General
Sherman signaled from the top of Ken
nesaw mountain, near Marietta, “Hold
the fort, for I am coming,” whence
comes the famous gospel hymn.
Only via the Western and Atlantic
railroad can you go to Elizabeth, “the
marble city of Georgia,” where there
is the most wonderful marble cutting
machinery in the world. Tourists
will miss it if they do not stop at Ma
rietta and go up to Elizabeth, only
two miles distant, immediately at the
foot of the famous Kennesaw Moun
tain.
The Western and Atlantic railroad
is the only line by which passengers
from the West are landed in the
Union Depot in Atlanta, just across
the street from the Kimball House and
Markham House, the Southern Ex
press Office and the Western Union
Telegraph Office, and immediately in
not only the geographical but the busi
ness center of the city.
Marietta,
The Sanitarium of Georgia.
While winter tourists are looking for
the region which presents the best and
most pleasant climate, it will be of in
terest to them to read the following ex
tract from the Marietta Folder, issued
by the Passenger Department of the
Western and Atlantic railroad, rela
tive to “ Marietta, the Sanitarium of
Georgia ”:
“ It is also within one hour's ride of
Atlanta, and with about a half dozen
trains per day each way between the
two cities, it can readily be seen that
tourists stopping at Marietta can have
practically the advantages of Atlanta
without a great many of the discom
forts which attend a bustling, active
place of business.
The water is pure free-stone, the
drainage is unsurpassed, the surround
ing scenery is very beautiful, the so
ciety is noted for culture and refine
ment and the climate is superb.
The average temperature for six
months, from November to dur
ing a period of four years, was as fol
lows: 1875-76, degrees; 1876-
77, 44 degrees; 1877-78, 474 degrees;
1878-79, 44| degrees.
In this connection, it is worthy of
note that on the sides of the famous
KENNESAW MOUNTAIN there is
a considerable growth of cactus, or
prickly pear. This shows that the
same atmospheric conditions exist at
and near Marietta as in New Mexico,
which is considered the SANITARI
UM OF AMERICA for all afflicted
with pulmonary or bronchial diseases,
inasmuch as this growth abounds in the
territory named. The dry, bracing at
mosphere is very exhilarating to inval
ids, and has been much resorted to on
this account, and is greatly to be pre
ferred, during the fall and spring
months, to the damp, warm air of
Florida.
Marietta is also the southern termi
nus of the Marietta and North Geor
gia railroad, which penetrates the
mountainous region of Georgia, and it
has been said by a first-class authority
that “ you never see the true glory of
Georgia until you see her mountains.”
The United States census reports
show that this region is the healthiest
in America, without exception, for
those who are threatened with pulmo
nary diseases. Out of every 1,000
deaths, only twenty-eight in North
Georgia are from diseases of the char
acter named. In North Carolina the
number is thirty-two per 1,000, while
in some of the New England States it
runs up to as high as about 190 per
1,000. Such a contrast is really re
markable. Hay fever has never been
known among the inhabitants of this
region. We may judge of the general
health from the fact that the United
States census reports of 1880 show the
following death-rate per 1,000 of the
living population in the counties
named : Gilmer 8, Union 9 and Fan
nin s—the5 —the latter, by the way, being
possibly the healthiest county in Amer
ica. Instances of striking longevity
are noted in these counties.”