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/ fl Z>Wul yl w^/vP?^ 3 ..^XW-^J’--IP>l lilAjLrl l I—,, VOL. I. Battles of Resaca, Ga. May 9th, 13th, 14th and 15th, 1864. From “The Mountain Campaigns in Georgia, or War Scenes on the W. A A.” we are permitted to make the following extracts, which refer to the fighting at Resaca, Ga., immediately on the line •of the Western and Atlantic Rail road, during May, 1864: On this same day (May 9th) quite an important fight occurred at Resaca, between two brigades of Confederates, under General Canty, and the army of the Tennessee, under Major-General McPherson, who had made a fiank movement through Snake Creek Gap, for the purpose of capturing the town :and railroad bridge in Johnston’s rear, which lasted till dark, and resulted in the repulse of the Federals. During the night, General Johnston sent down Hood’s corps of three divis ions, under Generals Hindman, Cle burne and Walker, and, finding these too strong for him, McPherson retreat ed to Snake Creek Gap and entrenched. Snake Creek Gap, which played so important apart in this movement, and in shaping the general results of the ■campaign, cannot be better described than in the following quotation, also, from General Cox: Snake Creek is an insignificant branch of the Oostanaula, running southward between high and rugged ridges, which, on the east, are nearly continuous with Rocky Face, and are known by the general name of Chat toogata Mountains. On the west the parallel range is called Horn Moun tain. A watershed half-way from Tunnel Hill to the Oostanaula sepa rates the sources of Mill Creek from those of Snake Creek, and this divide is properly the gap. The whole pass, however, is known by the name, and is a wild and picturesque defile, five or six miles long. Hardly a cabin was to be, seen in its whole length, lhe road was only such a track as country wagons had worn in the bed of the stream or along the foot of the moun tain. The forest shut it in, and only for a little while at midday did the sun enter it. Near its southern ex tremity it reached the more open country bordering the river, THE BATTLE OF RESACA NUMBER. which here runs for a little way nearly west, and roads branch off to Resaca, eastward, and southward to Calhoun, turning the south end of the precipi tous ridges, which guard Dalton on the west. Resaca itself stands in the el bow at the junction of the Connasauga with the Oostanaula, and on the north bank of the latter stream. Camp Creek, another small stream, flows into the river just west of the village, and the high plateau bordering it and the more rugged hills between it and the Connasauga a little further north, made it a very strong place for the en trenched camp which the Confederate commander had prepared there. — (“Atlanta,” pages 35, 36.) General Sherman says of this en gagement that McPherson: r 5 c 5 * * * * had not done the full measure of his work. He bad in hand twenty-three thousand of the best men of the army, and could have walked into Resaca (then held only by a small brigade), or he could have placed his whole force astride the railroad above Resaca, and there have easily with stood the attack of Johnston’s army, with the knowledge that Thomas and Schofield were on his heels. * * * ATLANTA, GA., APRIL, 1886. -W I 0 /A lOgH ifHBWzaW; C WJW*- / £ < Church*,/ ip ■few i r wjtw VrrM / \j Y 7 r jf°t\ i® lu SW fA«^ ors \ MiU ? ( 1 s iffeRWR u ( v€ o™ stiner |j RSgyfe jR; or (Tah/ner’s) Ferri f/I . 16,1867./ / map of R /// •RESACA- " VvA. V/ AND VICINITY. \ A f \\ 1 V, 0 1 e S MILES \ WzC’ N, t =BS i= Eaj t=-„ —i . N, I -I \ C <v V >A'£ALHOUN MATTHEWS, NORTHRUP & CO., ART-PRINTINB WORKS, BUFFALO, N. Y. * Such an opportunity does not come twice in a single life; but at the criti cal moment McPherson seems to have been a littl° timid. Still he was per fectly justified by his orders, and fell back, and assumed a defensive position in Sugar Valley, on the Resaca side of Snake Creek Gap. As soon as I was informed of this, I determined to pass the whole army through Snake Creek Gap, and move on to Resaca with the main army. —(Sherman’s Memoirs, Vcl. 11, panes 34, 35.) During the next day, another at tempt was made upon the Confederates at Mill Creek Gap; but resulted in a Federal repulse. On the evening of the 11th, General Johnston ordered General Wheeler to move, at daylight the next day, around the end of Rocky Face Ridge, towards Tunnel Hill, with all of his available cavalry, to ascertain if the movement southward by the Federal army had been a general one. General Hind man was instructed to support Wheeler with his division. The Confederates encountered Stoneman’s cavalry at this point, and drove them back, with a loss to the latter of 150 men and some 400 loaded wagons. This reconnaissance confirmed the impression that almost the entire Fed eral army was marching toward Snake Creek Gap on its way to Resaca. Accordingly, Dalton * was evacuated the next day by the Confederate army, which retired to Resaca. The Federal army approaching Re saca on the Snake Creek Gap road, was met about a mile from the place by Loring’s division, and held in check long enough to enable Hardee’s and Hood’s corps, then just arriving, to occupy their ground undistured. As the army was formed (in two lines) Polk’s and Hardee’s corps were west of the place and railroad, facing to the west, the former on the left, with its left resting on the Oostanaula. Hood’s corps extended from Hardee’s right across the railroad to the Connasauga, facing to the northwest. There was brisk skirmishing all the afternoon of May 13th on Polk’s front, and that of Hardee’s left division — Cheatham’s. —(Johnston’s Narra tive, pages 309, 310.) Early the next day, the skirmishers became engaged along the entire line, beginning on the west. “Those of Polk’s corps, from some unaccountable mistake, abandoned their ground, which was regained only by great per sonal efforts on the part of their field officers, * * * * A vigorous as sault was made upon Hindman’s divis ion; but the assailants were repulsed.” Later on during the day, Lieutenant- General Hood was ordered to attack the Federal left, with Stewart’s and Stevenson’s divisions. This movement began about six o’clock in the after noon, and was conducted by the Con federates with admirable precision and vigor, and before dark the Federal left was driven from its ground. * On August 15, 1864, Dalton was cap tured by Wheeler’s cavalry, who were raid ing Sherman’s communications. The Con federates secured 200 prisoners and destroyed considerable army stores, etc., and then went northward. Dalton was also captured by Hood’s army, on its grand retrograde movement, after the fall of Atlanta. There was a sharp fight south of the town. The Confed erates here captured the garrison, a regiment of negro troops. This was on October 13, 1864. NO. 4.