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BATTLE OF ALLATOONA.
Aa Seen from the Confederate Batteries on the South.
east by the Federate. A little later
Tourtellotte was reinforced by four
companies (about 90 men) of the
Eighteenth Wisconsin.
But previous to this time, however,
further over to the east Sears’ left wing
found it very difficult to form for the
attack on the hill side along the edge
of the mill-pond, below the guns of
the fort and the line of works extend
ing along the crest of the ridge west
of it, and, after a gallant charge,
which extended along the entire front
east of the cut, and which was repeat
ed twice, as above shown, they were
compelled to give over the attempt.
The ridge was too steep and irregular,
the entanglement too intricate, and
the works on the crest too strong and
heavily-manned to admit the possibil
ity of success.
To have insured success for their
attack on the east of the railroad they
should have had at least three times as
many as the Federate, whereas, on the
contrary, the Federate absolutely out
numbered them there.
Still they held their position near
the foot of the hill, and by constantly
and energetically menacing Tourtel
lotte’s front, forced him after the two
Illinois regiments left him, to call to
his aid a portion of the Eighteenth
Wisconsin regiment, even while Corse
was so sorely pressed on the other
side of the pass.
In the meantime on the west side of
the cut, at the star fort, as already no
ted, the Federal fire had virtually
ceased, as is shown by the following
incident:
One of General Cockrell’s couriers,
named JamesH. Johnson, on his horse,
leisurely rode up almost to the works
on the northerly side, and sat there
unmolested by any one in the fort.
This act of the courier was noticed by
General French. He could not imag
ine what a man on horseback was do
ing there under the walls of the fort,
sitting on his horse without apparent-
ly any object in view, and called the
attention of those with him to John
son’s position ; and the incident is men
tioned here to show that the fire from
the garrison at times was entirely
silenced, or else they were out of am
munition, which is not referred to in
any official report.*
A Federal officer who was there, in
fact, informed the writer that “General
Corse brought all the ammunition for
his entire division on the train on
which he arrived with the 1,054 men,
and that the train was then sent back
to Rome for the balance of the divi
sion, but did not return until the bat
tle was over.”
On this point, Major Sanders
writes:
It is true that mounted officers rode
around and under the guns of the Federate
with perfect impunity, and no shot was
fired upon them; in fact, firing from tlie
fort at this time was completely silenced.
A leading officer in Cockrell’s brig
ade, in a letter to the writer of this ar
ticle, bears precisely the same tes
timony as Major Sanders. He says
that General Cockrell himself kept in
his saddle and rode around west and
northwest of the fort, watching the
movements, etc. At a distance of about
seventy-five yards from the fort the Gen
eral sat on his horse for some time,
watching the fort through his field
glasses, yet the Federal fire was of such
random and scattering character 4- that
he was not interfered with, although
he could easily have been picked off of
his horse, or the horse killed
During this time the depots of stores
were in possession of the Confederates,
and could without doubt have been des
troyed, but General French was not
aware that it was an army depot of
Since the foregoing was put in print the writer
of this article has received a letter from Mr
Johnson, himself (who now resides in Sikeston,
M 0.,) in wh'ch he says, regarding this incident:
*‘l remember riding up very close to the fort,
though I am not able to say just how many yards
it was ; but the distance was short, as I was close
enough to tell what the Federals were doing in
there.”
THE KENNESAW GAZETTE.
supplies. As it was some Confederates
obtained new outfits of boots, shoes and
other articles. Had General French
been made aware of the great number
of rations in store there he would sure
ly have had them burnt at the time
when in his possession. He only learned
the truth from prisoners after he had
withdrawn his forces from the south
front.
A
The ammunition wagons were of
necessity left in the road behind the
artillery; for the rugged nature of the
country prevented the sending of them
with the division.
About noon the supply of ammuni
tion carried into action by the Con
federates on their persons, was greatly
depleted and, in many instances, entire
ly exhausted, and had to be brought
in sacks by men detailed for that pur
pose, about a mile, over the rough,
rocky hills, to be distributed.
Just about this period the following
ludicrous incident occurred, which, as it
points its own moral, is here introduced
without further comment:
A Confederate having a prisoner
with him in the ditch said to him,
“Here, Mr. Yank, hand me that gun.”
Receiving it, he examined its make.
It was a Henry rifle, which, with the
improvements, is now known as the
W inchester.
Raising it to his shoulder he tried it
on the first “Yank” he saw; but it would
not go off; so he called out, “Here, old
fellow, show me how to make this
darned thing shoot, and be quick about
it, too.
The prisoner showed him how the
“darned thing” worked, and he soon
expended all the cartridges in the cham
ber on the enemy.
But now, having learned how to
“run the machine,” he demanded more
cartridges, and, in language more for
cible perhaps than polite, insisted that
some be obtained from the bodies of
the dead that were lying around them.
A supply was thus procured; but the
“Confed” was now no better off than
before ; he could not load the rifle, so,
handing it to the “Yank,” he got the
chamber filled, and commenced pop
ping away at any head th at was shown
above the parapet.
***
At an early stage in the conflict Gen
eral French received by carrier from
General Armstrong information that
the enemy’s cavalry was moving up tow
ards Allatoona; but he did not believe
that cavalry could interfere seriously
with his plans or render much assist
ance to the forces penned up in the forts
on the mountain ridge.
However, at 12 :15 p. m., a second
courier from General Armstrong arriv
ed, and handed to General French
the following dispatch, written at 9
a. m. :
My scouts report enemy’s infantry ad
vancing up the railroad
They are now entering Big Shanty. They
have a cavalry force east of the railroad.
The second-dispatch from General
Armstrong gave the important inform
ation that a second new factor (Gen
eral Corse’s command being the first)
was about to enter into the fight, and
complicate the solution of the problem
yet more from the original one. The
courier said the column of infantry
entered Big Shanty at 8 a. m.
To realize the gravity of French’s
position at this eventful hour, one
should examine the map, and he will
see that while French was at Allatoo
na, Hood at New Hope and Sherman
at Kennesaw, the latter was as near
French, with fairly good roads to
march his troops over, as Hood was;
and in addition that Raum’s cavalry
was between Allatoona and the Eto
wah River, and that there were gar
risons at Cartersville, Kingston, and
Rome. Also, that Sherman during
that identical morning was in com
munication, through his signal corps,
with al] these detachments north of