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VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT OF KENNESAW MOUNTAIN, LOOKING NORTH.
The High Peak on the Horizon in the Center is Allatoona Signal Mountain, to which General Sherman’s Signal Message to Gen, Corse was sent.
Kennesaw. Besides, if Hood had
have attempted to protect French, the
Hank of the assisting column would
have been exposed to Sherman’s supe
rior numbers. And still another im
portant consideration, if French de
cided to remain at Allatoona and cap
ture the works, troops and stores, and
call on Hood to send him aid to hold
what he had gained, how was he to
get his message to Hood ? Only by
sending some reliable officer to him on
horseback, and this would necessarily
be slow.
Recalling his former convictions,
that, at this time, the Southern Con
federacy existed only in the strength of
its army, General French deemed it of
more importance to save his division by
rejoining General Hood at New Hope,
as ordered, than to remain, capture the
works, and then be caught in a cul de
sac, and perhaps have to sacrifice most
of his command.
Calling his boy-guide aside, General
French said to him, “When we capture
this fort I wish to go to New Hope
Church. What road must we take? ’
He answered, “You can take the
road funning over th is ridge through the
fortifications, or go back to the bridge
across Allatoona creek where you left
P"-
jOm Uh
U > -B U
If!// 11l I 111 1 " ’"7 r
ON KENNESAW, OCT. 5, 1864,
Signaling Allatoona.
that gun and a regiment, and take the
Acworth and Dallas road which turns
to the right.”
“But,” said General French, “I don’t
want to go back towards Acworth.”
The boy was then questioned in re
gard to reaching New Hope Church by
crossing Pumpkin vine creek, and he
declared that neither artillery nor wag
ons could go that way, and that the
water in the creek would be up to the
arm-pits of the men.
General French, under the circum
stances, sent for General Young, com
manding Ector’s brigade, and other
available commanding officers, showed
them the dispatch and repeated
what the guide had said. He asked
them if it were better to hold on and
capture the garrison—which he be
lieved to be only a question of a few
hours’ time —or to withdraw, and gain
the Dallas road before it was in posses
sion of the troops advancing from Big
Shanty to assist the garrison, and save
the division and join the army under
General Hood twenty miles distant.
They were not inclined at first to re
linquish the attack and give up so
much already gained to insure a vic
tory ultimately. But the necessity of
withdrawing by reason of Sherman’s
THE KENNESAW GAZETTE.
pushing his advanced column up the
railroad (and not doubting that they
were already in Acworth), and the
time that must be consumed in bring
ing a fresh supply of ammunition by
hand from the wagons and distributing
it to troops sheltered as they were in
broken lines around the two forts
would have required at least twc
hours before arrangements could be
made for a concentrated attack en
masse on the weak side —these were all
grave considerations.
The idea of abandoning the attack
was humiliating to all. Colonel Eli
jah Gates, of Missouri troops, ex
pressed the opinion that, considering
that the fire from the forts was so
completely subdued, he could &
carry the main fort by assault
in twenty minutes after
ammunition was dist ri b
uted, and that his attack would be
made on the sally-port on the north
easterly side, and that he had posses
sion of a ditch in front of the fort.
This was probably the old and, at that
time, abandoned Cartersville and Ac
worth road above that which comes
up the hillside on the south and is for a
short distance but a few steps from
the fort. As previously shown the pre
sent one was cut into the hillside, form
ing an excellent cover for troops in line,
and the old one was just below the fort.
Colonel Gates could have passed
around to the north under cover of the
upper slope of the pass.
***
General Sherman was on Kennesaw
Mountain. This-dispatch in substance
was received from him by the Federal
commander, “Hold on to Allatoona to
the last. I will send you help,” and
was urging his relief columns to move
forward rapidly.
The writer has talked with General
Cockrell about this battle. The Gen
eral said:
While sitting on my horse, with my opera
glasses I could plainly see the signals from
General Sherman on Kennesaw Mountain
to General Corse.
In General French’s report, refer
ring to his delay at Acworth he says :
From an eminence near Acworth the
enemy could be seen communicating mes
sages by their night signals from Allatoona,
with the station on Kennesaw.
Further on in his report he says:
I did not doubt thst the enemy would
endeavor to get in my rear to intercept my
return. He was in the morning but three
hours distant, and ha I been signaled to re
peatedly, during the battle.
iW
Ty
iS:
CT
-
THE SIGNAL TREE-*
On Allatoona mountain.
Continued on page 10.
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