MARIETTA, GA., October 3, 1864-10.15 a. m. Lieutenant FISH: Tell operators at Big Shanty and Allatoona to send men. Break both sides of Big Shanty. KENESAW MOUNTAIN, October 3, 1864-10.30 a. m. ALLATOONA OPERATOR: Wires down both sides of Marietta. How is line between you and Big Shanty? [Lieutenant FISH:] FISH, Signal Officer. ALLATOONA, October 3, 1864-11.15 a. m. Can work with Big Shanty at times. Have sent repairer there. Tell Marietta to send his repairer north. O. K. north of here. FARNHAM, Operator. KENESAW MOUNTAIN, October 3, 1864-1 p. m.. Captain BACHTELL: Wire down both sides Marietta; also between Big Shanty and Allatoona. North of Allatoona all O. K. All quiet here. the southwest. Cannonading to FISH, Signal Officer. KENESAW MOUNTAIN,* October 3, 1864-2 p. m. OPERATOR AT ALLATOONA: Inquire by telegraph of Cartersville, Kingston, and Rome, if there is any news there. SHERMAN, KENESAW MOUNTAIN, October 3, 1864-3 p. m.. Captain RANDALL, A large body of rebel cavalry are now about three miles due west, near the railroad. Question. Can you see any teams? Answer. One ambulance. FISH. * Question. Are they not railroad repairers? How many can you see? Answer. No. About a regiment. Question. General wishes to know certain if they are rebels? Answer. Yes; they are rebels. They fired into the train. Originally sent by Sherman from Atlanta, addressed to Commanding Officer at Allatoona, and repeated by signal from Kenesaw. SPECIAL ORDERS, * HDQRS. SEVENTEENTH ARMY CORPS, * VII. This command will move to-morrow morning as follows, viz: First, the Third Division, Brig. Gen. M. D. Leggett, will take the advance, moving promptly at 5 o'clock, on a road to be indicated by a staff officer from these headquarters; second, the Fourth Division, Brigadier-General Belknap, will follow the Third Division, keeping well closed on its rear; third, the supply train of the corps, under charge of Lieut. Col. E. M. Joel, chief quartermaster, will follow the Fourth Division; fourth, the First Division, Brigadier General Fuller, will move at 9 o'clock on the road toward Atlanta, and will fall into the column in rear of the wagon train. 2. The men will be supplied with three days' rations in haversacks, from to-morrow morning. 3. Upon receipt of this order each division commander will send a staff officer to these headquarters for additional instructions. By command of Brig. Gen. T. E. G. Ransom: [ROWLAND COX,] Assistant Adjutant-General. HDQRS. MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, I have ordered Generals Stanley and Davis to march their commands to the old rebel lines at Smyrna Camp, this side of Marietta, to counteract a similar move by our antagonist. I will leave General Slocum in command here with his corps and the small headquarters guard, and with the rest of the army will strike at the enemy if he attempts to make a lodgment on the road this side of Kingston. I give you the notice that you may understand the movement of troops. Your headquarters for the present had better remain as now. Yours, truly, ་ W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General, Commanding. Major-General SHERMAN: NASHVILLE, October 3, 1864-10 p. m. I reached this place at 2 p. m. to-day, and found that Rousseau had organized and dispatched his troops down the Alabama road as far as Franklin, and will continue after Forrest until he overtakes him, if Forrest does not get cross the river before he reaches him. Major-General Washburn is coming up the Tennessee River with 3,000 cavalry and 1,500 infantry. He was directed by Webster before my arrival to land his infantry at Johnsonville to aid in the protection of the depot there, and to proceed up the river to Clifton with his cavalry, and to move toward Athens for the purpose of striking Forrest's flank or cutting oft his communication with Bainbridge. General Morgan, as I dispatched you last night, is moving from Athens upon Bainbridge, so it appears to me there is a fair chance of hemming Forrest in and destroying his command. The river is not fordable, and if we seize his means of crossing at Bainbridge he will be unable to cross anywhere else, and I think Rousseau ought certainly to destroy him. Two Ohio and three Kentucky regiments of the re-enforcements have arrived and are being distributed along the railroad. GEO. H. THOMAS, NASHVILLE, TENN., October 3, 1864-10.30 p. m. Maj. T. T. ECKERT: Enemy gone from Decatur railroad, having destroyed four miles of it, including three bridges over Carter's Creek, in addition to those already reported. Morgan caught Buford near Athens and punished him slightly. General Thomas arrived here to-day. No wires farther than Dalton, where Wheeler has again appeared and cut them and railroad. Hood said to have gone to Blue Mountain, to what end no one conceives. J. C. VAN DUZER. HDQRS. SECOND DIVISION, FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS, Captain RAMSEY, Asst. Adjt. Gen., General Thomas' Staff, Nashville, Tenn.: My command has just reached this point. Most of yesterday and all night repairing railroad between Huntsville and the Decatur Junction. The road from junction to this point all right; from this, to Athens the road badly cut up. Citizens living here inform me that rebel cavalry moved toward Tennessee River night before last and yesterday morning. Our forces have possession of Athens. Capt. R. H. RAMSEY, J. D. MORGAN, ATHENS, ALA., October 3, 1864-7 p. m. A. A. G., Major-General Thomas' Staff, Nashville, Tenn. : Your dispatch, dated Tullahoma, October 2, 10 p. m., received at 6.30 this p. m. As soon as the rations and wagons arrive I will move, as directed, to Bainbridge. The opinion of officers here is that Buford, with his forces, has succeeded in crossing the Tennessee. It has been raining heavily for nearly twenty-four hours. I am fearful if it continues during the night Elk River will be unfordable to-morrow. Not having pontoons, this, of course, would prevent my reaching Bainbridge in time. I shall have to wait for my train and supplies, there being none in the country. 11.45 P. M. Two railroad trains just arrived loaded with rations and wagons. There are but 175 cavalrymen here. J. D. MORGAN, Major-General THOMAS: CHATTANOOGA, October 3, 1864. Cavalry returned from near Lebanon last night, report two corps rebel infantry near Blue Mountain. They draw supplies from Talladega by rail. The country is very full of Hood's, Wheeler's, and Wetherspoon's scouts. JOHN E. SMITH, Brigadier-General, Maj. S. B. MOE: WARTRACE, October 3, 1864. General Wagner will send all the force necessary to protect the railroad. Engage.Wheeler and drive him out of the district.. I am here with General Thomas, and go to take command of the troops to engage Forrest. JAMES B. STEEDMAN, Major-General. DALTON, October 3, 1864. Maj. S. B. MOE, Assistant Adjutant-General: The troops sent me arrived two hours ago. Wheeler did not attack this morning, as I expected he would. He summoned me to surrender unconditionally, which I refused. He then left during the night, moving southeast of the railroad. His force is estimated at from 5,000 to 4,000 men, with four guns without ammunition, and a large [sic]. My lieutenant-colonel, who received the flag of truce, saw over 1,000 men in line at the bridge south of here. I had no men captured. The bridge. south of here is very slightly impaired; can be repaired in two hours. The railroad as far as five miles south of here, as far as the cavalry have been, with above exception, is all right. At Tilton I understand a few men were captured. The bridge north of here and the Tuketee are all right. Telegraph is being repaired now. Two divisions of rebel cavalry were reported last night six miles east of here at the foot of Tukotee Ridge. I notified commander at Calhoun of Wheeler's movements by courier. Shall I retain the regiment sent me for the present? Please answer. L. JOHNSON, Colonel, Commanding. CHATTANOOGA, TENN., October 3, 1864. Brig. Gen. L. P. BRADLEY, Commanding at Bridgeport: The enemy were threatening at Dalton yesterday. I have sent three of my regiments there. Major-General THOMAS: G. D. WAGNER, Brigadier-General, Commanding. HUNTSVILLE, October 3, 1864. The following information, collected from my scouts, just returned from north of Meridian, and deserter, is perfectly reliable: On Thursday, after Forrest's command had passed Fayetteville eight or nine miles, Forrest divided his forces, sending his train under escort of Buford's division and one brigade, in all between 4,000 to 5,000 men, by Athens, to recross the river. Buford on Friday night and Saturday morning [was] in the neighborhood of this city, as I have reported. Forrest himself on Friday night was within six miles of city, and no doubt signed the communication sent to me. The force, which he (Forrest) is to command in person, turned off toward Nashville on Thursday, and, the deserter states, is going through to Kentucky. The deserter's statement in all else has been confirmed. He says that the force with Forrest is 5,000. Deserter says that it is expected that Wheeler would co-operate with Forrest in destruction of Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad. R. S. GRANGER, Brigadier-General. HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE, At last I have improvised a mobile force, able, I think, to fight and whip Forrest, though that is not so easily done. My new command, on horses and mules and in wagons, is now at and near Franklin, and will go twelve miles beyond that point this evening. I am waiting to see General Thomas, expected every moment, when I shall join my command and hunt up and fight Forrest, when I can catch him. He has destroyed the railroad from Spring Hill to Athens, I suppose, or nearly so. The block-house garrisons stampeded and surrendered. I hope we shall defeat and destroy Forrest now, and save the Chattanooga railroad. We shall see. The mounting and organization of my command began yesterday at noon by General Johnson, whose efficiency is unequaled. LOVELL H. ROUSSEAU, HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE, Maj. Gen. GEORGE H. THOMAS, Commanding Department of the Cumberland: GENERAL: General Starkweather telegraphs that Mary McNell, one of our scouts, who left Florence this morning, and other scouts just in from the Tennessee River, report that that stream has risen four feet, and is not now fordable. I have telegraphed to Johnsonville to know if this is correct. I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Maj. B. H. POLK: PULASKI, TENN., October 3, 1864. My couriers have just arrived from Athens. Buford attacked the place at daylight yesterday morning, shelled for two hours, and then demanded surrender. Officer (Lieutenant-Colonel Wade, Seventy-third Indiana Infantry) commanding replied he did not get his feet wet in |