HDQRS. MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, East Point: The general commanding directs that you reconnoitér roads, so as not to come in contact with other troops, and also to lay your bridge to use, if occasion requires. General Thomas' bridge is down. L. M. DAYTON, Aide-de-Camp. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE TENNESSEE, October 2, 1864. Major-General SHERMAN: I have word from Ransom. He found large number of enemy's infantry, at least one corps, on this side of Chattahoochee. He will encamp to-night eight miles from here. Further particulars by courier. 0. O. HOWARD, Major-General. HDQRS. MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, General HOWARD: Let Ransom come in slowly, and if the enemy approach sally out and attack him fiercely. General Davis will be in close support. I will throw General Stanley across the Chattahoochee and be prepared to put our whole force in motion to interpose between Hood who may attempt to mash our road about Marietta and his bridges at Campbellton. Be prepared to send in all your troops to Atlanta, and to follow General Stanley. I would attack this corps in position but presume it is strongly intrenched. Major-General SHERMAN, Atlanta: W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General, Commanding. EAST POINT, October 2, 1864. General Ransom will not be in before to-morrow noon. I cannot be prepared to move command till to-morrow afternoon. I would rather not do so until the next morning. All stores and extra baggage will have to be taken to Atlanta and stored. I have not transportation for camp and garrison equipage. General HOWARD, East Point: O. O. HOWARD, ATLANTA, October 2, 1864-12 m. Telegram received. Your movement, if inade as you propose, will answer. L. M. DAYTON, HDQRS. DEPT. OF THE TENNESSEE, October 2, 1864. Major-General SHERMAN, Atlanta: When will General Stanley move? Please reply immediately. HDQRS. MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, II. Major-General Osterhaus, commanding Fifteenth Corps, and Brigadier-General Leggett, commanding Third Division, Seventeenth Corps, will hold their commands ready to move at fifteen minutes' notice after 8 a. m. to-morrow until General Ransom returns. III. This army will at once be put in marching order. All surplus stores and baggage will, during to-morrow, be sent to Atlanta and stored. The chief quartermaster will, to-morrow morning, secure proper buildings for storage. The number of days' rations and amount of ammunition, supplies, &c., to be taken will be indicated in orders hereafter. By order of Maj. Gen. O. O. Howard: WM. T. CLARK, Assistant Adjutant-General. HDQRS, SECOND DIVISION, FIFTEENTH ARMY CORPS, Cyrus A. Barrett, first sergeant Company I, and George W. Williams, private of Company D, both in Forty-fourth Illinois Volunteers, said they were captured, the 27th day of June, 1864, at Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., and taken from there to Andersonville, Ga., and escaped from the rebels the 10th day of September, 1864, twelve miles from Andersonville, by jumping off the cars at a place called Oglethorpe. They say from there they went in the direction of Columbus, Ga., crossed a railroad near Columbus; from there went to Thomaston, and from there to Greeneville, and on that route saw no soldiers; were concealed near Greeneville six days. While there saw mounted troops and a large wagon train moving on the Talbotton and Greeneville road, going toward Newnan, which is sixteen miles from Palmetto Station, and heard rebel soldiers say it was General Forrest's command from Mississippi going to join Hood's army; that there were 25,000 troops and 1,000 wagons. The wagon train was three days in passing, the 23d, 24th, and 25th days of September. I believe the above respecting the movement of Forrest's troops and train to be mainly correct. W. B. HAZEN, These men did not see many of Forrest's troops, only such as appeared to be guarding the train. Their estimate of his forces is founded entirely upon rumor, and is, of course, greatly exaggerated. W. B. H. Major-General SHERMAN: CHATTANOOGA, October 2, 1864-7 p. m. Telegram just received that Wheeler has demanded the surrender. of Dalton. I sent 500 men at once to re-enforce them. JNO. E. SMITH, DALTON, October 2, 1864. General SMITH: Send forces immediately. Wheeler has sent a demand for the unconditional surrender of this post. General RAUM: L. JOHNSON, Colonel, Commanding. ALLATOONA, October 2, 1864. Two trains off track near Big Shanty; one burned. Rebels went eastward. Have we any cavalry force to the west of this place? J. E. TOURTELLOTTE, Lieutenant-Colonel, Commanding Brigade. General JOHN E. SMITH, ROME, October 2, 1864. Commanding: I was instructed by General Sherman to move, with my entire command, to your assistance, and act against Hood from Allatoona if he got on the railroad between that place and Atlanta. Please let me know if you have any information of Hood's movement. Major-General SHERMAN: JNO. M. CORSE, ROME, October 2, 1864. There are one or two regiments of Texas cavalry living in and about Burnt Hickory and Dallas that commit the mischief done our communications. If you will send, permit me to suggest, about 1,000 cavalry to Dallas, via Villa Rica, I will, with a less number, drive them down, and the two commands can kill or capture the greater portion of them. If this meets with your approval please let me know at once. I propose burning Cedartown, Van Wert, and Buchanan for atrocities committed by gangs of thieves having their rendezvous at those places. JNO. M. CORSE, Brigadier-General. Major General SHERMAN: MARIETTA, October 2, 1864. Please send a brigade to Big Shanty at once. The enemy are in considerable force. Have burnt one train. General Corse's wagon train * See Johnson to Smith, next, post. is encamped there, and the guard altogether too small to guard so much property. I will take what force I can spare from here and proceed to Big Shanty as fast as possible. Your obedient servant, J. MCARTHUR, Major-General SHERMAN: MARIETTA, October 2, 1864-4 p. m. Rebels driven off and quiet restored. Three cars burned. Road being repaired. Casualties not yet reported. Citizens coming in for protection report that Hood was to encamp near Gray's Mill to-night. They also report that an attack will be made on Acworth or Allatoona, afterward Rome. In the event of a repulse they will retreat by Blue Mountain to Jacksonville and Selma. J. MCARTHUR, [OCTOBER 2, 1864.-For Ransom to Clark, reporting reconnaissance, &c., see Part I, p. 788.] HDQRS. DEPARTMENT AND ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE, Brig. Gen. T. E. G. RANSOM, East Point, Ga., October 2, 1864. Commanding Seventeenth Army Corps: GENERAL: The major-general commanding directs me to send you the inclosed order* notifying you of the probably immediate movement. of this army. You will observe that General Österhaus and General Leggett will be ready to support you should the enemy follow you up with infantry and make it practicable for you to turn upon him and punish him. General Davis' corps will also be prepared for any emergency. The general desires to be notified at once if the enemy follows you up with infantry. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, SAML. L. TAGGART, NASHVILLE, TENN., October 2, 1864. Major-General SCHOFIELD, Louisville, Ky.: General Thomas telegraphs me he thinks trains can run on the Chattanooga road to-morrow. Forrest is between Franklin and Columbia on Alabama road. Major-General SHERMAN, DECATUR, GA., October 2, 1864. Commanding Military Division of the Mississippi, Atlanta: The division sent on reconnaissance to Flat Rock reached there at noon, as I learn by courier from General Cooper, in command. He reports they found no enemy on the route, and the citizens report the force which had been in that vicinity to have moved toward Jonesborough. I will send fuller report when General Cooper comes in. Yesterday and the day before I had a brigade make reconnaissance and foraging expedition to Stone Mountain, and the cavalry pushed on beyond to Lithonia. Only small parties of rebel scouts were discovered. A camp had been at Lithonia some days ago, but was moved, as was reported, toward Monroe. Your obedient servant, J. D. COX, Brigadier-General, Commanding Army of the Ohio. ATLANTA, October 2, 1864. General Cox, Decatur, Ga.: I am at the telegraph office. If you hear of any corn-fields down about Flat Rock avail yourself of this chance to gather some corn, and let that division seem to threaten McDonough, but not to go beyond Flat Rock except by a detachment. Major-General SHERMAN, Commanding, &c., Atlanta: W. T. SHERMAN, DECATUR, GA., October 2, 1864. I sent a train with the division this morning to gather corn. As I did not get your first dispatch on the subject of the reconnaissance yesterday I fear I may not have your full purpose as to the time the division should remain out. Unless they get orders to the contrary they will return in the morning. If you intended anything different from this please advise me. The first dispatch I received was by telegraph at 11.30 last night, and Captain Dayton informed me that one had been sent by you on the same subject earlier. The operators know nothing of it. The tenor of the one I received implied that prior instructions had been given. Very respectfully, &c., J. D. COX, Brigadier-General, Commanding. ATLANTA, October 2, 1864. General Cox: All right; the division may return in the morning. W. T. SHERMAN, *See Cooper to Cox, October 2, 12 m., p. 34. 3 R R-VOL XXXIX, PT III |