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BATTLE OF KENESAW MOUNTAIN

THE CHARGE OF LOGAN'S CORPS

After the battle of Murfreesboro, in 1863, Bragg's army fell back to Chattanooga. Rosecrans spent two months in recruiting; then pressing around the Confederates, he essayed to cut off their communication with Atlanta. Then followed the battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga. Defeat and victory for the Union arms. During three November days in 1863, around Chattanooga, on Lookout, above the clouds, and along the rugged slopes of Missionary Ridge, the armies of the Cumberland and the Tennessee fought for the key to the heart of the Southern domain, and won it. Simultaneously with Grant's advance across the Rapidan to cope with Lee, Sherman's combined armies of the Cumberland, Tennessee, and the Ohio moved from Dalton to cope with Johnston. Slowly but steadily, from one vantage point to another, Johnston retired until Atlanta was reached. That stronghold fell Sept. 1; and in November, Sherman began his famous march to the sea.

In the series of engagements from Dalton to Atlanta was fought the battle of Kenesaw Mountain. Johnston's army occupied the mountain, its left wing extending across to Lost Mountain and its right wing resting on Pim Mountain. The Confederates at this time numbered about sixty thousand men, having been re-enforced, and their line extended a distance of about ten miles, of which General Sherman says, in his memoirs, Too long, in my judgment, to be held successfully by his force. This became evident when the Union lines drew closer, and on the 15th of June, Pim Mountain was abandoned. The day previous, when the necessity for this move became apparent, Generals Johnston and Hardee, and also General (Bishop) Polk, rode to the summit of the hill to take a view of the surrounding country, in conspicuous view of both armies, probably silhouetted against the sky. The group attracted the attention of General Sherman. Thinking that it would be well to scatter them, and so break up the conference, he told General Howard to fire upon them. The gun was well sighted; an unexploded shell struck General Polk on the breast and killed him instantly. The next morning the Confederate right wing, under Hood, was forced back a little, and Hooker and Geary made a sharp attack upon the main line, under Cleburne, but were driven back, although Price Mountain was abandoned, and the next day (June 16th) the Confederates retired from Lost Mountain, the Federal batteries having gained command of their position. The Confederates fell back to a position about a mile west of the western end of Kenesaw Mountain, but were driven from her also, after some obstinate fighting. They then in trenched themselves in a position having for its key Kenesaw Mountain, and extending between that and the railroad to Marietta. The twin peaks, Big and Little Kenesaw, were occupied by batteries. Big Kenesaw afforded room on its summit for but a few guns, but Little Kenesaw -- a commanding ridge extending perhaps a thousand feet before the precipitous descent at either end begins -- formed a superb position for artillery. General French occupied this ridge with his division. The ascent to the ridge was difficult, and rendered hazardous by the Federal batteries on the neighboring heights, to whose fire it was completely exposed. General French, realizing the danger, waited until darkness spread its protecting cloak, and then dragged his guns to the summit up a back road by means of ropes, and on the morning of the 20th had twenty of them planted up on the mountain, protected by well-constructed works. From this mountain crest the Confederate guns poured upon the Federal troops below on the 22nd and again on the 25th, and on both occasions met with a fierce reply from the Federal batteries. General Sherman brought to bear upon this position about one hundred and forty guns.
About fifty miles of this beautiful country, dotted with hills and crossed by ravines and picturesque valleys, were turned into a fort. The crests of the hills were occupied by artillery commanding the valleys at their base, and, in turn, commanded by higher hills, surmounted also by artillery. The ravines afforded roadways, sheltered by the hills, for any flank movements on the part of the troops. It was impossible in such a country as this for a force to prevent itself from being outflanked, if greatly outnumbered. This Sherman fully realized, and he began a series of flanking movements on his right, hoping to compel the enemy by counter movements to extend its line until it became too attenuated for strength, and then to make an assault. He says: I reasoned that if we could make a breach anywhere near the rebel centre and thrust in a strong head of column, that with one moiety of our army we could hold in check the corresponding wing of the enemy, and with the other sweep in flank and overwhelm the other half. All during the day and night of the 24th, flank movements were going on, and most of the time the sound of heavy cannonading filled the air, and during the night added a wild beauty to the scene, as flash succeeded flash in the darkness.
At last, on the 27th of June, 1864, a general and fierce assault was made by the Federals, which began the famous battle of Kenesaw Mountain. It was a sharp attack, lasting less than three hours, but taxing to their utmost the courage and energy of the Federal troops, and the fortitude and determination of Johnston's army. Sherman's men again and again charged the enemy in a resolute but vain effort to gain the summit of the mountain; each time they were met by such a persistent and destructive fire from French's batteries, on the crest of the hills, that their attempts resulted only in terrible loss of life. Twice the Union men seemed almost to have gained the parapet, but were swept back by an awful shower of fire poured upon them from above. General Harker, who led one of these desperate assaults, was shot down almost at the parapet, and General McCook was severely wounded. In the very hottest of the battle the men were distinguishing themselves by special feats of personal bravery. A shrapnel shell with a burning fuse, hurled from one of Sherman's guns, fell among a group of men in a ditch. A stamped began, but before the explosion came, a gallant Georgia sergeant leaped forward, and seizing the burning projectile, hurled it over the entrenchment. Two or three hand-to-hand contest for colors occurred during Harker's dash upon Cheatham's troops. A Union flag was planted upon the top of the works; instantly it was seized by a Confederate captain, and for a few minutes a desperate struggle ensued with the colorbearer; then the captain fell; in a second, twenty rifles flashed out against the brave Union man, and, riddled with balls, he dropped to the ground, clasping firmly the colors he had so bravely struggled to retain. Immediately the flag was captured. Not far from this spot a Confederate sergeant made a bold dash over the works, and seizing a Union flag, returned with it in triumph. General Hardee afterwards presented the flag to him in recognition of his bravery.
While this was going on around the western end of Kenesaw Mountain, General Logan, with three brigades formed in three lines, and supported by Blair and Dodge, was making a desperate attack upon the Confederate left wing, which stretched from the east end of the mountain across the railroad that curved around its base, and past the village of Elizabeth to the hills beyond. The Twelfth Louisiana Regiment occupied rifle pits, a long line of which had been made about six hundred yards in front of the main line of entrenchments. On came the Federal forces to within twenty-five paces of the enemy, facing all the time a constant and sharp fusillade. Then with all haste the Louisianians retired to their line of battle. Logan's men pushed on till they encountered Featherstone's troops, who received them with a volley of musketry so destructive and fierce that they were compelled to halt. From the mountain shot and shell fell like hail, making great gaps in the columns that held their ground so bravely. They took position in the forest, and under its protection returned steadily the enemy's furious fire. The Confederate artillery kept up its appalling fire, but the brave Union men were loath to retreat, though their ranks were fast melting away. Any advance under such a fire was impossible. For an hour they held their ground. Hundreds of men fell, and seven regiments lost their commanding officers. Some of these had fallen within twenty feet of the Confederate works. At last, Logan, feeling that a continuation of the slaughter was useless, withdrew his men to the rifle pits that they had previously captured from the Louisiana troops. Farther along the line, Wheeler and Quarles were resisting a fierce and impetuous assault from the Federals, and all along the mountain desperate charges were made that in every instance met with an effective artillery rebuke from the batteries which French had placed on its crest. Fierce and hot was the struggle. Bravely fought the Union men, while thousands of their number were slain. During a portion of the action the dry leaves and underbrush began to burn, ignited by bursting shells. Hundreds of wounded men lay on the ground now assailed by the new and even greater horror of being burned alive. The Confederates saw this appalling situation, and instantly the order was given to cease firing. The Confederate commander notified the Federals that as an act of common humanity further battle would be suspended until the wounded could be carried beyond the range of the flames. Gladly was this humane offer accepted, and with all speed the poor fellows, many of them dying, were carried to some spot where at least they would not be burned. Turning from this act of humanity, they renewed the combat with increased zeal, but without success. The Federal troops were obliged to withdraw from all the points of assault. For three hours the struggle had last, in which were engaged 100,000 men. The superiority in numbers of the Union force was more than balanced by the advantage of the position held by the Confederates.

A great move of the campaign had failed. Johnston's army still held Kenesaw Mountain, which Sherman called the key to the whole country, but Sherman lost no time in mourning over the defeat. With characteristic energy he began at once a strong movement around the mountain down the valley of Olley's Creek, with the viewing of reaching the railroad below Marietta by a long circuit. Johnston found the position he had fought so well to hold must after all be resigned, or else his communications with Atlanta would be cut off; so on the 1st and 2nd of July the Confederate lines were withdrawn from Kenesaw and Marietta, and the difficult work of lowering the batteries from the mountain was carried on under cover of the night. The Confederates fell back to a new position, well prepared and strongly entrenched. Then succeeded the sharp fight at Buff's Station and Smyrna, followed on the 20th of July, after Johnston had been succeeded in the command by Hood, by the battle of Peach Tree Creek, and on the 22nd by a fierce battle, in which General McPherson of the Federal Army and General Walker of the Confederates lost their lives. Again, on the 28th, occurred the battle of Ezra Church. In all of these encounters the Confederates suffered severe losses, and lost ground. A month later Atlanta was evacuated, and Sherman passed through it on his way to the sea.