THE STRUGGLE FOR ATLANTA.
3 2 .3
taken command. The popular hymn, “ Hold the Fort,” was based upon themessages between these chiefs and the noble defense that the garrison suc-cessfully made against a whole Confederate division. Sherman was coming,
12th Illinois , Adams brigade, 150 men, Capt. Koehler com-manding'; total, 1054— making an aggregate of 1944. . . .Ihuler a brisk cannonade, kept up for near two hours,^tk sharp skirmishing on our south front and ourAYe st flank, the enemy pushed a brigade of infantryar pund north of us, cut the railroad and telegraph, sev-Gring our communications with Cartersville and Rome.T ke cannonading and musketry had not ceased when,at half-past 8 a. m., I received by flag of truce, which^aine from the north on the Cartersville road, the fol-ding summons to surrender:
“ ‘ Around Allatoona, October 5th, 1864.Commanding Officer united States forces, Allatoona.
Sir : x nave xJaced the forces under my command in suchj^phiens that you are surrounded, and to avoid a needlessflusion of blood I call on you to surrender your forces atOdce and unconditionally. Five minutes will be allowed you0 decide. Should you accede to this yon will be treated inmost honorable manner as prisoners of war. I have thepporto be, very respectfully yours, S. G. French,
‘ Major-General Commanding Forces, Confederate States.’
To which I made the following reply:“Headquarters, Fourth division, Fifteenth army<i « ^°Ri’S, Allatoona, Georgia, 8:80 a. m., October 5th, 1864.Major.general S. G. French, Confederate States Army,etc.:
Vour communication demanding surrender of my com-ai *d 3 acknowledge receipt of, and respectfully reply thatev ar . 6 l ,n 'l ,ar ed for the “needless effusion of blood” wlien-ohf.u* 1 ' agreeable to you. I am, very respectfully, yourpbent servant, John M. Corse,
in * ^ leu hastened to my different commands, inform-g them of the object of the flag, etc., my answer, andfiJi !_ 1 . 1| h° r tance and necessity of their preparing for hardShting. . . . T had hardly issued the incipient orders^ ^ the storm broke in all its fury. . . . The fightingch ° ‘ ‘ ‘ a hout 11 a. m. was of the most extraordinaryhal| raC * ei ' ' ' * ^hout 1 r. m. I was wounded by a rifle-j 0 ’ ^ r hieb rendered me insensible for some thirty orson ^ llliuu ^ es * hut managed to rally on hearing some per-V 1 ’ Persons cry, * Cease tiring,’ which conveyed to meforf 111 ^ 1088 ^ 011 that they were trying to surrender thea hdY^ a * n * nr ^ e< l m T staff, the few officers left unhurt,the ^ 10 Ulcn avo,111 fl mo to renewed exertions, assuring1X1 that Sherman would soon be there withrcGnforce-
ments. The gallant fellows struggled to keep their headsabove the ditch and parapet, had the advantage of theenemy, and maintained it with such success that they[the Confederates] were driven from every position, and•finally fled in confusion, leaving the dead and woundedand our little garrison in possession of the field.” . . .
Corse’s entire loss, officially reported, was:
Garrison . Killed, 'Wounded. Missing. Total.
Officers. G . .. . 23 ... . <3 . . . . 35
Men.13G .... 330 , . . 20G .... G72
Total. 142 .... 353 .... 212 .... 707
General Sherman, in his u Memoirs,” says :
“We crossed the Chattahoochee River during the 3dand 4th of October, rendezvoused at the old battle-fieldof Smyrna Camp, and the next day reached Mariettaand Kcnesaw. The telegraph wires had been cut aboveMarietta, and learning that heavy masses of infantry,artillery, .and cavalry had been seen from Kcnesaw(marching north), I inferred that Allatoona was theirobjective point; and on the 4th of October I signaledfrom Vining’s Station to Kenesaw, and from Kenesawto Allatoona, over the heads of the enemy, a messagefor General Corse at Rome, to hurry back to the assist-ance of the garrison at Allatoona. . . . ReachingKenesaw Mountain ahout 8 a. m. of October 5th (a beau-tiful day), I had a superb view of the vast panorama tothe north and west. To the south-west, about Dallas ,could be seen the smoke of camp-fires, indicating thepresence of a large force of the enemy, and the wholeline of railroad, from Big Shanty up to Allatoona (fullfifteen miles), was marked by the fires of the burningrailroad. We could plainly see the smoke of battle aboutAllatoona, and hear the faint reverberation of thecannon. From Kenesaw I ordered the Twenty-thirdCorps (General Cox) to march due west on the BurntHickory road, and to burn houses or piles of brush as itprogressed, to indicate the head of column, hoping to in-terpose this corps between Hood’s main army at Dallas and the detachment then assailing Allatoona. The restof the army was directed straight for Allatoona, north-west, distant eighteen miles. The signal-officer onKenesaw reported that since daylight he had failed toobtain any answer to bis call for Ailatoona; but, while
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IfcpjTf'J
Maat
°°na PASS, LOOKING north—corse’s fort on the left (SEE P. 344).
FROM A WAR-TIME PHOTOGRAPH.