THE BATTLES OF KENESAW MOUNTAIN.
June 14, 1864.
Heavy skirmishing had continued from the opening of this battle till the day on which the great fight occurred which ended in giving the Unionists possession of the enemy’s position on Kenesaw Mountain. Upon the 14th, the rebel general, Bishop Leonidas Polk was killed, while commanding on Pine Mountain, during a heavy cannonading by the Fourth corps. During the same night the enemy, having discovered that General Hooker was moving to cut off their retreat, abandoned their works, which were quickly occupied by Stanley’s division of the Fourth corps. A paper was found affixed to a stake near the rebel works on Pine Mountain, on which was written, “Here General Polk was killed by a Yankee shell.” It was subsequently ascertained that the rebel generals Johnston and Hardee, who were standing near Polk, narrowly escaped being killed at the same time.
General Johnston now drew back his centre to the chain of hills which connected Kenesaw and Lost Mountain, still keeping his right and left flank respectively on these mountains. During the 15th, 16th, and 17th, heavy skirmishing continued from morning till night; which told upon the endurance of the troops almost as much as a pitched battle would have done. Late in the evening of the 17th, severe skirmishing opened in front of Stanley’s division. At the same time the enemy engaged Harkens’ brigade, of Newton’s division, and a regiment—the Ninety-third Ohio—of Hazen’s brigade; and toward nightfall a heavy fire was opened all along the front of General Howard’s line. The batteries of Bridge and Bradery were speedily brought to bear upon the rebels, and with telling effect; while upon the left the batteries of Logan and Blair were making themselves heard in most formidable manner. Night drew on, and a brief silence ensued, but the rebels had not yet abandoned the attack. A correspondent of the day thus describes the renewal of the battle: “It was a beautiful night. The soft moonlight beaming from the clear southern sky, floated through the forest trees, lighting them with a bewitching kind of beauty. The air was calm and balmy, the sky without a cloud. Fireflies, sparkling like diamonds, were flitting around. The cry of the whip-poor-will resounded through the forest, and the plaint cry of the croaking frogs rose from the marshes like the tinkling of sleigh-bells. Smoke and flames shot up from buildings that had been fired by shells. Soon a dropping shot along the line, followed by rapid musketry firing, roused us from our solemn kind of torpor. The rebels had opened on our skirmish line, and a brisk fight ensued. Our batteries soon opened, hurling shell and canister into their ranks. The attack also extended to our left, where they vainly strove to regain their lost position, but were again repulsed by Logan’s command. The rebels were foiled in their attack at all points, and the horrid din of battle soon gave way to the placid stillness of night.”
A sudden rain storm came on in a perfect deluge, during the night, and the enemy abandoned his front line of works. Early in the morning General Howard ordered his whole line to push forward sharply. General Harkens’ brigade led the advance, and, having come up with the enemy, and being reinforced with Wagner’s brigade, charged forward, driving them from their first line of works. On this day the possession of the Dallas and Marietta roads was secured; and the Unionists continued to press the enemy so close and hard that at dusk the Twentieth corps was in a line perpendicular with the rebel line.
During the operations of the 18th, the loss to the National troops was very heavy; the rebel loss in killed and wounded was also severe, besides which the Unionists took prisoner several hundred of the enemy.
General Johnston took advantage of the night, and a heavy rain storm, to withdraw his left flank from its position on Lost Mountain, which he saw could not be maintained, making his strong point of resistance on Kenesaw Mountain. The National forces immediately took possession of the abandoned works on Lost Mountain.
On the next morning, Stanley’s division followed up the enemy to their new position, and threw out two brigades as skirmishers. Newton’s division formed on Stanley’s left, and sent out the Thirty-sixth and Eighty-eighth Illinois as skirmishers. Wood’s division then formed on the right, and fierce skirmishing began all along the line. General Harkens’ brigade signally distinguished itself in this encounter, and aided by Kimball’s brigade developed the enemy’s lines and works.
Generals Sherman, Thomas, Howard, and other officers, were now occupying the house of a Mr. Wallace, on the Marietta road, eagerly watching the effect of the Union batteries upon the rebel works. Together with the batteries named above, those of Goodspeed and Spencer were now got into position, and all opened at once on the rebels, who promptly replied with a couple of batteries from the slope of the hill, and a section of heavy guns from the crest. A regular duel now opened between the opposing artillery, and all along the intervening valley the clouds of dense smoke hung midway in the air.
The whole line was soon engaged, and from early morning till late night the crash and flash, the roar and scream of battle never ceased; and when at length the night interrupted the fierce fight, it but served to recruit the strength with which both sides renewed it in the morning. A slight, forked ridge which jutted out in front of General Wood’s division was selected, and at once made use of, as a position for a battery; and two heavy guns were dragged forward, and placed so as to bear heavily upon the rebel line, and set to work immediately. Shortly after this it was ascertained from rebel prisoners that a portion of Hood’s and Hardee’s corps were massing against Sherman’s centre; the attack was made, and gallantly repulsed, the rebels being driven back with loss. They next assailed Kirby’s division, but met with similar misfortune, being fiercely repulsed, but not beaten. They again attacked, and were stubbornly resisted for one hour; at the end of that time they gained a slight temporary advantage, taking possession of a prominent knoll in Kirby’s front, which they continued to occupy, although severely attacked by the brigades of Gross and Whittaker. Again night temporarily put a stop to the battle. The divisions of Newton and Wood had perceptibly advanced—that of Stanley, having been most severely pressed, had succeeded in keeping its ground, with the exception of the knoll lost to the enemy. Just as night fell intense anxiety was felt by all, for the rebels were seen pressing heavily upon Stanley’s front; but after a few minutes’ suspense a loud ringing cheer from the brave Unionists proclaimed the rebel repulse, and indicated that nothing had been gained by them.
Early on the 21st, the fight opened with heavy skirmishing in all directions, which continued during the whole day.
On the 22d, the enemy made a sudden attack upon portions of Generals Hooker’s and Schofield’s troops on the Federal right, near what is known as the “Kulp House,” and was handsomely repulsed, leaving his dead, wounded, and many prisoners behind him. The Federal centre was now established squarely in front of Kenesaw, but it required so many men to hold the railroad and the line running along the base of the mountain, that but a small force was left with which to attempt a flank movement to the right. So small was it that General Sherman hesitated to push it vigorously toward the railroad, in the rear of Marietta, for fear that it might be altogether detached from the army, and exposed to disaster. He therefore contented himself with extending his right along the enemy’s flank, hoping that General Johnston would thereby be induced to weaken his centre sufficiently to render an assault in that direction practicable. “Although inviting the enemy at all times,” says General Sherman in his official report, “to make such mistakes, I could not hope for him to repeat them after the examples of Dallas and the ‘Kulp House;’ and upon studying the ground, I had no alternative but to assail his lines or turn his position. Either course had its difficulties and dangers. And I perceived that the enemy and our own officers had settled down into a conviction that I would not assault fortified lines. All looked to me to ‘outflank.’ An army to be efficient must not settle down to one single mode of offence, but must be prepared to execute any plan which promises success. I waited, therefore, for the moral effect, to make a successful assault against the enemy behind his breastworks, and resolved to attempt it at that point where success would give the largest fruits of victory.”