Georgia Natural Wonder #192 - Paulding County (Part 2). 963

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Paulding County Civil War (Part 2)

OK I was doing a history tangent on Paulding County and I got a message Too Large. I found another Natural Wonder for Paulding County but I got another Message Too Large when I jammed it in with today's recount of the Battle of Dallas. So I am saving the other Natural Wonder for my next post and I am finishing the Civil War tangent as a Part 2 of my post on High Shoals Falls. There were three significant battles in Paulding County over three straight days in May 1864. We covered the first two with our last GNW #192 (Part 1) post, New Hope Church, and Pickett's Mill. These were mainly Confederate victory's as per the numbers at days end. The third battle did not favor the Confederate troops at all.



This whole post is dedicated to that Third day.

Action at Dallas

The Battle of Dallas (May 28, 1864) was an engagement during the Atlanta Campaign in the American Civil War. The Union army of William Tecumseh Sherman and the Confederate army led by Joseph E. Johnston fought a series of battles between May 25 and June 3 along a front stretching northeast from Dallas toward Acworth, Georgia. At Dallas a probe launched by William Brimage Bate's and William Hicks Jackson's Confederate divisions accidentally turned into a full-scale assault against the defenses of John A. Logan's XV Corps. The attack was driven off with heavy Confederate losses. The previous Union defeats at New Hope Church and the Pickett's Mill are sometimes considered with Dallas as part of one battle.



On May 23, Sherman moved away from his railroad supply line when he launched a wide sweep that aimed to turn Johnston's left flank. Johnston adroitly shifted his army toward Dallas to block Sherman's maneuver. The result was ten days of close fighting that resulted in more Union than Confederate casualties.


Dallas marker.

Finally convinced that Johnston's entire army was facing him from well-established entrenchments, Sherman planned to shift his troops from the right to the left flank. His goal was to reach a position beyond Johnston's right flank and seize the railroad near Acworth. Once this movement was completed, Blair's XVII Corps would move from Rome to Allatoona Pass and Sherman's work gangs could rebuild the railroad bridge across the Etowah. Sherman's divisions were not all with their proper corps. From left to right they were Johnson (XIV Corps), Wood (IV Corps), Milo S. Hascall and Jacob D. Cox (XXIII Corps), David S. Stanley and John Newton (IV Corps), Hooker's three divisions (XX Corps), Davis (XIV Corps), and McPherson's divisions (XVI and XV Corps). Sherman's orders for May 28 were for McPherson to send Davis' division back to Thomas and shift his position toward the left, taking over Hooker's lines. Hooker was directed to occupy Schofield's lines. Schofield was instructed to move to the extreme left flank after picking up Hovey's division. Baird's division (XIV Corps) would guard all the wagon trains at Burnt Hickory.


William Brimage Bate and William Hicks Jackson

On the evening of May 27, Wheeler reported that Sherman's left flank along Little Pumpkinvine Creek was exposed and Hood convinced Johnston to attack it. That night Hood's corps pulled out of line and was replaced by Polk's corps without the Union troops discovering the move. From midnight to 6 am, Hood's troops marched 5 to 6 miles through the dense woods to reach their jumping off point. However, Wheeler's morning report notified Hood that the Union lines were now behind the creek and bolstered with breastworks. Hood passed this information to Johnston, who called off the assault and ordered Hood's sleepy troops to take position on Polk's right flank. In fact, Sherman was so anxious about his left flank that the previous evening he ordered Howard to bend his line back and barricade it against attack.


The trenches the Union 9th Kentucky held, the Orphan Brigade attacked here.

On May 28, Johnston received reports that Sherman's right flank troops were shifting northward. The reports were mistaken, but Johnston ordered Hardee to have Bate's division probe the Union defenses near Dallas. If the Union defenses were abandoned or weakly-held, Bate was ordered to seize them with his 5,000-man division. Jackson's cavalry division, also about 5,000-strong, was ordered to assist.Bate's division consisted of Joseph Horace Lewis's Kentucky brigade, Jesse J. Finley's Florida brigade, and Thomas Benton Smith's Georgia-Tennessee brigade. Jackson's division included Frank Crawford Armstrong's Mississippi brigade, Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross' Texas brigade, and Samuel W. Ferguson's Alabama-Mississippi brigade. After meeting with his brigade commanders and Jackson, Bate outlined his plan. Bate directed Armstrong's dismounted troopers to attack first, and if they ran into little or no resistance, four cannon shots would be fired as a signal for the infantry brigades to attack. If the cavalrymen encountered strong defenses, no cannons would be fired and the attack would be canceled. Bate and the others were sure that they would meet only token forces.





The Union defenses were held by Logan's XV Corps, from right to left, the divisions of William Harrow, Morgan Lewis Smith, and Peter J. Osterhaus. On Osterhaus' left flank was James C. Veatch's division of Dodge's XVI Corps. Worried about the rifle fire coming from the Union lines, Lieutenant Colonel Frank A. Montgomery of the 1st Mississippi Cavalry Regiment went to a hilltop battery position to observe the Federal defenses. He was nearly killed by a sniper, but in his brief glimpse was able to see that the Union lines were well-manned. He tried to warn his immediate superior Colonel R. A. Pinson, but Armstrong and Bate were convinced they faced only a skirmish line. At 3:45 pm, Armstrong's dismounted cavalrymen rushed Harrow's division, overran the picket line, and captured three guns from the 1st Iowa Battery. They penetrated a gap in the defenses, but Logan galloped up, bringing reinforcements and shouting, "Give them hell boys!" A counterattack by the 6th Iowa Infantry Regiment threw back Armstrong's men and recaptured the guns. Armstrong's men quickly retreated to their trenches.


General Logan rallies Yankees.

After witnessing the brusque repulse, Bate ordered the signal guns not to fire and sent couriers to each of his brigade commanders to cancel the planned assault. Thomas Smith received the message and had his troops stand down. However, Lewis and Finley did not get the message in time and they believed that they missed the signal amid all the shooting. They ordered their troops to attack and hundreds of them were shot down by Logan's and Veatch's well-entrenched soldiers. Again and again, the Confederates tried to rush the Union lines but were unable to get closer than 50 yd, finally stopping their attacks at 6 pm. Impressed by the bravery and persistence of their enemies, the Federals believed that they defeated an entire corps. Johnston only reported a loss of 300, but Lewis' Kentuckians lost 51% out of 1,100 soldiers. Bate's division and Armstrong's cavalry suffered at least 1,000 casualties and possibly as high as 1,500. Logan reported 379 casualties and Veatch's right-most brigade did not report a single casualty. The American Battlefield Trust stated that Union casualties were 379 while Confederate casualties were 1,200.





After the Dallas battle, Sherman shifted his army to the northeast, looking for a way to turn the right flank of Johnston's entrenched defenses. On June 1, Union forces occupied Allatoona Pass on the Western and Atlantic Railroad line. This allowed the railroad to be repaired as far as that location and promised that future supplies could reach Sherman's army by train. On June 3, Union troops arrived at a flanking position that convinced Johnston to abandon his lines and fall back to another entrenched position that covered Marietta.

TRD Explorations And Official Reports

Battle of Dallas 

May 28th

On May 28, Lt. Gen William J. Hardee's corps probed the Union defenses at Dallas, with fighting in two points. The First Kentucky "Orphan Brigade", in conjunction with Florida troops, attacked." They were decimated," said Austin, citing casualties of around 50 percent.


Orphan Brigade at Chickamauga.

Out of the 1,384 officers and enlisted who opened the battle, only 886 men were left in the hard luck Orphan Brigade. In all, 60 men were killed, 399 were wounded, and 39 were reported missing for a total of 498 casualties. As a percentage, the Orphan Brigade had already lost 35.98% of its total strength at Chickamauga.



"Confused by gunfire from a related cavalry action near the Villa Rica Road, a Kentucky unit on the Marietta Road prematurely launched a full-scale assault," the late historian Philip Secrist wrote. "This unit, the famed Kentucky Orphan Brigade was so badly mauled by being caught in a crossfire that it was subsequently disbanded. Bates' division became entangled with the enemy and had difficulty disengaging, requiring Hardee to commit additional units from his command to the rescue. The battle continued for the better part of the day along the entire Dallas line. Confederate casualties on May 28 are estimated to have exceeded 1,000 men. " A road sign says the assault is a notable example of "heroism and disaster."


Orphan Brigade Marker in front of High School.

The Union report……

May 28.--Day opened with skirmishing and artillery firing by both armies. No orders for attack given. The general and staff visited Wood's lines at 6.30 a.m., and Wood was then instructed to reform his lines, his right too much refused, and to send out his skirmishers to his right, endeavoring to connect with Schofield. 11 a.m., orders received to make a general move of troops to the left, but at 12 noon. they were verbally countermanded by Major-General Thomas.



BLewis Graveyard is located on Coach Bobby Dodd Road in Dallas. This cemetery holds the graves of eight known Confederate Soldiers from the "Orphan Brigade" of Kentucky. There are also approximately 16 to 18 graves that are marked only with field stones, most appear to be marked with head and foot stones.



12 noon., a staff officer from General Ed. McCook, whose cavalry is on General Johnson's left, reported that a brigade of the enemy's cavalry had pushed around McCook's left, and just coming into our rear. There being indications that the enemy was intending to turn our left, General Stanley was directed to send a brigade of his division, to be posted as a reserve on the Acworth road, between Brown's and Pickett's Mills, as soon as possible. At 12.15 he reported that he would send Cruft's brigade. 


The doomed charge of the Orphan Brigade at Stones River caused Breckinridge to moan, “My poor Orphans! My poor Orphans! They have been cut to pieces!”

12.15, a report comes to corps headquarters that the enemy is sending a large force of infantry (about one division) toward our right, supposed to be a blind to cover a movement to our left. 4 p.m., the enemy made an attack on McPherson, on our extreme right. McPherson repulsed him. 



4.30, the enemy felt our lines in front of Stanley and Newton with strong skirmish lines, and found it not wise to attack us. His skirmishers were repulsed. The enemy's lines now extend from the vicinity of Dallas to vicinity of Acworth, on the railroad. 7 p.m., General Wood reported that he made a connection with General Schofield at 3 p.m. Skirmishing all along our front to-day. Day bright and warm. Lost but a few men killed and wounded to-day.


Federal Line marker Georgia Highway 6 passes under the Nathan Dean Boulevard.

From the book (The Orphan Brigade)

May 28th brought tragedy, though it started on a bright enough note. New clothing was issued to many of the Kentuckians, and through the morning and early afternoon they had little to do except sporadic skirmishing. Some of the men found old muskets abandoned by the Federals and vied with each other to see who could fire the largest load out of the old fashioned guns. A captured federal confessed that the Kentucky sharpshooters were excellent but added that their artillery was "not worth a damn"



That afternoon, thinking that the Federals in Bates front had withdrawn, Johnston ordered the general to advance his division to feel for the enemy. Bate himself spoke with Lewis and his other brigade commanders expounding upon Johnston's order, and admonishing them not to assault if they found the enemy still in strength. A brigade on the division's left would initiate the reconnaissance in force. If it met with success, then a signal would be given for Lewis and the others to advance.


 Brig. Gen. Joseph H. Lewis

It was Brigadier General Frank C. Armstrong's brigade that launched the movement. He was initially successful, entering the enemy works only to discover them still there in force. Faced with a heavy counter attack, Armstrong withdrew and Bates sent orders cancelling the signal for the other brigades to move. It was too late.


About 50 yards of trenches are on the Paulding property. The trenches the Union 9th Kentucky held. A lot of people come to look for the Orphan Brigade.



At 4 PM Lewis ordered the Kentuckians to their places in line and ready to scale their own works and advance. Soon they heard the din of Armstrong's fight to the left. Since the noise was too great to distinguish the signal guns from the rest of the firing, Lewis just assumed that the attack was now general and ordered all of the brigade except the 9th Kentucky forward. Caldwell's regiment was to join shortly but never got the chance. What Lewis found when he emerged from the undergrowth in his front and advanced toward the enemy line was the entire Federal XV Corps in position. The brigade on Lewis' right did not advance at all, and that on his left got the order to return before he did. As a result, the orphans moved virtually alone against the enemy, both of their flanks exposed to a deadly fire. "As soon as we came in sight of them" said Weller "We knew we had met them in vain" Still Lewis took the first line of Federal works and silenced a battery, aided by good fire from Cobb and Gracey. But then "a literal storm of shot and shell" tore into their ranks with devastating impact. Within fifty yards of the Yankee line, the brigade stood its ground, then took cover behind logs and abandoned equipment, and even their own dead.


Orphan Brigade Resaca.

"Their line was a sheet of flame" said an orphan, "and death was feasting in our midst" James Cleveland of the 5th Kentucky took a bullet to his left arm. He arose and continued the fight, taking another bullet in the chest. Still he fought until another ball passed through his bowels. Then he took a hit that mashed the elbow of his good arm, and another bullet "contused" his face. Only with five bullets in him did he sink to the ground for good. That night he crawled back to his own lines to linger for a week before dying. Lieutenant Colonel William Clarke, just recently relieved of command of the 6th Kentucky by the return of Cofer, felt a Minnie ball crush his arm below the elbow. He managed to save it from amputation, but it put him out of the war for good. Poor Captain David Mckendree, who made a speech to his men before Shiloh and then recovered from a seemingly mortal wound at Stones River, fell limp when a bullet hit his neck and severed the spinal column. He too, lingered for a week.


Veterans of the Orphan Brigade Bardstown Reunion, August 1887.

Lieutenant Colonel John C Wickliffe said "I can't hold my position". His position immediately thereafter was a prisoner of war. Archibald Jackson had been sleeping in his trench with the rear division until the bombardment began. He sat up rubbing his eyes and asked a comrade what was happening. "Hell has broke loose in Georgia" came the response. The next morning , after the ground in the Orphans front had been fought and skirmished over for a few days, they found that "the bullets are laying around on the ground now, as thick as hail stones" Jackson postulated that a few more days of this would make "a good lead mine' in the valley before them.



While some earthworks remain on private property, the burgeoning development of Dallas as a suburb of Atlanta continues to alter the view. Here, a new post office (to the right) and bank (to the left) sit on the ground charged over by the Kentucky Orphan Brigade during fierce fighting on 28 May 1864.


The remnants of Confederate trenches used by the famous Kentucky Orphan Brigade located on a ridge to the east of the center of Dallas.

The Orphan Brigade went on fighting in the Atlanta Campaign.The Battle of Jonesboro was particular hard on the unit, as it was partially surrounded and overrun. In addition to the hundreds of prisoners that the brigade lost at Jonesboro, it lost a color (6th Kentucky) and had another color (2nd Kentucky) torn apart to prevent capture. After Atlanta fell, the remnants of the Orphans were mounted on horses and assigned to Jackson's Cavalry Division in Wheeler's Cavalry Corps. They opposed Sherman's March to the Sea and wound up in the Carolinas, surrendering with less than 300 men.


Orphan Brigade Stone River.
 
NEAR DALLAS, Ga., Sunday, May 29, 1864.

During the night of the 28th the trains of the Army of Tennessee were moved from an exposed position in which they had been packed to one further in the rear. This movement was much on a road which at several points was in full view of the rebels on Lost Mountain. 


Ellesbury Mountain is located just east of Dallas on Dallas – Acworth Hwy.  In a late effort to support Bate’s Division as they attacked the Federal Lines, Cheatham’s Division was sent over Ellesbury Mountain to attack the Federal lines in their front.  The Confederate line from New Hope Church reached the eastern flank (far to camera left) of the mountain.

During the day our wounded and sick were removed from the buildings in the village of Dallas, which had been used as a temporary hospital, back to the Pumpkin Vine Creek. These movements were, of course, observed by the enemy.



About 5 o'clock in the afternoon the rebels advanced their skirmishers along the whole front of the Army of the Tennessee. Our front was covered with a rifle-pit extending along its whole length, a distance of some two miles, and the right flank by WILDER's brigade of the Second Cavalry Division. 


Dallas - New Hope Line Marker looking north on Ga Highway 381 and east, toward Dallas and the south end of the Federal and Confederate line.

HARROW's Fourth Division of the Fifteenth Corps had the extreme right of the line, and VEATCH's, the Fourth Division of the Sixteenth Corps, the extreme left -- the centre, consisting of SWEENEY's division of the Sixteenth and MORGAN L. SMITH's and OSTERHAUS' division of the Fifteenth Corps.


The Confederate Line marker is located on Merchants Drive (Georgia Route 6) in front of Legacy of Dallas Senior Living Community.


Confederate Line marker looking east, toward Kennesaw Mountain and west, toward Dallas and the location of the Federal line.

Advancing a heavy line of skirmishers with great rapidity, our skirmishers in a short time fell back to the rifle-pits. Our troops of the main army, who were quietly observing the movements of the enemy, at the first volley of the skirmishers, fell instantly into their places behind the breastworks. General, and field, and staff and line officers sprang to their posts, and in less time than I occupy in narrating, the Army of the Tennessee was in line to receive assault. Two miles of as good men as ever stood in line of battle, all Western regiments but one, confronted HARDEE and POLK's corps. For the first time in the war, with nearly all the regiments, our men were behind breastworks and being attacked.



Although it was well understood that the movement of the trains had attracted the notice of the rebels, and would very probably induce the belief that our positions were being changed, and that an attack was very probable, yet the attack was so sudden and so rapid that it was necessary to make haste quickly with orders and dispositions.




Rt. of Federal Line May 26 -June 1, 1864 Marker.The old barn, original to the site, has been preserved as part of the swim club at the subdivision which replaced home and trees formerly here.

Gen. LOGAN, at the first volley, mounted his horse and rode rapidly along to the front. Following close after our skirmishers, as they fell back to rifle-pits, came the rebel lines of battle. With a rebel yell they rushed headlong, charging bravely on the whole line, at the same time under a heavy fire of artillery. Under the orders of their officers, these troops reserved their fire and awaited the shock. LOGAN rode along the whole line of his corps, hat in hand, his black hair streaming in the air, and at full speed, urging his men at the top of his voice, to "save their fire and give them hell." The effect was electrical, the regiments cheered with a will, and one could mark his progress along the line by the shouts of his regiments.



Soon after, Gen. MCPHERSON and his Staff rode from his headquarters, on the left of the Sixteenth Corps, along the whole line. The battle was raging furiously, but the men saw their Commander, and their cheers arose wildly upon the din of battle. Altogether, that short hour, with the enthusiastic shouts of the Federals, the fierce yells of the rebels, and the continuous crash of small arms, was fearfully exciting. The Federal line reserved its fire until the rebels were within thirty yards. The first volley was instantaneous. It seemed to leap from the long line of rifle-pits at the moment of time. Such another volley of musketry has seldom been heard. The volley from the rear rank followed, and the battle was opened. The rebels fell like grain -- scores at a time lay side by side. 



The battle lasted until night. It was mostly confined to infantry. In the line of the Second Division, Gen. GILES A. SMITH had placed a section of battery B, First Artillery, which, double shotted with grape, made great havoc. On HARRIS' line a section of the First Iowa Battery was at the front. The remainder of the artillery, however, was on the high ground back of the line of battle. In the close struggle for the rifle-pits, it could not be used without injuring alike friend and foe. How and in what manner the terrible struggle of the rebels to drive in the right wing was conducted, I cannot tell you. All we know is that they repeatedly reformed and renewed the assaults, and with the utmost desperation charged up to the very muzzles of our rifles, and that these ineffectual assaults and struggles were renewed until the rebel force, all cut up, was withdrawn. 


Henderson House.  This home served as General McPherson’s Headquarters during the occupation and battle at Dallas.  General Sherman visited McPherson here as well.  The home was also used as a hospital and wounded southern soldiers that had been captured were left here in the care of the home owners.  Currently it houses a law office and the current occupant showed a box of bones that had been found in the cellar.  It was very obvious that they were human remains and they had very clean cuts and appeared to have been from amputations.

On the extreme right the rebels, at one turn, gained a slight advantage. The Second Brigade was slightly shattered, and a section of the First Iowa Battery captured. Just at this time Gen. LOGAN rode up and ordered the guns to be recaptured. The Sixth Iowa charged the enemy and retook the guns. 


Logan widely celebrated. The Cyclorama was commissioned as a political painting for Logan rallying the troops at Battle of Atlanta after General McPherson was killed.

The brigade suffered severely, Col. DICKERMAN, of the One Hundred and Third Illinois, fell mortally wounded. Maj. GIEBY, of the Forty-sixth Ohio, and Lieut.-Col. MILLER, of the Sixth Iowa, fell mortally wounded. In the front of the brigade 272 dead and wounded rebels lay in sight at daylight. 



WILDER's brigade of mounted infantry, which was on the right flank, was dismounted and came up and poured in a continuous oblique fire from the sixteen shooting rifles. The rebel loss in his front was heavy. At one place in front of LIGHTBURN's brigade, 21 dead rebels lay in one heap. In front of VEATCH's division a portion of the rebel line was staggered, and its left fell back to the right. As it fell back, Gen. DODGE saw the opportunity and ordered a regiment over the breastworks. The regiment delivered an oblique file that left over a hundred on the field.



Gen. DODGE buried 160 in his front. Considered in all respects, the desperate valor of the rebels, the rapidity and pertinacity of the assaults, and the coolness and steadiness with which our men and officers received and repulsed them, and the slight loss of our army, and the terrible slaughter of the rebels, and it was one of the most remarkable battles of the war.



Our loss did not reach 100, of whom I send you the names of nearly all. The rebel loss cannot be ascertained by us with certainty. About the close of the engagement a rebel officer shouted to Gen. MORGAN L. SMITH, that Gen. HARDEE wished the firing stopped that he might bring off his wounded. He was answered by Gen. MCPHERSON's order, that if he would send a flag he would answer it. During the night all the rebel wounded that could, crawled back into their lines. 



As soon as it was light the next morning our men commenced burying the rebel dead and bringing in the rebel wounded, but were frequently fired upon, so that their interment was by no means completed. We buried, however, during the day 450 rebels. At that amount alone, their loss must have reached at least 2,500 in killed and wounded. Estimating six wounded to one killed, I think that 3,000 is a reasonable estimate of the rebel lost in their assault upon the Army of the Tennessee.



A deserter, who came in to-day, says he heard Gen. HARDEE say that he had lost 2,500 of his best men. The rebel officers and men who have fallen into our hands all stated that they had been informed and believed that our army was, to a very great extent, composed of one hundred days' men. They did not expect to meet the veterans of the Western army.
 


I regret to record a severe casualy to Col. EZRA TAYLOR, of Chicago, Chief of Artillery of the Department of the Tennessee. As he was riding along the lines of the Fifteenth Corps with Gen. LOGAN, this afternoon, a rifle ball struck Gen. LOGAN on the arm, tearing his coat sleeve, and glancing, struck Col. TAYLOR. The ball passed through his coat, a thick book, and entering at the right nipple passed around next to the bones, and lodged under the edge of his shoulder-blade. The wound is severe but not dangerous. He starts for his home to-night.
 
From the 4th Army Corps Journal

May 29.--2 a.m., received orders from department headquarters, dated May 28 (copy of orders from Military Division of the Mississippi of same date), stating that there would be a general move of the army to the left, and that General Thomas would connect with General McPherson, whose left would rest on the creek above the saw-mill, form a line facing nearly south across both branches of Pettit's Creek, and covering all of the roads from Dallas to Allatoona and Acworth. 


Left of the Confederate Line Marker looking south on Highway 61 toward Villa Rica. The Paulding County High School can be seen in the background.

The Fourth Corps will be the right wing of Thomas' line. 6 a.m., the general started out to ride along our front to establish the line for this new formation. 



7 a.m., General Stanley was instructed to have his division ready to move as soon as McPherson arrived to relieve him, and then to take position, his right resting on the creek, and his division, in two lines, to extend as far as he could to the left, with two brigades facing nearly south. 


Brown's Mill Marker.Georgia Highway 381 is in the background.

Orders for Newton to be given hereafter. Wood now in about proper position for this new formation. 10 a.m., received orders from department headquarters to send all of the wagons of this corps, except division ordnance trains and a few wagons loaded with subsistence, to the rear of Pumpkin Vine Creek, on the Burnt Hickory road. Also to park all of our empty wagons at the same place, and to send them to Kingston on Tuesday next for such supplies as we may need. The train to go to Kingston at that time to be guarded by a brigade from this corps. Sent an order to General Stanley to furnish a brigade from his division for the train that is go to Kingston on Tuesday. 8 a.m., received instructions from department headquarters to direct the officer in charge of the train guard which goes to Kingston on Tuesday to look out for the enemy in the direction of Richland Creek as the train approaches Stilesborough, and to keep the train at Kingston until the arrival of General Blair's command there, and follow it back as far as he marches on the return route.


New Confederate Monument in Dallas.

9 a.m., directed General Stanley to give the above-mentioned instructions to the commanding officer of the train guard. 10 a.m., directed Generals Stanley and Newton that if Major-General McPherson arrived to-night to allow him to relieve their troops on that part of their lines he is to occupy, and to bivouac said troops for the night in McPherson's rear. 11 a.m., the enemy attacked General Newton in force, and he was handsomely repulsed, losing quite heavily. Continued skirmishing along our lines until and after daylight. 11.30 a.m., received instructions from Major-General Thomas to open all of our artillery upon the enemy, and to make a strong demonstration with infantry if we heard heavy firing in the direction of McPherson's position. 2.30 p.m., heard very heavy firing on the extreme right of our lines, the enemy evidently attacking McPherson. At once ordered Stanley and Newton to open their artillery and to make a demonstration. They could fire but a few rounds before the attack on the right (which was on McPherson) ceased. 



It lasted about half an hour from the time when it commenced until we could get our artillery to working. Irregular firing was kept up by Stanley and Newton until after daylight from a few guns. From 11 p.m. till daylight the enemy made several attempts on our lines, but made but one attack. Shells and musketballs have been flying rather freely around our headquarters to-day and to-night, as has been the case for several days. Two or 3 of our provost-guard and orderlies wounded. Lost but a few killed and wounded to-day. Day hot and bright.



Confederate Monument Dedication held May 26th 2012 in the city of Dallas, Georgia. Monument is dedicated to Paulding County's Confederate Soldiers. It was made entirely in Georgia. The base of the monument is ten feet tall and made of Georgia granite from Elberton, Ga. The statue of the Soldier is 6 feet tall and was clay sculpted in Cobb County. The statue was forged in Bronze and poured at a foundry in Cherokee County.



The statue replicates a common soldier in the Confederate army, with a great deal of time and effort invested to insure that all aspects of the statue were authentic down to the finest detail.



From the 4th Army Corps journal of the Atlanta campaign, 

May 30 - 4 a.m., headquarters were moved to the rear of what will be the center of our lines when McPherson arrives. 5 a.m., visited General Sherman's headquarters. 6 a.m., received note from department headquarters stating that Palmer needed more troops to prevent the enemy from gaining possession of the road leading to Burnt Hickory from our left, and that General Cruft's brigade, of Stanley's division, was ordered to report to him.  12 noon, McPherson not yet arrived. 2 p.m., instructed General Wood to wheel his line so as to bring it in the same direction as his picket-line, endeavoring to make a connection with the Twenty-third Corps. This would make his line parallel to the blazed line; also to bring his line up as near as possible to the open field; to barricade his front and select positions for artillery; also to effect this. 5 p.m. Skirmishing through the entire day, but not so heavy as yesterday.  9 p.m., General Stanley said that he would send Cruft's brigade as the train guard in the a.m. to Kingston. No night attack. Day very warm, dry, and dusty. Loss to-day, slight.



From the Civil War Daily Gazette

May 29, 1864 (Sunday)

Joe Johnston's Army of Tennessee had entrenched themselves well near Dallas, Georgia. William Tecumseh Sherman, overall commander of the Federal forces opposing it had spent two days thus far search for a way to outflank it. The Rebels, complained Sherman, can "make temporary breastworks as fast as we travel."

Fighting on the 28th.

The land surrounding the two armies was uneven and heavily forested. It was due to this that neither commander had a perfect idea of where his enemy was arrayed. The day previous, Sherman wished to better concentrate his three armies so that he might move closer to a railroad depot. In such a rugged country, Sherman quickly discovered that living off the land was impossible, and that a speedy line of supply was essential. Sherman had his mind set upon the town of Acworth, several miles to the east. If he could re-establish his command upon the railroad, he could maintain his army of 80,000. And so fearing that Johnston's Rebels would outflank him on the left, and thus cut him off from Acworth, Sherman decided to shift James McPherson's Army of Tennessee from the right flank to left. A large gap had never been plugged between McPherson's troops and those of George Thomas' Army of the Cumberland, holding the center. This shift would also eliminate that gap.



Sherman's fear turned out to be justified. A Confederate Corps under John Bell Hood had been dispatched by Johnston to flank Sherman's left. Though it had been Hood's idea, the five mile march to the Union left was grueling, eating up time and men. Thought he night of the 27th and early morning of the 28th, Hood's men hacked and plowed their way though this tangled wilderness. So long did they tarry that Johnston called off the attack. Johnston then decided to try the Union right flank, held by McPherson, ordering a division under William Bates to probe forward. After first meeting with smashing success, the attached cavalry overrunning a battery, it was soon discovered that the Federals were too well embattled to assault. Bates issued orders calling off the attack, but they reached only one brigade of three. The two wayward units stepped off separately and far apart, and flung themselves sporadically at the Federal lines.



The losses were as staggering as the attack, which was held by the receiving Federals to be that of an entire corps - not merely two brigades. This attack caused Sherman to cancel McPherson's withdrawal, which he wished to begin on the night of the 28th. He feared that the enemy was too close for it to be pulled off with success. In places the entrenchments were less than 100 yards from the enemy. And so on the morning of this date, Sherman decided to wait it out. Moving during the day was impossible ? he might as well have simply called Johnston to his headquarters and given him a map. Maneuver at night was, of course, incredibly dangerous, but at least it was dark. Sherman still worried that Johnston would exploit the gap between McPherson and Thomas, and had only the slightest idea that Johnston's Confederate lines nearly mirrored his own, their gap falling along the same place in the line.



Except where the lines are closest, skirmishers and pickets were deployed by both Northern and Southern forces, and each battle away at the other. For days this has continued, except when a full scale assault was in progress. Each of the main lines were entrenched, and even the skirmishers took to the idea, building for themselves rifle pits. The air was always thick with lead.



In preparation for the shift, hoped to be attempted after dark, General McPherson began to send his wagons to the rear, passing them through the town of Dallas. This accomplished, he ordered his infantry to follow. But at 10pm, the cries of "they're coming!" echo along his lines. The skirmishers and pickets fell back and the chaos began anew.


Captain Charles Wills

According to the Federals called back to the entrenchments, the attacks came in quick succession. As soon as one fell back in retreat, there was another, just as fierce, screaming toward them. This crazed and bitter fighting was said to last through the night, as wave upon wave of Rebels assaulted their lines. But at dawn, no enemy was before them, living or dead.



The battle had been all a panic. The Union skirmishers fell back, perhaps afraid of being left behind, and the infantry began to fire. The Rebels, believing themselves under attack, returned the fire. There was much noise, but little charging.

"These night fights are very grand," wrote Captain Charles Wills, commanding the Federal skirmish line, who had claimed there to be eight Rebel assault that night. "Attacks were made by each side, repulses easy. I guess from what little I hear there was a good deal more shooting than hitting on both sides. I think it was the intention for us to move to the left last night, but so much fighting prevented it. I don't know when I have been so used up as this morning, and the whole command is not far from the same condition." Sherman's army is close to falling apart. The men were sleepless for at least three days, and the horses, without sustenance for five, began dropping over from starvation. But on the 30th, they would rest, and would try it again the following day.



May 31 - 3 a.m., received from department headquarters copy of Special Field Orders, No. 14, headquarters Military Division of the Mississippi, stating that our lines would not be changed to-day, but that a general activity must be kept up along our whole front, and that tomorrow, June 1, General McPherson's army and General Davis' division will move over to the left, McPherson to occupy the place now held by Hooker, Davis to join Palmer's corps; that General Thomas' command will hold from Hooker's present left around to the hill near Pickett's Mills, overlooking the Acworth road near Leverett's house; that Stoneman's cavalry will move rapidly by any road east of Pumpkin Vine Creek and secure possession of the east end of Allatoona Pass and the bridge over Allatoona Creek, while General Garrard's cavalry will move via Burnt Hickory and Richland Creek to the west end of Allatoona Pass, communicating with General Stoneman.


Thomas J. Wood

6 a.m., instructed division commanders that there would be no change of our lines today and to keep up a show of activity. 8.15 a.m., enemy felt part of our front by a bold attack with a very heavy skirmish line. The attack commenced on Johnson's division, Fourteenth Corps, on our left; then rolled along Wood's division, passing to Schofield's corps (part of which now separates Wood's division from Stanley's and Newton's of this corps) and stopping there. General Wood's skirmishers fell back. (Our main (front) line was then attacked, and the enemy was quickly driven back with considerable loss to him. 



10 a.m., received Special Field Orders, current series, No. 148, Department of the Cumberland, stating that upon the arrival of General McPherson's troops General Howard will move such portions of Stanley's and Newton's divisions as can be spared from the trenches, with Wood's division, to occupy the interval which will be left in the line by the withdrawal of General Schofield's command; that at same time Davis' division, Fourteenth Corps, will occupy the position now held by General Wood's division, and that General Hooker will at same time move his corps to the left and mass it behind Johnson's left, and east of what is known as Pickett's Mills creek; these movements to be made with as little delay as possible. 


General Joseph Hooker

10.15, staff officer reports that General Wood swung his line around last night to the position indicated in instructions from these headquarters, connecting with Schofield, and that he had thrown up breast-works, &c. 4 p.m., Major-General Thomas has consented to leave General Wood's division in the present position it occupies, and to relieve the Twenty-third Corps by Generals Stanley's and Davis' divisions upon the arrival of Major-General McPherson. 



General Wood instructed to leave a thin line of troops in his rifle-pits, and to let the rest of them rest in the rear until there is an immediate prospect of an engagement. 8 p.m., General Newton instructed to relieve the four right regiments of Grose's brigade tomorrow a.m., two in the front line and two in the rear, and that those in the front line had better be relieved at break of day. Stanley at same time instructed to shove over his command to the left the distance that he is to be relieved on the right by General Newton and as much farther as possible, and to connect with General Davis' division when he goes into position, he and Davis thus relieving Schofield. Skirmishing kept up in our front until dark. Day hot and dry. Loss not heavy today.

Aftermath

The fighting at Dallas on May 28, caused McPherson to ask Sherman to postpone the planned shift to the left. Sherman called off the move and May 29 was spent in skirmishing along the 10 mi long opposing front lines. Sherman's shift to the left was rescheduled for the night of May 29, but on McPherson's front, soldiers thought they were being attacked and both sides fired at phantom enemies all night long. Sherman again postponed the shift to the night of May 31. Meanwhile, Garrard's division moved from the extreme left to the extreme right where it joined Stoneman's cavalry with orders to head for Allatoona Pass. At the appointed hour, McPherson carefully pulled out from the area near Dallas and marched to occupy the Union lines farther north. By the morning of June 1, McPherson's transfer was in progress without alerting the Confederates facing them. That day, Stoneman's horsemen occupied Allatoona Pass and the repair of the railroad line was begun from Kingston to the Etowah. Schofield's and Hooker's corps pulled out of line near New Hope Church and were replaced by McPherson's two corps.


General McPherson

On June 2, Schofield's XIII Corps moved to the intersection of the Allatoona road and the road from Burnt Hickory to Marietta (see the upper right of the New Hope Church map near Cross Roads Church). He deployed the divisions of Hovey, Cox, and Hascall, from right to left. Supported by Butterfield's division (XX Corps), Schofield's divisions moved east, driving back enemy skirmishers. The advance was made through forest so thick that the skirmish line could not be seen 200 ft away and the troops were guided by compass. Cox's division crossed Allatoona Creek in a thunderstorm and found itself faced by a line of Confederate entrenchments. Hascall and Hovey came up on the left and right, respectively, and all three divisions entrenched. They were faced by the Confederate divisions of Cleburne and Walker. That day, the divisions of Baird and Johnson from Palmer's XIV Corps filled the gap between Schofield's new position and Pickett's Mill. On June 3, Hooker extended his corps to the left of Schofield. Stoneman's and McCook's cavalry arrived at Acworth and Garrard's cavalry occupied the railroad south of the Etowah. Sherman's engineers and railroad crews were now able to repair the track as far as Acworth. Schofield pulled Hovey's division out of line and ordered it to move to Allatoona Church, which it reached in the evening. The Confederates evacuated the trenches in front of Schofield and took up a new line facing north.


New Line involved Lost Mountain (GNW# 134)

Believing that Sherman was about to sweep around his right flank to seize Marietta, on the night of June 3, Johnston ordered a 6 miles retreat. On June 4, Sherman directed McPherson to pull his troops from the area around New Hope Church, march behind the other Union forces, and take a position on the far left flank. When Johnston's soldiers abandoned their lines on the night of June 4, the Federals did not even realize they were gone. The Confederate retreat was conducted in the rain and the soldiers arrived at their new defenses muddy and exhausted. Johnston's line ran from Lost Mountain in the southwest to Brushy Mountain to the northeast, with a salient in the center at Pine Mountain. Sherman rearranged his forces so that Schofield was on his right flank, Thomas in the center, and McPherson on his left flank at the railroad. Blair's XVII Corps arrived at Acworth on June 8, joining McPherson.

Strengths and losses

Between May 23 and June 6, Sherman's Union forces sustained 4,500 casualties while Johnston's Confederate army lost 3,000 casualties. During the month of May, Sherman's troops suffered 12,000 casualties out of 100,000 while Johnston's losses numbered 9,000 out of a total of 65,000–75,000. Sherman's losses were soon replaced by the addition of Blair's XVII Corps and other units, but Johnston's had only the Georgia militia to rely on for reinforcements. Unfortunately for Johnston, by the beginning of June, Sherman's army grew stronger relative to the Confederate army despite heavier losses. In the fighting around New Hope Church and Dallas, Johnston held up Sherman's advance for two weeks by effectively countering his opponent's maneuvers. However, in May, Sherman's forces advanced 80 miles into Georgia and forced the Confederates to give up a number of excellent defensive positions. The bitter fighting and harsh conditions also taxed the soldiers' physical and mental health. Hundreds of men from both armies were sent to the rear sick or exhausted while others deserted. Marauders from both armies stole from the local inhabitants. Cox claimed that both Union and Confederate armies sustained 9,000 casualties in the month of May. In the battles of New Hope Church and Dallas, Gaston Bodart stated that the Union army numbered 80,000 and the Confederate army 40,000, and that Union casualties were 2,400 and Confederate casualties were 3,000.


William T. Sherman and Joseph E. Johnston

On April 30 1864, Sherman's forces counted 110,000 soldiers of which 99,000 and 254 guns were available for "offensive purposes". The 25,000 non-combatants with the army included railroad employees and repair crews, teamsters, medical staff, and Black camp servants. According to Albert Castel, Thomas' Army of the Cumberland numbered 73,000 troops and 130 guns, McPherson's Army of the Tennessee counted 24,500 soldiers and 96 guns, and Schofield's Army of the Ohio was made up of 11,362 infantry, 2,197 cavalry, and 28 guns. Cox asserted that Sherman began the campaign with nearly 100,000 men and 254 guns. The Army of the Cumberland had 60,000 men and 130 guns, the Army of the Tennessee had 25,000 men and 96 guns, and the Army of the Ohio had 14,000 men and 28 guns. Battles and Leaders stated that on May 1, Sherman's army included 88,188 infantry, 4,460 artillery, and 6,149 cavalry, a total of 98,797 soldiers. On June 1, there were 94,310 infantry, 5,601 artillery, and 12,908 cavalry, a total of 112,819 soldiers. The June figure may include Blair's XVII Corps.



On April 30, Johnston's Army of Tennessee reported 41,279 infantry, 8,436 cavalry, and 3,227 artillerymen serving 144 guns. Battles and Leaders calculated Johnston's reinforcements as follows: Hugh W. Mercer's brigade (2,800) from the Atlantic coast on May 2, Cantey's division (5,300) from Mobile, Alabama on May 7, Loring's division (5,145) from Mississippi on May 10–12, French's detachment (550) on May 12, Jackson's cavalry (4,477) on May 17, French's division (4,174) on May 19, and William Andrew Quarles' brigade (2,200) on May 26. Jackson's cavalry received 643 more soldiers on June 10. Other possible reinforcements were from Georgia state regiments (1,200), men returned from furlough (3,399), recruits (799), and returned deserters (649). There were about 8,000 non-combatants supporting the army, many of whom were men unfit for combat.

Battlefield

The site of the battle is now Paulding County High School.



The Confederate trenches lay along the southern edge of the campus, as marked by a Civil War Marker sign along Highway 61. Through mid-2018, the Civil War Trust, a division of the American Battlefield Trust, and its partners have acquired and preserved 64 acres at the battlefield.

Well that covers most of the Civil War in Paulding County. We have a new Natural Wonder to explore as we wrap up this County and count down to the top 200 Georgia Natural Wonders. Today's GNW Gals for Paulding County is Pauli Girls round Two.