that means was enabled to resist all assaults and inflict a great deal of damage upon the enemy. These assaults were continued to the middle of the afternoon, and resumed once or twice still later in the day. The enemy's losses in these unsuccessful assaults were fearful. During that evening the enemy in Logan's front withdrew into the town. Another writer thus describes this battle of Ezra Chapel : The enemy had come out from Atlanta by the Burned Ferry Road, and formed his men in an open field behind a swell of ground, and, after the artillery firing I have described, advanced in parallel lines directly against the Fifteenth Corps, expecting to catch that flank “in air." His advance was impulsive, but founded in an error that cost him sadly, for our men coolly and deliberately cut down his men, and, despite the efforts of the rebel officers, his ranks broke and fled. But they were rallied again and again, as often as six times, at the same point, and a few of the rebel officers and men reached our lines of railpiles only to be killed or hauled over as prisoners. These assaults occurred from noon until about four o'clock P.M., when the enemy disappeared, leaving his dead and wounded in our hands. As many as 642 dead were counted and buried, and still others are known to have been buried that were not counted by the regular detail of burialparties. Another account of this battle written by a participant runs thus: With hardly time for the overtaxed soldiers to recover their exhausted energies, the Army of the Tennessee was moved again around to the right of the Union line, and on the morning of July 28th, General Logan, having been relieved from the temporary command of the army by the appointment of General Howard, assumed command of his old corps, and, while moving it into position, in line of battle, on the extreme right of our army, just as he gained a commanding ridge upon which was situated "Ezra Chapel," the whole corps became suddenly and furiously engaged with the enemy. Our troops had not had a moment to construct even the rudest defence, but they held their position, and, after about one hour of terrific fighting, the enemy retired. He, however, soon reformed, and again made a desperate assault, which was subsequently repeated four successive times, with like results. The temporary lulls in the fighting did not at any time exceed five minutes. It was an open-field fight, in which the enemy, consisting of Hardee's and Lee's corps, greatly exceeded us in numerical strength, but we ex ceeded him in spirit and determination. The engagement lasted from 11.30 A.M. until darkness compelled a cessation. Logan captured 5 battle-flags, about 2,000 muskets, and 106 prisoners, not including 73 wounded left on the field. Over 600 of the enemy's dead were buried in our front; a large number were probably carried off during the night, as the enemy did not leave the field until near daylight. Their loss was not less than 5,000. Logan's only reached 562. Following is General Logan's official report of this obstinately fought battle: HEADQUARTERS FIFTEENTH ARMY CORPS, BEFORE ATLANTA, GA., July 29, 1864. COLONEL I have the honor to report that in pursuance of orders I moved my command in position on the right of the Seventeenth Army Corps, which was the extreme right of the army in the field, on the night and morning of the 27th and 28th inst., and during my advance to a more desirable position we were met by the rebel infantry from Hood's and Lee's corps, who made a desperate and determined attack at halfpast eleven o'clock in the morning of the 28th. My lines were protected only by logs and rails hastily thrown in front of them. The first onset was received and checked, and the battle commenced, lasting until about three o'clock in the afternoon. During that time six successive charges were made, which were six times gallantly repulsed, each time with fearful loss to the enemy. Later in the evening my lines were several times assaulted vigorously, but terminated with like result. The most of the fighting occurred on Generals Garrard and Smith's fronts, which formed the centre and right of the line. The troops could not have displayed more courage, nor greater determination not to yield. Had they shown less, they would have been driven from their position. Brigadier-Generals Wood, Garrard, and Smith's division-commands are entitled to great credit for gallant conduct and skill in repelling the assaults. My thanks are due to MajorGenerals Blair and Dodge for sending me re-enforcements at a time when they were much needed. 572. My losses are 50 killed, 439 wounded, and 83 missing; aggregate, The division of General Garrard captured five battle-flags. There were about fifteen hundred or two thousand muskets captured; 106 prisoners were captured, exclusive of 73 wounded who have been removed to hospitals and are being taken care of by our surgeons; 565 rebels up to this time have been buried, and about 200 supposed to be yet unburied. Large numbers were undoubtedly carried away during the night, as the enemy did not withdraw until nearly daylight. The enemy's loss could not have been, in my judgment, less than six or seven thousand. I am, very respectfully, Your obedient servant, JOHN A. LOGAN, Major-General, commanding Fifteenth Army Corps. Lieutenant-Colonel W. T. CLARK, Assistant Adjutant-General. The indorsement upon the above report is as follows: HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE, In forwarding the within report I wish to express my high gratification with the conduct of the troops engaged. I never saw better conduct in battle. The General commanding the Fifteenth Army Corps, though ill and much worn out, was indefatigable, and the success of the day is as much attributable to him as to any one man. His officers, and in fact all the officers of his army that commanded my observation, co-operated promptly and heartily with him. O. O. HOWARD, Major-General. LOGAN'S CORPS STILL PRESSING THE ENEMY ON OUR RIGHT— DESTRUCTION OF THE WEST POINT RAILROAD-THE MARCH TO JONESBORO'. From July 29th, to August 26th, Logan continued to push forward his lines, keeping up the usual skirmish and artillery practice night and day, almost without interruption. On August 3d and 11th he carried the entire intrenched skirmishlines of the enemy in his front, capturing several hundred prisoners. In one engagement he lost sixty men, and in the other the killed and wounded numbered ninety-eight. Sherman having determined to raise the siege of Atlanta and take the field with his whole force, and use it against the communications instead of against the intrenchments of the city, on the night of August 26th, Logan withdrew his corps from its position in front of Atlanta, and, moving on the right of the army to the West Point Railroad, he destroyed the road for some distance, and, marching to Jonesboro', drove the enemy before him from Pond Creek, a distance of ten miles. TOUCHING INCIDENT OF THE ATLANTA CAMPAIGN-THE FATHER-- An affecting story of an incident which happened about this time is graphically told in the Washington National Tribune, in which a battle-born girl-baby and General Logan are the central figures, which, aside from its interest otherwise, exhibits the warm and tender heart that beat in the breast of that superb soldier. The story runs thus : It was the summer of 1864, and the army under Sherman had fallen: back from its position before Atlanta and swept around to Hood's rear,. General Logan leading the advance. I remember that the country was densely wooded, and that magnificent forests of pine, oak, and chestnut towered on either side of the road over which we marched. We were not molested until we neared Flint River. There the enemy had planted a masked battery, and, as we approached, it enfiladed our line.. You could scarce encounter more disagreeable travellers on a lonely road than shot and shell, and the boys were not long in taking to the shelter of the timber. But General Logan at once ordered up a field battery of brass "Napoleons," and presently accepted this challenge to an artillery duel. There was nothing to direct the fire of our gunners save the white puffs of smoke that could be seen rising above the foliage, and the course of the enemy's shots, but they nevertheless soon silenced the rebel cannon, and once more cleared the way for the col umn. We then rode forward again, the writer in company with Dr. Woodward, the medical inspector of General Logan's staff, and until his death, some years ago, the head of the Marine Hospital Service. Just as we turned a bend in the road we emerged suddenly into a small clearing. A rude log cabin, surrounded by evergreen shrubbery, stood in the clearing, and hanging from one of the bushes we noticed a yeliow cloth. As medical officers, it naturally occurred to us at once that this was an improvised hospital of some sort, and we rode up to inquire. At the door of the cabin, as we approached, an old woman, evidently of the familiar "cracker" type, presented herself, but, on seeing that we were "Yankees," beat a hasty retreat. But we were not disposed to be so easily baffled, and calling her out again, began to ply her with ques tions. She told us "there wa'n't no wounded men thar," and when asked why she had put out a yellow flag there, she replied: "Waal, yer see, my gal is sick, and I reckoned ef I put out that yer hosp't'l rag you'ns wouldn't be pesterin' round so much." 'What's the matter with your child?" said I; "we are medical officers, and perhaps we can do something for her." “Waal, now," she quickly responded, "ef you'ns is real doctors, just look in and see what you'ns all done with your shellin'. Time my gal was sickest, two of yourn shells come cl'ar through my cabin, and, I tell you, it was right skeery for a spell." We accepted the old woman's invitation and walked in. It was as she said. The cabin, built of rough pine logs, afforded but one room, about twelve feet square. A small log meat-house (empty) was the only outbuilding,-the cow-stable having been knocked to pieces by our shells,-except a small bark-thatched "lean-to" at the rear, in which we found a loom of the most primitive sort and constructed in the roughest fashion, containing a partially completed web of coarsecotton "homespun." Aside from this loom, the only household articles visible were an old skillet, a rather dilapidated bed, two or three chairs without backs, and a queer collection of gourds. The shells had indeed played havoc with the interior. The roof had been sadly shattered, and a stray shot had pierced the walls. It had cut one of the logs entirely in two, and forcing one jagged end out into the room so far that it hung threateningly over the bed, upon which, to our astonishment, we saw lying a young girl, by whose side was a new-born babe with the prints of the Creator's fingers fresh upon it. It was a strange yet touching spectacle. Here, in this lonely cabin, stripped by lawless stragglers of both armies, of food and clothing, and shattered by the flying shells of our artillery, in the storm and fury of the battle had been born this sweet innocent. The mother, we learned, was the wife of a Confederate soldier whose blood had stained the "sacred soil" of Virginia but a few months after his marriage and conscription into the service, and the child was fatherless. The babe was still clad only in its own innocence, but the writer with his handy jack-knife cut from the unfinished web in the old loom a |