Dixie Forever: A Timeline
- Thread starter JJohnson
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I can't believe I have missed this fantastic timeline until now! Incredible work!
Lincoln can watch the election slip out of his hands OTL the taking of of Atlanta and the March to the sea sealed the election for him. TTL The distraction of the Arm of the Cumberland may be the final straw for the proverbial camel
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McClellan might win the election but Peace Democrats still need some luck getting clear majority in both houses.
Chapter 17: Atlanta Gets Personal (Part 3)
JJohnson
Banned
Aftermath (October 10)
"No dishonor in it sir," Johnson said as he led the general.
"What?"
"No dishonor in being captured, sir. It happens to a lot of soldiers," he added.
"Oh," Thomas replied. He'd kind of expected him to whoop and holler, but he'd been remarkably respectful and low-key about it. "I suppose you're right."
"Better than being dead, sir," Johnson said.
Thomas considered what his sisters and family would say, not to mention his reputation. "I don't know about that, sergeant."
**
As evening began to fall, the Confederates kept up the pressure, Hardee, Cleburne and Stewart keeping their troops going forward. Moving north on their horses, the generals saw their men advancing in barely a semblance of order. Cleburne noticed the absence of artillery fire. Most of the Union batteries had fallen to the Confederates, and most of their artillery crews must have pulled back across the creek.
As they approached, they happened upon General Thomas.
"That's General Thomas!" Hardee exclaimed. He trotted forward, followed by Cleburne.
"Is that you, William?" Thomas asked as the two men in gray approached.
"It is George," Hardee nodded. "Are you injured?"
"No," Thomas answered with a little sadness.
"My God, I never expected to take you prisoner," Hardee said.
Thomas sighed and gave a slight nod, but otherwise kept silent.
"Being a prisoner won't be so bad George. I spent some time as a prisoner of the Mexicans back in '46. Back in the good old days, huh?" Hardee said, trying to help his friend's mood.
Thomas's mouth did come to a slight smile at his friend's remembrance.
"May I present my fellow corps commander, General Patrick Cleburne," he said, gesturing to the man to his right.
"General Cleburne," Thomas nodded, with little enthusiasm. "I've heard a great deal about you. You're the man who got the Confederates to emancipate their slaves."
"I merely got the snowball rolling downhill, sir," Cleburne said with some modesty. "Any man will fight for his home state, regardless of color. It is an honor to meet you sir."
"I understand your corps broke my line."
"Yes sir, my men including our freedmen had that honor."
"A fine performance," Thomas said. His voice was flat, lacking any enthusiasm. It was understandable, given the circumstance.
"Thank you sir," Cleburne said, still being polite.
"Are my men treating you properly?" Hardee asked.
"Yes," Thomas answered. "This man is the soldier who captured me." He pointed to Sergeant Johnson. "He has been most gracious."
"What is your name, young man?" Hardee asked.
"Sergeant James David Johnson, 4th Georgia, sir," he answered smartly.
Cleburne recognized the man, seeing him during his weekly reviews of his brigades and divisions, for the past few months, ensuring the freedmen who'd been trickling in had been taken in and trained properly and treated well. Beside the sergeant, two privates, Darryl Polite and Robert Crane, both carrying a rifle and two flags themselves.
"You'll be noted in our dispatches for this, sergeant," Cleburne told him. "Few soldiers can say they captured the commanding officer of the opposing army."
"Thank you sir."
"George, you will be my guest at dinner this evening," Hardee said.
"Thank you, but I'm afraid I must decline."
"Don't be like that, George! We're old friends! We can swap old stories from back at West Point and in Mexico!"
"Please forgive me William. I don't mean you any disrespect. I simply cannot find it in my heard to celebrate even this reunion with an old friend when my army lies in ruins. I just suffered one of the worst defeats an army has experienced in the history of this continent," Thomas explained. "Besides, I do not wish to share a table with those who turned their backs on their country."
Hardee's face darkened. His friend's words stung. "Suit yourself, George. If we must be frank, I would rather not endure the company of a man who betrayed his state. Sergeant Johnson, please escort General Thomas to General Johnston's headquarters."
"Yes sir," he saluted. He tilted his head south, and Thomas walked on with Darryl and Robert joining them.
**
Elsewhere, as Sherman found the Army of Tennessee manning the defenses, reinforced not just by Georgia Militia, but around 20,000 black troops, a messenger ran to him.
"General Sherman, sir!"
"What? What is it?"
"We've been beaten sir! The rebels broke through Thomas's line at the center, and everything fell apart! The rebs have routed the Army of the Cumberland!"
"My God!" gasped McPherson
"It can't be true!" Sherman said gruffly.
"There's no doubt about it, sir! Several officers from the Army of the Cumberland arrived at headquarters in a panic! They say the rebels started attacking at one o'clock. Things went well at first, but then the division in the center just collapsed and rebels just poured in, and the line fell apart."
Sherman's mind was racing. The possibility for a true complete disaster was very real.
"Where is General Thomas?"
"No one knows sir. No word for several hours."
Sherman felt a stab to his heart at that. He tried to concentrate, shaking his head clear. If Thomas had been defeated, Johnston could strike north and capture the Union bridges along the Chattahoochee, trapping him and the remnants of Thomas's army on the south side of the river. He remembered Grant's warning about Jubal Early possibly coming down with 20,000 more troops. Could they have arrived?
"What's the situation?" he demanded.
"General Thomas is either dead or captured, sir. Hooker said he is taking command of the Army of the Cumberland and will try to withdraw to the north bank of Peachtree Creek as orderly as possible. He is urgently requesting reinforcements."
"Thomas dead?" Sherman said, stunned. Then the thought of Hooker at the head of the army, if only temporarily, filled him with dread. While the highest ranking commander there, Sherman thought him incompetent and a blowhard.
"Shall we attack sir?" asked McPherson.
Sherman's mind was spinning with all the what-ifs. "What?"
"Shall I attack, sir? If we attack, we may create a diversion which would enable the Army of the Cumberland to escape."
"No," he replied quickly. "No, an attack is out of the question. We need to get the Army of the Tennessee back to the north side of Atlanta quickly. Schofield too. If Thomas has been defeated, Johnston may try to follow up on that victory by capturing our army as they cross the river."
"Surely it can't be that bad, Cump. Perhaps Hooker can rally the men there and restore order and salvage the situation."
Sherman didn't reply, just shook his head.
"What do we do?" McPherson asked again.
"Message to Schofield," he said, turning to a courier. "Move his army at once to assist the Army of the Cumberland in crossing the river, while moving one division to Buckhead to prevent any rebel movements on our bridges. Wheeler's cavalry might be roaming about."
The courier saluted and left on his horse at a gallop.
Sherman turned to McPherson, "James, your army must march back too. I know your men are already tired, but they must march all night. We have to get them away from the east side of the city to avoid any possible traps the rebels might try to catch us in."
**
Cleburne took control of the situation, which calmed the Confederates, soothed their frayed nerves, and restored their confidence. He led the men across Collier's Bridge, after a good twenty minutes of fighting, holding it against the Yankees, as the bulk of the Yankee army was still on the south side. He had his staff officers get reinforcements to help hold the bridge, and had the men cut down trees on the north side to create a barricade on the south side of the bridge. He was a bit worried; he had maybe a thousand men on his side against the horde of Yankees coming his way, terror in their faces.
They fired, the Confederates unleashing their musket fire on the terrified opponents. Scores of Union troops fell, the wounded rapidly trampled under the boots of their comrades. Cleburne tried not to hear their screams. A formidable black horse carrying a Union officer emerged from the woods, trying to rally his men. His face was not one of fear, but rage...and determination.
"Form up men! I don't give a damn your regiment! Form up!" he yelled out. The frightened blue-coats rallied around him. "Now charge!"
The man and his horse sped forward. The Confederates fired furiously at them all. The Union officer was killed instantly. At this range, the Confederates couldn't miss. But the momentum of the enemy kept driving them forward. The Yankees tried the bridge, but that devolved into both muskets and bayonets. Even Cleburne felt a hit on his leg, stung by a bullet. Some of Cleburne's men instinctively stepped back from the line of fire to reload and pass muskets forward, maintaining some level of fire during the hand-to-hand.
He was struggling to reload, when he say his men left and right falling; fear began to take hold as he saw blue left and right across from him as far as he could see. Then he herd another sound...the Rebel Yell yipping behind them. The Yankees seemed to abandon the idea of taking the bridge, threw their weapons away and jumped down into the ravine. The drop of about 8-9 feet was a lot, but better that that than being shot or captured.
While reloading, Cleburne saw the most horrifying sight yet in his years of combat. The first few men who jumped ran to the other side, splashing in the waist-high creek. They struggled up the high and steep northern bank, gripping the exposed roots of trees and rocks to try to pull themselves up and out. As they did, more Union troops dropped down into the basin and grabbed the feet of the men above them, inadvertently pulling them back down into the basin. Only a few were able to pull themselves up the bank and run off to the north to safety. More and more troops were dropping into the basin trying to escape. Some even when unwillingly, knocked down into the ravine by the wave of men from the south side, many who were still firing back at the Confederates behind them.
Suddenly, something seemed to just click, and hundreds of the Union troops just dropped their rifles and seemed to decide their only chance of escape was the ravine. They jumped too. And suddenly the creek became a mass of blue-coated men, scrambling wildly for the other side of the bank and shouting in confusion. A few lucky men made it; most didn't. Crowded in, they got in each other's way, hindered their movements, and turned the creek into a mass of terrified men.
Finally, the Confederates came up on the other side. You can understand what happened next. After hours of fighting, most men reach a breaking point, and men don't question the morality of firing on defenseless men. Officers ordered the men to fire, and they just poured down their fire and fury on the men in the creek. Most had thrown their muskets away, so there was almost no return fire. Their screams were unlike anything Cleburne had heard at any point during the war. Not all the death was due to their bullets. In their rush to get across the north bank, many of the unlucky Union troops were shoved under the waist-high creek waters by the weight of their comrades. There they flailed about as the others ran over them, unthinkingly pinning them down under water till they stopped moved, drowned, or were crushed.
The south bank was in flames as the Confederates poured shot after shot into the mass. Cries of 'don't shoot!' 'we surrender!' went unheeded as Confederates shouted back "Keep firing!" and "Kill them all!"
Cleburne had seen combat do this to men. The nightmare that is battle and war could most certainly transform men into animals. Cleburne watched as the Yankees stopped trying to push over the bridge. The creek was crystal clear water yesterday; today it was red with blood. He wanted to shout to stop the carnage, but another voice told him every Yankee stopped here was one less person firing at him and his men on the battlefield tomorrow. War is most definitely hell.
He didn't know how long he watched, but the Confederates finally stopped their firing as the officers finally regained control of their men, and call for the Yankees to return to the south bank and surrender. Many did, and others continued trying to escape, using the piles of bodies of their dead comrades and protesting wounded as their stairs to ascend the steep bank and run north. As far as the eye could see, Peachtree Creek was clogged with the bodies of dead and wounded Union soldiers.
**
Johnston was meeting with his staff officers to get the report of the day while in the field on horseback. Artillery and muskets still fired off, but the sound was fading with the night, and Johnston was glad for that. Steward, Hardee, and Cleburne returned. The ground south of Peachtree Creek was so covered with Union dead you could walk two miles stepping from one corpse to the next and never touch the ground. It was Cleburne's breakthrough that turned the tide of battle decidedly in their favor. His use of tactics rather than just brute force is what did it.
By their reports, they had about 10,000 prisoners; killed around 8000 Union soldiers, captured 64 artillery, captured 48 battle-flags, and a large quantity of ammunition, small arms, and other supplies. The telegram he sent to Davis made the President very happy that night.
**
Sherman was riding the saddle slowly ahead of the others. He was nauseated and dizzy, and his thoughts were unfocused. His hands trembled. It was coming up to midnight, and with it the most disastrous day of his life was ending, and he was glad. He remembered the great battles of history - Saratoga, Hastings - would Peachtree Creek be added to that list? He remembered his early service in the war, when he had been essentially kicked out of the army under suspicion of insanity. His wife cared for him tenderly, but he had almost committed suicide. The demons that tormented him, he could feel them reaching out for him again, trying to pull him down into the darkness. He felt his mind going there. He closed his eyes, willing the demons away again.
What remained of the Army of the Cumberland was a shattered force maybe half its original size of 60,000. Many men were dead, wounded, or in no condition to fight. Many lost their weapons as well. Many division and brigade commanders had also been killed, captured, or wounded in addition to General Thomas. In many brigades, the highest ranking officers were now captains, according to his staff officers.
Until he could restore the Army of the Cumberland, he had just 40,000 men or so in McPherson and Schofield's armies. In terms of effective army size, it was now very possible Johnston outnumbered him.
McPherson and Schofield tried to persuade him to leave their armies on the south bank, while the Army of the Cumberland retreated to the north bank of the Chattahoochee to rest and refit, but he rebuffed them and told them they needed to avoid being trapped with a river at their backs. They advised it would be tougher to resume the offensive on Atlanta if they retreated. Sherman yelled back "Forget Atlanta! We have to look to the safety of our armies, not Atlanta!"
He calmed down, and reiterated that they needed to retreat to avoid risking another defeat, perhaps one greater than that Thomas experienced.
**
At the Niles house, men were celebrating, partaking in some liquor to celebrate and make toasts, as Johnston dismounted his horse.
"Where's General Thomas?" he asked.
"In your room, sir. We gave him dinner, and posted guards outside the door," said the officer nearest the general.
He climbed the steps to find General George Thomas sitting before an untouched plate of roast beef. As he saw Johnston, he stood up sharply and saluted.
"General Johnston," he said, his hand in a fine salute.
"General Thomas," Johnston said, returning the salute. He paused for a moment, before continuing, "I do hope I'm not disturbing your dinner."
"I'm sure you'll understand why I haven't much of an appetite. Besides, I doubt the other prisoners are eating this well."
"Your men are being treated properly, General. They are being fed the rations we captured during battle. I know you must be hungry. Please eat," he said, gesturing to the plate.
Thomas began eating slowly and reluctantly. Johnston continued.
"I want you to know we will do everything we can to make your captivity comfortable. It may be some time before you are released. If I'm not mistaken, the United States hold no Confederate officer of equivalent rank to yours, so prisoner exchange is a little more complicated."
"General Grant terminated prisoner exchanges some time ago, so it really makes no difference," Thomas said.
"Regrettable I must say," Johnston added. "Possibly inhumane, letting prisoners languish."
Thomas pulled his head up, "It was your so-called government's decision to treat captured black soldiers as if they were escaped slaves prompting his decision. If Forrest hadn't been encouraging desertions from amongst our ranks perhaps this could've been avoided."
"I can't say much regarding General Forrest, as I haven't worked closely with him," Johnston admitted.
Thomas just grunted again. He as upset, and Johnston really couldn't blame him. He'd be just as upset in Thomas's position. A servant brought Johnston plate for him after he sat down across from Thomas, and he began to eat.
"I have sent a telegram to our Department of War in Richmond asking as to your future circumstances. Since you are the highest-ranking officer we have yet captured, I am sure you will be accorded special consideration," Johnston said as he took a bite of his roast beef. It was delicious.
"No," his counterpart shook his head. "I want no special consideration apart from the same given my fellow soldiers."
"I will inform my government of your request," Johnston said in all politeness. "It does credit to your character. Given that you are a native Virginian they should be more likely to grant you that."
Thomas picked at his sweet potatoes and roast beef. Johnston walked over to grab some wine and poured a glass. "Would you drink a glass of wine with me, General? It has become more expensive due to the blockade, but it's not yet entirely unobtainable."
He poured two glasses before Thomas could respond, and set them down at the table.
"I might as well," Thomas finally said, picking at his food. "Today my army was destroyed. A glass of wine won't undo that, but I guess it won't hurt. As for those who believe I betrayed my state, well, I believe they betrayed their country."
"My country is Virginia," Johnston replied politely, as he took another bite. "The same was true of you once, as I recall. Our state was sovereign and independent as of 1783 and reserved its right to leave the Union if it so chose. If state cannot leave and is forced back in against its will, then its people are not truly free."
Thomas didn't answer the point, but continued, "You took an oath at West Point to protect the United States and the Constitution, yet you broke your oath, and instead became the servant of those radicals who tore our country apart for fear of Lincoln harming their interest in slavery."
"One could say the same of the radicals from New England who formed the Republican party broke the trust when they funded the terrorist John Brown to murder southerners in Kansas and Harpers Ferry, trying to foment slave revolts and widespread murder, and continued insulting the south for the last 30 years, calling us all manner of abominations for engaging in the same thing New England started in 1637. I myself own no slaves; neither does General Lee. General Forrest freed his slaves and they serve honorably in his cavalry. General Jackson owns no slaves. I will never own slaves. In any event, we've already begun our own process of emancipation, so it will be gone in a few years anyhow. I consider the institution distasteful and I'm glad it will die out."
Thomas laughed, "You command an army under the control of slave owners in Richmond. They will never let it die out. Your victory is slavery's victory. Your defense of Atlanta is the defense of slavery. Will your people honor their word to emancipate their conscripted blacks or just return them to slavery? We freed them to fight for the Union; your army has them fight for their fellow colored man to remain a slave."
"The South did not secede for slavery," Johnston said, trying to remain calm. "Had the north not demanded protectionist tariffs that drained southern money to pay for northern roads and canals, or insulted us for thirty years, we likely never would have seceded."
"Reread South Carolina's secession document," Thomas countered.
"I could also suggest you read our declaration of independence," Johnston added. "Our emancipation bill itself is proof enough. Besides, I did not join the army to defend slavery. I joined to defend the right of states to be free from external coercion. We delegated certain power to the federal government; we don't want a centralized government that can dictate where people can settle or take 3/4 of the budget to spend in one part of the nation. We just want to be left alone. Much like our own forefathers in the Revolution. General Lee's father fought with Washington. My father carried the sword I now carry in the Revolution. Even Jefferson and others in 1794 said we should separate into two nations, north and south, as our cultures are just too different."
"Don't compare your misguided struggle with that of our revolutionary forefathers," Thomas said, shaking his head. "The patriots of old had no recourse but revolution against King George III, since they weren't represented in Parliament. The southern states had representation in Congress till they seceded. You faced no tyrant; revolution is only justified when faced with a tyrant like King George."
"What do you call King Abraham's suspension of habeas corpus without Congress's approval? Arresting legislators who speak out against him? Exiling Congressman Vallandigham? Closing papers which speak out against Lincoln's War? How is that not the action of a tyrant? Hasn't he even proposed on several occasions deporting all blacks from the country to Panama, or even Africa, countries they've never known? And when we sent peace commissioners to meet to discuss purchasing federal forts, he pretended they didn't exist and refused to meet them. And he violated the truce President Buchanan and South Carolina agreed to, and lied to the peace commissioners, denying he was sending any armed force to Fort Sumter and Fort Pickens, thus making it necessary to fire upon the fort."
He continued, "What good does representation do us, when the north closed off settlement of the west to southerners, to reserve those lands for their people to cement their hold on power? We'd be outvoted on every issue soon, given the different sizes of our populations. How is that representation when we are to be continually denied our equal say? What right does a corporate lawyer from Illinois have to tell a farmer in Georgia how he organizes his life? Or the President to the Governor of Virginia?"
Thomas sat back and sipped his wine.
"I suppose we could go back and forth, General Johnston, for some time without coming to any kind of agreement on things. I am not a political man. To me, all that matters is my oath that I took at West Point. I kept it, even though it tore my heart when Virginia seceded. You broke your oath, and now wage war on the very government you once swore to protect. For that sir, I shall pray to God for your soul, and those of your fellow soldiers."
Johnston took a long sip from his glass. It was a fine vintage. Thomas's last statement essentially ended the conversation. Thomas went back to his beef, not caring if he were being polite in eating.
Johnston stood, telling him, "I will have proper quarters prepared for you, General Thomas. I will also sent a message to General Sherman under flag of truce informing him of your sttus, so he may then inform your wife. When my government informs me of its intentions regarding your situation, I will inform you."
"Thank you."
"Do you want me to send a message to your family in Virginia?"
"No, thank you," Thomas said, having thought for a moment.
Johnston nodded, understanding. "The war is hard on everyone."
**
Richmond, VA (October 11)
While Congress had many things on its plate, it took some time to authorize the creation of a series of medals and ribbons in response to Johnston's successful defense of Atlanta.
The 'Defense of Atlanta' ribbon, a red/white/red ribbon, with a small bronze medal containing the seal of Georgia, and around it "Defense of Atlanta" "Army of Tennessee."
The year 1864 between them on the right, and 'Oct.20' on the left. Everyone in the Army of Tennessee would get one...when materials and resources were available to do so.
The "Bonnie Blue" Ribbon, blue with a single white star on it, for those who served in the provisional armies of their respective states.
The 'National Defense' Service Ribbon would go to all troops who served honorably, after peace would be achieved.
Washington, DC (October 11)
Outside Lincoln's office there was a slight commotion. "Mr. President, Secretary Stanton is here to see you."
A few moments later, the Secretary of War walked into the room, greeted him, and sat in the chair across from him.
"Mr. President, I have some very bad news to report," Stanton said after gathering himself for a moment.
"I hope it's not more news from Petersburg," Lincoln said with a sigh. Lee was resisting most tenaciously there.
"No sir, it's from Georgia, not Petersburg," Stanton countered.
Lincoln sighed again. "We have endured Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Bull Run...again...so I believe we shall endure it again. Out with it."
"Very well, Mr. President," Stanton said. "Yesterday, while our Army of the Cumberland was crossing a creek north of Atlanta, the rebel army attacked and defeated them while they were separated from a large portion of the rest of our forces by several miles. Roughly ten thousand prisoners were taken, including General Thomas, and over ten thousand either killed or wounded. We also lost vast amounts of critical supplies, including ammunition, rifles, small arms, cannon, and more. The Army of the Cumberland has been shattered."
Lincoln's face remained stoic. He strove so hard to see his vision of America come to fruition - a central bank regulating the money; internal improvements making capital flow east to west and back in the form of vast untapped resources; colonizing the blacks out of the north and west; and finally a nationalized government to rule over the chaotic individualists in the states. And now that vision, begun by Henry Clay, seemed to be in dread danger.
Stanton continued talking, relaying the details of the Battle of Peachtree Creek. It was as bad as he feared.
After a moment Lincoln spoke. "If I understand all that you tell me, we may have just lost the election. And with it, the war."
"No sir," Stanton said quickly. "Despite this, our army is still outside Atlanta, and still outnumbers the rebels. We have recovered from defeats before, and we can do it again."
"Can we?" Lincoln asked. "They've enlisted their slaves, just like we enlisted their slaves to fight against them. It's not just rumor and denials now. News of that will come out. The people are hungry for peace and the treasury is coming up on empty. Democrats are telling every crowd which will listen that this war is a failure and victory is impossible."
"Mr President, this is a terrible defeat, yes. But we can recover, and we can shore of the electoral college," Stanton said.
"If we make territories states..." Lincoln said, as he walked over to the map, looking to the west. He pointed over next to Union-held California. Nevada was organized. Utah? No, not those polygamists out there. Maybe Columbia...they'd been petitioning recently.
"Pack your bags, Edwin," Lincoln said finally. "We're taking a trip."
"To where Mr President?" Stanton asked.
"We're going to see General Grant in Virginia. While Congress works on statehood, I need to see my commander-in-chief."
**
Atlanta, GA (October 11)
General Joseph Johnston thought if only he could get to the north side of the Chattahoochee, he could trap Sherman south of the river. Unfortunately, two of his corps had suffered heavy losses, and their divisions had become disorganized. Utilizing the forces Albert Sidney Johnston had luckily trained, he was slowly beginning to rebuild his army with freedmen, placing them into divisions with people close to their home counties and states. For the moment, he couldn't tell if Sherman intended to make a retreat or was just keeping his options open.
Elsewhere, Sergeant Johnson was working on the battlefield of Peachtree Creek with a shovel. He wiped away the sweat from his brow as he was digging a grave, in a row for his fallen comrades.
"Take a break, James," said his captain, Jose Cleary, originally from Rio Grande. "You've earned it."
"Thank you sir, but I just want to get this done as quickly as we can. Our friends are owed that much," he replied.
"As you wish," Cleary said.
The men of his company, K, were once a hundred, but now 63 remained. They had taken most of day on the 21st and were digging shallow graves for their men. Where possible, they scratched names, ranks, divisions, and units onto the crosses. Most soldiers' buttons were state-specific, so it was easy to tell from where it came. Once the graves were dug, the bodies were placed in each, and the troops held a small service for them. As was customary by now, taps was played once the pastor had finished a reading of Psalm 23 and spoke of the soldiers' devotion to Christ; life in the army meant a great many soldiers had become born-again believers.
Johnson took a small nap near a tree when the service was done. He was wiped out. In an instant it seemed, he was awoken by Robert.
"Jim, wake up," he said, shaking his friend.
"What is it?" he mumbled, not wanting to move. If he moved, it'd be harder to get back to sleep.
"General Cleburne is here to see you."
That's when Sergeant Johnson woke up like a splash of water hit his face. Cleburne was standing before him, waiting. He scrambled up to his feet, quickly brushed off his uniform, and saluted. "Sorry sir!"
"At ease, Johnson," Ceburne said. "I just came by to give this to your regimental commander."
He pulled out a paper from his uniform coat pocket, and gave it to Captain Cleary.
"What is it?" Johnson asked.
"Orders," he answered. "Captain Cleary has received a promotion to Major. You have been promoted to Lieutenant, effective immediately. The official confirmation will come when the War Department manages to take care of the paperwork."
"Lieutenant?" Johnson repeated, still surprised.
"You shouldn't be surprised, Johnson. You captured the highest ranking Union officer yet, and your record has been exemplary. Honestly I can't figure out why you weren't made officer some time ago."
"I offered to send his name in for promotion to lieutenant several times before, sir," Cleary explained. "He always declined."
"Is that so?" Cleburne asked. "Why is that?"
Cleary looked to Johnson, the look on his face one telling him he should answer. He really didn't have an answer.
"Well, not this time, son. As commander of your corps, I am not offering a promotion, I am ordering you to take it. Is that clear, Lieutenant Johnson?" he said, stressing the new title.
"Perfectly, sir."
"Very well. Congratulations," said the general, extending his hand.
After Cleburne left and his men cheered. He feared being in charge of half the regiment now. Being a sergeant was a small amount of responsibility. This, however, was a whole new level.
**
Chattahoochee River (October 12)
General Sherman was leaning against a tree, smoking a cigar, and gazing south towards Atlanta. Five or so miles away, but it might as well be Moscow for all he could do to get there. Just three days ago, he had an army of over 100,000 men. After the Battle of Peachtree Creek, he had maybe 75,000, and maybe half that could be considered reliable in a fight. He bet the Confederates, flush with their victory, were likely getting those reinforcements from Virginia, and all the freedmen the other General Johnston had been training. And they could equip them now with all that captured cannon and musket. That was likely one of the big things keeping the Confederates from fielding them in battle till now. Sherman didn't know what kind of casualties they had suffered, nor how many or if Lee were sending troops. All he knew was he needed to put the river between him and the Confederates so he could regroup. General McPherson asked whom he would have replace Thomas, who was now prisoner, according to the message sent under flag of truce. Sherman put Oliver Howard, despite Hooker being the senior rank.
"No dishonor in it sir," Johnson said as he led the general.
"What?"
"No dishonor in being captured, sir. It happens to a lot of soldiers," he added.
"Oh," Thomas replied. He'd kind of expected him to whoop and holler, but he'd been remarkably respectful and low-key about it. "I suppose you're right."
"Better than being dead, sir," Johnson said.
Thomas considered what his sisters and family would say, not to mention his reputation. "I don't know about that, sergeant."
**
As evening began to fall, the Confederates kept up the pressure, Hardee, Cleburne and Stewart keeping their troops going forward. Moving north on their horses, the generals saw their men advancing in barely a semblance of order. Cleburne noticed the absence of artillery fire. Most of the Union batteries had fallen to the Confederates, and most of their artillery crews must have pulled back across the creek.
As they approached, they happened upon General Thomas.
"That's General Thomas!" Hardee exclaimed. He trotted forward, followed by Cleburne.
"Is that you, William?" Thomas asked as the two men in gray approached.
"It is George," Hardee nodded. "Are you injured?"
"No," Thomas answered with a little sadness.
"My God, I never expected to take you prisoner," Hardee said.
Thomas sighed and gave a slight nod, but otherwise kept silent.
"Being a prisoner won't be so bad George. I spent some time as a prisoner of the Mexicans back in '46. Back in the good old days, huh?" Hardee said, trying to help his friend's mood.
Thomas's mouth did come to a slight smile at his friend's remembrance.
"May I present my fellow corps commander, General Patrick Cleburne," he said, gesturing to the man to his right.
"General Cleburne," Thomas nodded, with little enthusiasm. "I've heard a great deal about you. You're the man who got the Confederates to emancipate their slaves."
"I merely got the snowball rolling downhill, sir," Cleburne said with some modesty. "Any man will fight for his home state, regardless of color. It is an honor to meet you sir."
"I understand your corps broke my line."
"Yes sir, my men including our freedmen had that honor."
"A fine performance," Thomas said. His voice was flat, lacking any enthusiasm. It was understandable, given the circumstance.
"Thank you sir," Cleburne said, still being polite.
"Are my men treating you properly?" Hardee asked.
"Yes," Thomas answered. "This man is the soldier who captured me." He pointed to Sergeant Johnson. "He has been most gracious."
"What is your name, young man?" Hardee asked.
"Sergeant James David Johnson, 4th Georgia, sir," he answered smartly.
Cleburne recognized the man, seeing him during his weekly reviews of his brigades and divisions, for the past few months, ensuring the freedmen who'd been trickling in had been taken in and trained properly and treated well. Beside the sergeant, two privates, Darryl Polite and Robert Crane, both carrying a rifle and two flags themselves.
"You'll be noted in our dispatches for this, sergeant," Cleburne told him. "Few soldiers can say they captured the commanding officer of the opposing army."
"Thank you sir."
"George, you will be my guest at dinner this evening," Hardee said.
"Thank you, but I'm afraid I must decline."
"Don't be like that, George! We're old friends! We can swap old stories from back at West Point and in Mexico!"
"Please forgive me William. I don't mean you any disrespect. I simply cannot find it in my heard to celebrate even this reunion with an old friend when my army lies in ruins. I just suffered one of the worst defeats an army has experienced in the history of this continent," Thomas explained. "Besides, I do not wish to share a table with those who turned their backs on their country."
Hardee's face darkened. His friend's words stung. "Suit yourself, George. If we must be frank, I would rather not endure the company of a man who betrayed his state. Sergeant Johnson, please escort General Thomas to General Johnston's headquarters."
"Yes sir," he saluted. He tilted his head south, and Thomas walked on with Darryl and Robert joining them.
**
Elsewhere, as Sherman found the Army of Tennessee manning the defenses, reinforced not just by Georgia Militia, but around 20,000 black troops, a messenger ran to him.
"General Sherman, sir!"
"What? What is it?"
"We've been beaten sir! The rebels broke through Thomas's line at the center, and everything fell apart! The rebs have routed the Army of the Cumberland!"
"My God!" gasped McPherson
"It can't be true!" Sherman said gruffly.
"There's no doubt about it, sir! Several officers from the Army of the Cumberland arrived at headquarters in a panic! They say the rebels started attacking at one o'clock. Things went well at first, but then the division in the center just collapsed and rebels just poured in, and the line fell apart."
Sherman's mind was racing. The possibility for a true complete disaster was very real.
"Where is General Thomas?"
"No one knows sir. No word for several hours."
Sherman felt a stab to his heart at that. He tried to concentrate, shaking his head clear. If Thomas had been defeated, Johnston could strike north and capture the Union bridges along the Chattahoochee, trapping him and the remnants of Thomas's army on the south side of the river. He remembered Grant's warning about Jubal Early possibly coming down with 20,000 more troops. Could they have arrived?
"What's the situation?" he demanded.
"General Thomas is either dead or captured, sir. Hooker said he is taking command of the Army of the Cumberland and will try to withdraw to the north bank of Peachtree Creek as orderly as possible. He is urgently requesting reinforcements."
"Thomas dead?" Sherman said, stunned. Then the thought of Hooker at the head of the army, if only temporarily, filled him with dread. While the highest ranking commander there, Sherman thought him incompetent and a blowhard.
"Shall we attack sir?" asked McPherson.
Sherman's mind was spinning with all the what-ifs. "What?"
"Shall I attack, sir? If we attack, we may create a diversion which would enable the Army of the Cumberland to escape."
"No," he replied quickly. "No, an attack is out of the question. We need to get the Army of the Tennessee back to the north side of Atlanta quickly. Schofield too. If Thomas has been defeated, Johnston may try to follow up on that victory by capturing our army as they cross the river."
"Surely it can't be that bad, Cump. Perhaps Hooker can rally the men there and restore order and salvage the situation."
Sherman didn't reply, just shook his head.
"What do we do?" McPherson asked again.
"Message to Schofield," he said, turning to a courier. "Move his army at once to assist the Army of the Cumberland in crossing the river, while moving one division to Buckhead to prevent any rebel movements on our bridges. Wheeler's cavalry might be roaming about."
The courier saluted and left on his horse at a gallop.
Sherman turned to McPherson, "James, your army must march back too. I know your men are already tired, but they must march all night. We have to get them away from the east side of the city to avoid any possible traps the rebels might try to catch us in."
**
Cleburne took control of the situation, which calmed the Confederates, soothed their frayed nerves, and restored their confidence. He led the men across Collier's Bridge, after a good twenty minutes of fighting, holding it against the Yankees, as the bulk of the Yankee army was still on the south side. He had his staff officers get reinforcements to help hold the bridge, and had the men cut down trees on the north side to create a barricade on the south side of the bridge. He was a bit worried; he had maybe a thousand men on his side against the horde of Yankees coming his way, terror in their faces.
They fired, the Confederates unleashing their musket fire on the terrified opponents. Scores of Union troops fell, the wounded rapidly trampled under the boots of their comrades. Cleburne tried not to hear their screams. A formidable black horse carrying a Union officer emerged from the woods, trying to rally his men. His face was not one of fear, but rage...and determination.
"Form up men! I don't give a damn your regiment! Form up!" he yelled out. The frightened blue-coats rallied around him. "Now charge!"
The man and his horse sped forward. The Confederates fired furiously at them all. The Union officer was killed instantly. At this range, the Confederates couldn't miss. But the momentum of the enemy kept driving them forward. The Yankees tried the bridge, but that devolved into both muskets and bayonets. Even Cleburne felt a hit on his leg, stung by a bullet. Some of Cleburne's men instinctively stepped back from the line of fire to reload and pass muskets forward, maintaining some level of fire during the hand-to-hand.
He was struggling to reload, when he say his men left and right falling; fear began to take hold as he saw blue left and right across from him as far as he could see. Then he herd another sound...the Rebel Yell yipping behind them. The Yankees seemed to abandon the idea of taking the bridge, threw their weapons away and jumped down into the ravine. The drop of about 8-9 feet was a lot, but better that that than being shot or captured.
While reloading, Cleburne saw the most horrifying sight yet in his years of combat. The first few men who jumped ran to the other side, splashing in the waist-high creek. They struggled up the high and steep northern bank, gripping the exposed roots of trees and rocks to try to pull themselves up and out. As they did, more Union troops dropped down into the basin and grabbed the feet of the men above them, inadvertently pulling them back down into the basin. Only a few were able to pull themselves up the bank and run off to the north to safety. More and more troops were dropping into the basin trying to escape. Some even when unwillingly, knocked down into the ravine by the wave of men from the south side, many who were still firing back at the Confederates behind them.
Suddenly, something seemed to just click, and hundreds of the Union troops just dropped their rifles and seemed to decide their only chance of escape was the ravine. They jumped too. And suddenly the creek became a mass of blue-coated men, scrambling wildly for the other side of the bank and shouting in confusion. A few lucky men made it; most didn't. Crowded in, they got in each other's way, hindered their movements, and turned the creek into a mass of terrified men.
Finally, the Confederates came up on the other side. You can understand what happened next. After hours of fighting, most men reach a breaking point, and men don't question the morality of firing on defenseless men. Officers ordered the men to fire, and they just poured down their fire and fury on the men in the creek. Most had thrown their muskets away, so there was almost no return fire. Their screams were unlike anything Cleburne had heard at any point during the war. Not all the death was due to their bullets. In their rush to get across the north bank, many of the unlucky Union troops were shoved under the waist-high creek waters by the weight of their comrades. There they flailed about as the others ran over them, unthinkingly pinning them down under water till they stopped moved, drowned, or were crushed.
The south bank was in flames as the Confederates poured shot after shot into the mass. Cries of 'don't shoot!' 'we surrender!' went unheeded as Confederates shouted back "Keep firing!" and "Kill them all!"
Cleburne had seen combat do this to men. The nightmare that is battle and war could most certainly transform men into animals. Cleburne watched as the Yankees stopped trying to push over the bridge. The creek was crystal clear water yesterday; today it was red with blood. He wanted to shout to stop the carnage, but another voice told him every Yankee stopped here was one less person firing at him and his men on the battlefield tomorrow. War is most definitely hell.
He didn't know how long he watched, but the Confederates finally stopped their firing as the officers finally regained control of their men, and call for the Yankees to return to the south bank and surrender. Many did, and others continued trying to escape, using the piles of bodies of their dead comrades and protesting wounded as their stairs to ascend the steep bank and run north. As far as the eye could see, Peachtree Creek was clogged with the bodies of dead and wounded Union soldiers.
**
Johnston was meeting with his staff officers to get the report of the day while in the field on horseback. Artillery and muskets still fired off, but the sound was fading with the night, and Johnston was glad for that. Steward, Hardee, and Cleburne returned. The ground south of Peachtree Creek was so covered with Union dead you could walk two miles stepping from one corpse to the next and never touch the ground. It was Cleburne's breakthrough that turned the tide of battle decidedly in their favor. His use of tactics rather than just brute force is what did it.
By their reports, they had about 10,000 prisoners; killed around 8000 Union soldiers, captured 64 artillery, captured 48 battle-flags, and a large quantity of ammunition, small arms, and other supplies. The telegram he sent to Davis made the President very happy that night.
**
Sherman was riding the saddle slowly ahead of the others. He was nauseated and dizzy, and his thoughts were unfocused. His hands trembled. It was coming up to midnight, and with it the most disastrous day of his life was ending, and he was glad. He remembered the great battles of history - Saratoga, Hastings - would Peachtree Creek be added to that list? He remembered his early service in the war, when he had been essentially kicked out of the army under suspicion of insanity. His wife cared for him tenderly, but he had almost committed suicide. The demons that tormented him, he could feel them reaching out for him again, trying to pull him down into the darkness. He felt his mind going there. He closed his eyes, willing the demons away again.
What remained of the Army of the Cumberland was a shattered force maybe half its original size of 60,000. Many men were dead, wounded, or in no condition to fight. Many lost their weapons as well. Many division and brigade commanders had also been killed, captured, or wounded in addition to General Thomas. In many brigades, the highest ranking officers were now captains, according to his staff officers.
Until he could restore the Army of the Cumberland, he had just 40,000 men or so in McPherson and Schofield's armies. In terms of effective army size, it was now very possible Johnston outnumbered him.
McPherson and Schofield tried to persuade him to leave their armies on the south bank, while the Army of the Cumberland retreated to the north bank of the Chattahoochee to rest and refit, but he rebuffed them and told them they needed to avoid being trapped with a river at their backs. They advised it would be tougher to resume the offensive on Atlanta if they retreated. Sherman yelled back "Forget Atlanta! We have to look to the safety of our armies, not Atlanta!"
He calmed down, and reiterated that they needed to retreat to avoid risking another defeat, perhaps one greater than that Thomas experienced.
**
At the Niles house, men were celebrating, partaking in some liquor to celebrate and make toasts, as Johnston dismounted his horse.
"Where's General Thomas?" he asked.
"In your room, sir. We gave him dinner, and posted guards outside the door," said the officer nearest the general.
He climbed the steps to find General George Thomas sitting before an untouched plate of roast beef. As he saw Johnston, he stood up sharply and saluted.
"General Johnston," he said, his hand in a fine salute.
"General Thomas," Johnston said, returning the salute. He paused for a moment, before continuing, "I do hope I'm not disturbing your dinner."
"I'm sure you'll understand why I haven't much of an appetite. Besides, I doubt the other prisoners are eating this well."
"Your men are being treated properly, General. They are being fed the rations we captured during battle. I know you must be hungry. Please eat," he said, gesturing to the plate.
Thomas began eating slowly and reluctantly. Johnston continued.
"I want you to know we will do everything we can to make your captivity comfortable. It may be some time before you are released. If I'm not mistaken, the United States hold no Confederate officer of equivalent rank to yours, so prisoner exchange is a little more complicated."
"General Grant terminated prisoner exchanges some time ago, so it really makes no difference," Thomas said.
"Regrettable I must say," Johnston added. "Possibly inhumane, letting prisoners languish."
Thomas pulled his head up, "It was your so-called government's decision to treat captured black soldiers as if they were escaped slaves prompting his decision. If Forrest hadn't been encouraging desertions from amongst our ranks perhaps this could've been avoided."
"I can't say much regarding General Forrest, as I haven't worked closely with him," Johnston admitted.
Thomas just grunted again. He as upset, and Johnston really couldn't blame him. He'd be just as upset in Thomas's position. A servant brought Johnston plate for him after he sat down across from Thomas, and he began to eat.
"I have sent a telegram to our Department of War in Richmond asking as to your future circumstances. Since you are the highest-ranking officer we have yet captured, I am sure you will be accorded special consideration," Johnston said as he took a bite of his roast beef. It was delicious.
"No," his counterpart shook his head. "I want no special consideration apart from the same given my fellow soldiers."
"I will inform my government of your request," Johnston said in all politeness. "It does credit to your character. Given that you are a native Virginian they should be more likely to grant you that."
Thomas picked at his sweet potatoes and roast beef. Johnston walked over to grab some wine and poured a glass. "Would you drink a glass of wine with me, General? It has become more expensive due to the blockade, but it's not yet entirely unobtainable."
He poured two glasses before Thomas could respond, and set them down at the table.
"I might as well," Thomas finally said, picking at his food. "Today my army was destroyed. A glass of wine won't undo that, but I guess it won't hurt. As for those who believe I betrayed my state, well, I believe they betrayed their country."
"My country is Virginia," Johnston replied politely, as he took another bite. "The same was true of you once, as I recall. Our state was sovereign and independent as of 1783 and reserved its right to leave the Union if it so chose. If state cannot leave and is forced back in against its will, then its people are not truly free."
Thomas didn't answer the point, but continued, "You took an oath at West Point to protect the United States and the Constitution, yet you broke your oath, and instead became the servant of those radicals who tore our country apart for fear of Lincoln harming their interest in slavery."
"One could say the same of the radicals from New England who formed the Republican party broke the trust when they funded the terrorist John Brown to murder southerners in Kansas and Harpers Ferry, trying to foment slave revolts and widespread murder, and continued insulting the south for the last 30 years, calling us all manner of abominations for engaging in the same thing New England started in 1637. I myself own no slaves; neither does General Lee. General Forrest freed his slaves and they serve honorably in his cavalry. General Jackson owns no slaves. I will never own slaves. In any event, we've already begun our own process of emancipation, so it will be gone in a few years anyhow. I consider the institution distasteful and I'm glad it will die out."
Thomas laughed, "You command an army under the control of slave owners in Richmond. They will never let it die out. Your victory is slavery's victory. Your defense of Atlanta is the defense of slavery. Will your people honor their word to emancipate their conscripted blacks or just return them to slavery? We freed them to fight for the Union; your army has them fight for their fellow colored man to remain a slave."
"The South did not secede for slavery," Johnston said, trying to remain calm. "Had the north not demanded protectionist tariffs that drained southern money to pay for northern roads and canals, or insulted us for thirty years, we likely never would have seceded."
"Reread South Carolina's secession document," Thomas countered.
"I could also suggest you read our declaration of independence," Johnston added. "Our emancipation bill itself is proof enough. Besides, I did not join the army to defend slavery. I joined to defend the right of states to be free from external coercion. We delegated certain power to the federal government; we don't want a centralized government that can dictate where people can settle or take 3/4 of the budget to spend in one part of the nation. We just want to be left alone. Much like our own forefathers in the Revolution. General Lee's father fought with Washington. My father carried the sword I now carry in the Revolution. Even Jefferson and others in 1794 said we should separate into two nations, north and south, as our cultures are just too different."
"Don't compare your misguided struggle with that of our revolutionary forefathers," Thomas said, shaking his head. "The patriots of old had no recourse but revolution against King George III, since they weren't represented in Parliament. The southern states had representation in Congress till they seceded. You faced no tyrant; revolution is only justified when faced with a tyrant like King George."
"What do you call King Abraham's suspension of habeas corpus without Congress's approval? Arresting legislators who speak out against him? Exiling Congressman Vallandigham? Closing papers which speak out against Lincoln's War? How is that not the action of a tyrant? Hasn't he even proposed on several occasions deporting all blacks from the country to Panama, or even Africa, countries they've never known? And when we sent peace commissioners to meet to discuss purchasing federal forts, he pretended they didn't exist and refused to meet them. And he violated the truce President Buchanan and South Carolina agreed to, and lied to the peace commissioners, denying he was sending any armed force to Fort Sumter and Fort Pickens, thus making it necessary to fire upon the fort."
He continued, "What good does representation do us, when the north closed off settlement of the west to southerners, to reserve those lands for their people to cement their hold on power? We'd be outvoted on every issue soon, given the different sizes of our populations. How is that representation when we are to be continually denied our equal say? What right does a corporate lawyer from Illinois have to tell a farmer in Georgia how he organizes his life? Or the President to the Governor of Virginia?"
Thomas sat back and sipped his wine.
"I suppose we could go back and forth, General Johnston, for some time without coming to any kind of agreement on things. I am not a political man. To me, all that matters is my oath that I took at West Point. I kept it, even though it tore my heart when Virginia seceded. You broke your oath, and now wage war on the very government you once swore to protect. For that sir, I shall pray to God for your soul, and those of your fellow soldiers."
Johnston took a long sip from his glass. It was a fine vintage. Thomas's last statement essentially ended the conversation. Thomas went back to his beef, not caring if he were being polite in eating.
Johnston stood, telling him, "I will have proper quarters prepared for you, General Thomas. I will also sent a message to General Sherman under flag of truce informing him of your sttus, so he may then inform your wife. When my government informs me of its intentions regarding your situation, I will inform you."
"Thank you."
"Do you want me to send a message to your family in Virginia?"
"No, thank you," Thomas said, having thought for a moment.
Johnston nodded, understanding. "The war is hard on everyone."
**
Richmond, VA (October 11)
While Congress had many things on its plate, it took some time to authorize the creation of a series of medals and ribbons in response to Johnston's successful defense of Atlanta.
The 'Defense of Atlanta' ribbon, a red/white/red ribbon, with a small bronze medal containing the seal of Georgia, and around it "Defense of Atlanta" "Army of Tennessee."
The year 1864 between them on the right, and 'Oct.20' on the left. Everyone in the Army of Tennessee would get one...when materials and resources were available to do so.
The "Bonnie Blue" Ribbon, blue with a single white star on it, for those who served in the provisional armies of their respective states.
The 'National Defense' Service Ribbon would go to all troops who served honorably, after peace would be achieved.
Washington, DC (October 11)
Outside Lincoln's office there was a slight commotion. "Mr. President, Secretary Stanton is here to see you."
A few moments later, the Secretary of War walked into the room, greeted him, and sat in the chair across from him.
"Mr. President, I have some very bad news to report," Stanton said after gathering himself for a moment.
"I hope it's not more news from Petersburg," Lincoln said with a sigh. Lee was resisting most tenaciously there.
"No sir, it's from Georgia, not Petersburg," Stanton countered.
Lincoln sighed again. "We have endured Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Bull Run...again...so I believe we shall endure it again. Out with it."
"Very well, Mr. President," Stanton said. "Yesterday, while our Army of the Cumberland was crossing a creek north of Atlanta, the rebel army attacked and defeated them while they were separated from a large portion of the rest of our forces by several miles. Roughly ten thousand prisoners were taken, including General Thomas, and over ten thousand either killed or wounded. We also lost vast amounts of critical supplies, including ammunition, rifles, small arms, cannon, and more. The Army of the Cumberland has been shattered."
Lincoln's face remained stoic. He strove so hard to see his vision of America come to fruition - a central bank regulating the money; internal improvements making capital flow east to west and back in the form of vast untapped resources; colonizing the blacks out of the north and west; and finally a nationalized government to rule over the chaotic individualists in the states. And now that vision, begun by Henry Clay, seemed to be in dread danger.
Stanton continued talking, relaying the details of the Battle of Peachtree Creek. It was as bad as he feared.
After a moment Lincoln spoke. "If I understand all that you tell me, we may have just lost the election. And with it, the war."
"No sir," Stanton said quickly. "Despite this, our army is still outside Atlanta, and still outnumbers the rebels. We have recovered from defeats before, and we can do it again."
"Can we?" Lincoln asked. "They've enlisted their slaves, just like we enlisted their slaves to fight against them. It's not just rumor and denials now. News of that will come out. The people are hungry for peace and the treasury is coming up on empty. Democrats are telling every crowd which will listen that this war is a failure and victory is impossible."
"Mr President, this is a terrible defeat, yes. But we can recover, and we can shore of the electoral college," Stanton said.
"If we make territories states..." Lincoln said, as he walked over to the map, looking to the west. He pointed over next to Union-held California. Nevada was organized. Utah? No, not those polygamists out there. Maybe Columbia...they'd been petitioning recently.
"Pack your bags, Edwin," Lincoln said finally. "We're taking a trip."
"To where Mr President?" Stanton asked.
"We're going to see General Grant in Virginia. While Congress works on statehood, I need to see my commander-in-chief."
**
Atlanta, GA (October 11)
General Joseph Johnston thought if only he could get to the north side of the Chattahoochee, he could trap Sherman south of the river. Unfortunately, two of his corps had suffered heavy losses, and their divisions had become disorganized. Utilizing the forces Albert Sidney Johnston had luckily trained, he was slowly beginning to rebuild his army with freedmen, placing them into divisions with people close to their home counties and states. For the moment, he couldn't tell if Sherman intended to make a retreat or was just keeping his options open.
Elsewhere, Sergeant Johnson was working on the battlefield of Peachtree Creek with a shovel. He wiped away the sweat from his brow as he was digging a grave, in a row for his fallen comrades.
"Take a break, James," said his captain, Jose Cleary, originally from Rio Grande. "You've earned it."
"Thank you sir, but I just want to get this done as quickly as we can. Our friends are owed that much," he replied.
"As you wish," Cleary said.
The men of his company, K, were once a hundred, but now 63 remained. They had taken most of day on the 21st and were digging shallow graves for their men. Where possible, they scratched names, ranks, divisions, and units onto the crosses. Most soldiers' buttons were state-specific, so it was easy to tell from where it came. Once the graves were dug, the bodies were placed in each, and the troops held a small service for them. As was customary by now, taps was played once the pastor had finished a reading of Psalm 23 and spoke of the soldiers' devotion to Christ; life in the army meant a great many soldiers had become born-again believers.
Johnson took a small nap near a tree when the service was done. He was wiped out. In an instant it seemed, he was awoken by Robert.
"Jim, wake up," he said, shaking his friend.
"What is it?" he mumbled, not wanting to move. If he moved, it'd be harder to get back to sleep.
"General Cleburne is here to see you."
That's when Sergeant Johnson woke up like a splash of water hit his face. Cleburne was standing before him, waiting. He scrambled up to his feet, quickly brushed off his uniform, and saluted. "Sorry sir!"
"At ease, Johnson," Ceburne said. "I just came by to give this to your regimental commander."
He pulled out a paper from his uniform coat pocket, and gave it to Captain Cleary.
"What is it?" Johnson asked.
"Orders," he answered. "Captain Cleary has received a promotion to Major. You have been promoted to Lieutenant, effective immediately. The official confirmation will come when the War Department manages to take care of the paperwork."
"Lieutenant?" Johnson repeated, still surprised.
"You shouldn't be surprised, Johnson. You captured the highest ranking Union officer yet, and your record has been exemplary. Honestly I can't figure out why you weren't made officer some time ago."
"I offered to send his name in for promotion to lieutenant several times before, sir," Cleary explained. "He always declined."
"Is that so?" Cleburne asked. "Why is that?"
Cleary looked to Johnson, the look on his face one telling him he should answer. He really didn't have an answer.
"Well, not this time, son. As commander of your corps, I am not offering a promotion, I am ordering you to take it. Is that clear, Lieutenant Johnson?" he said, stressing the new title.
"Perfectly, sir."
"Very well. Congratulations," said the general, extending his hand.
After Cleburne left and his men cheered. He feared being in charge of half the regiment now. Being a sergeant was a small amount of responsibility. This, however, was a whole new level.
**
Chattahoochee River (October 12)
General Sherman was leaning against a tree, smoking a cigar, and gazing south towards Atlanta. Five or so miles away, but it might as well be Moscow for all he could do to get there. Just three days ago, he had an army of over 100,000 men. After the Battle of Peachtree Creek, he had maybe 75,000, and maybe half that could be considered reliable in a fight. He bet the Confederates, flush with their victory, were likely getting those reinforcements from Virginia, and all the freedmen the other General Johnston had been training. And they could equip them now with all that captured cannon and musket. That was likely one of the big things keeping the Confederates from fielding them in battle till now. Sherman didn't know what kind of casualties they had suffered, nor how many or if Lee were sending troops. All he knew was he needed to put the river between him and the Confederates so he could regroup. General McPherson asked whom he would have replace Thomas, who was now prisoner, according to the message sent under flag of truce. Sherman put Oliver Howard, despite Hooker being the senior rank.
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Chapter 18: Grant Takes Charge
JJohnson
Banned
Eppes House, Virginia (October 13)
In the Eppes House, Lincoln, Grant, and Stanton meet to discuss the situation. The short of it is that they would need to send reinforcements from Virginia to make good on Sherman's losses. The Union would have to stop their actions against Jubal Early in the Shenandoah, which feeds Lee's army, if they were to hold the siege and reinforce Sherman. Grant suggests the Sixth Corps, with its three divisions, be sent immediately to Sherman. It was currently in eastern Tennessee maintaining the Union hold on the Kentucky/Tennessee area, so it could be to Sherman very quickly by rail. Per agreement with Lincoln and Stanton, Grant would journey to Georgia himself to get the situation of the army.
Richmond, Virginia (October 13)
Given the news, the President, Jefferson Davis, was holding a reception at the Confederate Executive Mansion, with the social well-to-do congratulating him on the defense of Atlanta. He had a long reception line; the band even struck up 'Hail to the Chief'* when Davis entered the reception. His son, little Joe** woke up during the party and he went to put him back to bed. Secretary of State Judah Benjamin took President Davis aside and let him know that the British ambassador was conferring with his government about the action at Peachtree Creek, and Parliament was considering whether to recognize the Confederates.
*Hail to the Chief was used by both the US and CS Presidents at this point in actual history.
**Joe didn't fall from a balcony and die this timeline.
Outside Atlanta, GA (October 13)
Lieutenant Johnson was drilling the men in his company, for the first time giving the orders he'd been saying silently in his head the past three years. The company had been practicing and drilling to be ready to move against the Yankees in case they came back south, or they went across the river, whichever came first. His company was now back up to 100 men, forty-seven of which were freedmen. After several hours of drilling, they all were looking good and maneuvering like pros.
"Who the hell is that?" came the voice of Private Stephen Williams, red hair, freckles, good guy, but often had his head in the books when he needed to be focused on something else.
"Quiet in the ranks!" Johnson shouted, trying his best to keep order. But he could see the men in the ranks were fixated on something behind him. He turned to see a covered wagon, Sarah Emma Saylor being driven by one of her father's servants, Percival. Behind the wagon was one of the fattest cows Johnson had seen in a good while, and he could hear the clucking of chickens in the back; through the two passengers, he could make out plenty of leafy greens and other vegetables.
The ranks stirred, and the men licked their lips. That was the best-looking and most amount of food they'd seen in a good while, considering they'd been surviving mostly on cornmeal for months, since the blockade had strengthened. Johnson's pulse quickened at the sight of Sarah Emma, whom he didn't know if he'd see again before the Battle of Peachtree Creek. It was during that fight he realized there might be a bright spot in his future after all, if they managed to win this war.
"Lieutenant?" she said with a smile and a nod.
"Yes, Miss Saylor?" he said with an unconscious smile in his voice, though his face kept some control.
"I brought the food my father promised he would bring," she said.
The men behind him gave a hearty cheer, before he asked. "He did?"
"Did you not get the note?"
"It must've gotten delayed in the chaos of the battle," he admitted.
"What's going on here, Lieutenant?" asked Major Cleary, his half-Hispanic, half-Irish commanding officer, and also a good friend these past few months. Cleary wasn't a man of faith, but he was still a moral man and Jim valued the deep conversations they were able to have when they had the time to do so. He had a slightly dark complexion, brown eyes, and black hair, and was one of the best commanders that James David had the pleasure to serve with during the war.
"Mr. Saylor from Atlanta has sent us a wagon of provisions, sir."
Cleary took a hard look at the wagon. The cow, chickens, and vegetables looked to be more food than the 4th Georgia Infantry had seen in a month.
"Dear God, what possessed the man to send us all this?"
"Lieutenant Johnson saved my father's life, and mine, sir," Sarah Emma replied. "He felt these provisions would be a good way to say thank you to the men of the Confederate Army."
"Well we definitely won't turn this gift down!" Cleary said with a big smile.
Major Cleary organized a detail of men from the 4th Georgia to unload the wagon. In minutes, they had created a makeshift pen for the chickens, deciding to keep them for the eggs, rather than killing and eating them. The eggs would be a valuable source of protein for the army. The vegetables were piled up next to the pen, and the cow was herded off, its throat slit, and they commenced slaughtering the beast to start cooking its beef for dinner.
"Where'd your father get all this?" Cleary asked, a few minutes later.
"Perhaps the less you know, the better, sir," said Percival, who had asked them to call him Percy.
"I'll trust you on that, Percy," Cleary said. "Just promise me General Cleburne won't come down here and arrest me for pilfering."
Percy and Sarah Emma laughed, and she replied, "I can promise you that, Major."
As the evening progressed, Lt. Johnson introduced her to his Major, and the men of Company K, who performed a few simple drill maneuvers expertly under his command.
They conversed after the presentation. "Are you aware that Lieutenant Johnson here is a hero?"
"Oh, is he?" she said with an amused expression on her face. "Save any other damsels, did he?"
"Just you," Cleary chuckled. "But he did manage to capture General George Thomas, the commanding officer of the Army of the Cumberland."
"I don't recall him saying that the last letter he sent over to us," she said, giving him a glance.
"I didn't want to brag," he said.
"Well, all of Atlanta will soon know of your heroism," she smiled. She had a lovely smile with full lips, he noted. "My father will make sure of it."
"I hope to be spared the infamy," Johnson said. "I don't like fame. I just want to life my life in peace, to be honest."
"Well, if anything, my parents will know," she told him. "They will be happy to know they dined with the man who captured the South's most famous traitor."
"Miss Saylor, would you do us the honor of dining with us?" Major Cleary asked. "Thank to your father, we will be enjoying fresh beef for the first time in months. It would please us greatly to have you as our honored guest."
"So long as my man Percy dines with us as my chaperone," she said.
"Done," he replied.
As the evening progressed, Sarah Emma placed her arm in his as he walked her around the camp, showing her captured material, their camp, how they made do and recycled spent cartridges, and so on. They enjoyed roast beef stew with the vegetables and beef, while some of the men produced fiddles to give them some music. One even produced a hurdy-gurdy, a guitar-body he cranked with wooden piano-keys on it. His parents had come from Germany and England, so they knew of the instrument. He played some traditional tunes on it, and even played Dixie on the hurdy-gurdy.
"I didn't think your mother would let you come so close to the front," Johnson said to her later in the evening.
"Mother was opposed, but father wanted me to go. He is intent on making sure I grow into a capable woman like my other sisters, more focused on business than frivolous things like chatting and gossiping and fashion. He says in the future, women won't be coddled by their men folk, since the war has changed everything. Women are supporting troops in many areas formerly reserved for men."
"He may be right," Johnson admitted.
"I bought this food on my own, and drove it up on my own initiative," she said, proud of herself.
"Wasn't Percy with you?"
"Yes. Sorry. He chaperoned for my protection, and drove, but the dealing was my own," she clarified.
"I see," he said.
The two continued their conversation till she had to leave, with Miss Saylor telling him of the loss of her brother up in Lee's Army at Fredericksburg, and him telling her of the loss of his brother back at First Manassas.
"I think when this war finishes, we should make a memorial to the fallen," she said, as he walked her back to the wagon. "Something that we never forget their sacrifice for our independence and the principle of self-government."
"I'm sure the Yankees will just say we fought to preserve slavery and how we're just a bunch of sinners and horrible people for having a different opinion than they have," Johnson quipped.
"Well, when we win this war, they can kiss my grits," she said, shocking the new Lieutenant with her bluntness. Both laughed, as did Percy.
He whispered to Lt. Johnson, "Mr. Saylor, he likes you sir."
"Does he?" Johnson said, surprised a bit.
"Yes, he does. Heard him say so, sir."
"How about you, Percy?"
"I like you just fine sir. But you are an odd one," he said, as he climbed up into the wagon, and the two departed.
General Johnston also decided to dispatch General Wheeler and his cavalry to harass Sherman's supply lines, sending his 4000 cavalry north. Wheeler had been an issue, plotting behind his back with Hood before Hood had been killed in combat. Both got what they wanted out of the agreement - Johnston didn't have to deal with Wheeler, and Wheeler finally got to see some action. His appointment of Cleburne to Corps command was finally officially approved, as was Cleburne's promotion to Lieutenant General.
Richmond, VA (October 13)
To bring some order to the rank system used by the Confederate Army, before the reception held by Davis, Congress approved changing the insignia for officers, and in particular generals:
2nd Lt:
1st Lt:
Captain:
Major:
Lt Col:
Col:
Brig. Gen.:
Maj. Gen.:
Lt. Gen.:
General:
General of the Army:
In the Eppes House, Lincoln, Grant, and Stanton meet to discuss the situation. The short of it is that they would need to send reinforcements from Virginia to make good on Sherman's losses. The Union would have to stop their actions against Jubal Early in the Shenandoah, which feeds Lee's army, if they were to hold the siege and reinforce Sherman. Grant suggests the Sixth Corps, with its three divisions, be sent immediately to Sherman. It was currently in eastern Tennessee maintaining the Union hold on the Kentucky/Tennessee area, so it could be to Sherman very quickly by rail. Per agreement with Lincoln and Stanton, Grant would journey to Georgia himself to get the situation of the army.
Richmond, Virginia (October 13)
Given the news, the President, Jefferson Davis, was holding a reception at the Confederate Executive Mansion, with the social well-to-do congratulating him on the defense of Atlanta. He had a long reception line; the band even struck up 'Hail to the Chief'* when Davis entered the reception. His son, little Joe** woke up during the party and he went to put him back to bed. Secretary of State Judah Benjamin took President Davis aside and let him know that the British ambassador was conferring with his government about the action at Peachtree Creek, and Parliament was considering whether to recognize the Confederates.
*Hail to the Chief was used by both the US and CS Presidents at this point in actual history.
**Joe didn't fall from a balcony and die this timeline.
Outside Atlanta, GA (October 13)
Lieutenant Johnson was drilling the men in his company, for the first time giving the orders he'd been saying silently in his head the past three years. The company had been practicing and drilling to be ready to move against the Yankees in case they came back south, or they went across the river, whichever came first. His company was now back up to 100 men, forty-seven of which were freedmen. After several hours of drilling, they all were looking good and maneuvering like pros.
"Who the hell is that?" came the voice of Private Stephen Williams, red hair, freckles, good guy, but often had his head in the books when he needed to be focused on something else.
"Quiet in the ranks!" Johnson shouted, trying his best to keep order. But he could see the men in the ranks were fixated on something behind him. He turned to see a covered wagon, Sarah Emma Saylor being driven by one of her father's servants, Percival. Behind the wagon was one of the fattest cows Johnson had seen in a good while, and he could hear the clucking of chickens in the back; through the two passengers, he could make out plenty of leafy greens and other vegetables.
The ranks stirred, and the men licked their lips. That was the best-looking and most amount of food they'd seen in a good while, considering they'd been surviving mostly on cornmeal for months, since the blockade had strengthened. Johnson's pulse quickened at the sight of Sarah Emma, whom he didn't know if he'd see again before the Battle of Peachtree Creek. It was during that fight he realized there might be a bright spot in his future after all, if they managed to win this war.
"Lieutenant?" she said with a smile and a nod.
"Yes, Miss Saylor?" he said with an unconscious smile in his voice, though his face kept some control.
"I brought the food my father promised he would bring," she said.
The men behind him gave a hearty cheer, before he asked. "He did?"
"Did you not get the note?"
"It must've gotten delayed in the chaos of the battle," he admitted.
"What's going on here, Lieutenant?" asked Major Cleary, his half-Hispanic, half-Irish commanding officer, and also a good friend these past few months. Cleary wasn't a man of faith, but he was still a moral man and Jim valued the deep conversations they were able to have when they had the time to do so. He had a slightly dark complexion, brown eyes, and black hair, and was one of the best commanders that James David had the pleasure to serve with during the war.
"Mr. Saylor from Atlanta has sent us a wagon of provisions, sir."
Cleary took a hard look at the wagon. The cow, chickens, and vegetables looked to be more food than the 4th Georgia Infantry had seen in a month.
"Dear God, what possessed the man to send us all this?"
"Lieutenant Johnson saved my father's life, and mine, sir," Sarah Emma replied. "He felt these provisions would be a good way to say thank you to the men of the Confederate Army."
"Well we definitely won't turn this gift down!" Cleary said with a big smile.
Major Cleary organized a detail of men from the 4th Georgia to unload the wagon. In minutes, they had created a makeshift pen for the chickens, deciding to keep them for the eggs, rather than killing and eating them. The eggs would be a valuable source of protein for the army. The vegetables were piled up next to the pen, and the cow was herded off, its throat slit, and they commenced slaughtering the beast to start cooking its beef for dinner.
"Where'd your father get all this?" Cleary asked, a few minutes later.
"Perhaps the less you know, the better, sir," said Percival, who had asked them to call him Percy.
"I'll trust you on that, Percy," Cleary said. "Just promise me General Cleburne won't come down here and arrest me for pilfering."
Percy and Sarah Emma laughed, and she replied, "I can promise you that, Major."
As the evening progressed, Lt. Johnson introduced her to his Major, and the men of Company K, who performed a few simple drill maneuvers expertly under his command.
They conversed after the presentation. "Are you aware that Lieutenant Johnson here is a hero?"
"Oh, is he?" she said with an amused expression on her face. "Save any other damsels, did he?"
"Just you," Cleary chuckled. "But he did manage to capture General George Thomas, the commanding officer of the Army of the Cumberland."
"I don't recall him saying that the last letter he sent over to us," she said, giving him a glance.
"I didn't want to brag," he said.
"Well, all of Atlanta will soon know of your heroism," she smiled. She had a lovely smile with full lips, he noted. "My father will make sure of it."
"I hope to be spared the infamy," Johnson said. "I don't like fame. I just want to life my life in peace, to be honest."
"Well, if anything, my parents will know," she told him. "They will be happy to know they dined with the man who captured the South's most famous traitor."
"Miss Saylor, would you do us the honor of dining with us?" Major Cleary asked. "Thank to your father, we will be enjoying fresh beef for the first time in months. It would please us greatly to have you as our honored guest."
"So long as my man Percy dines with us as my chaperone," she said.
"Done," he replied.
As the evening progressed, Sarah Emma placed her arm in his as he walked her around the camp, showing her captured material, their camp, how they made do and recycled spent cartridges, and so on. They enjoyed roast beef stew with the vegetables and beef, while some of the men produced fiddles to give them some music. One even produced a hurdy-gurdy, a guitar-body he cranked with wooden piano-keys on it. His parents had come from Germany and England, so they knew of the instrument. He played some traditional tunes on it, and even played Dixie on the hurdy-gurdy.
"I didn't think your mother would let you come so close to the front," Johnson said to her later in the evening.
"Mother was opposed, but father wanted me to go. He is intent on making sure I grow into a capable woman like my other sisters, more focused on business than frivolous things like chatting and gossiping and fashion. He says in the future, women won't be coddled by their men folk, since the war has changed everything. Women are supporting troops in many areas formerly reserved for men."
"He may be right," Johnson admitted.
"I bought this food on my own, and drove it up on my own initiative," she said, proud of herself.
"Wasn't Percy with you?"
"Yes. Sorry. He chaperoned for my protection, and drove, but the dealing was my own," she clarified.
"I see," he said.
The two continued their conversation till she had to leave, with Miss Saylor telling him of the loss of her brother up in Lee's Army at Fredericksburg, and him telling her of the loss of his brother back at First Manassas.
"I think when this war finishes, we should make a memorial to the fallen," she said, as he walked her back to the wagon. "Something that we never forget their sacrifice for our independence and the principle of self-government."
"I'm sure the Yankees will just say we fought to preserve slavery and how we're just a bunch of sinners and horrible people for having a different opinion than they have," Johnson quipped.
"Well, when we win this war, they can kiss my grits," she said, shocking the new Lieutenant with her bluntness. Both laughed, as did Percy.
He whispered to Lt. Johnson, "Mr. Saylor, he likes you sir."
"Does he?" Johnson said, surprised a bit.
"Yes, he does. Heard him say so, sir."
"How about you, Percy?"
"I like you just fine sir. But you are an odd one," he said, as he climbed up into the wagon, and the two departed.
General Johnston also decided to dispatch General Wheeler and his cavalry to harass Sherman's supply lines, sending his 4000 cavalry north. Wheeler had been an issue, plotting behind his back with Hood before Hood had been killed in combat. Both got what they wanted out of the agreement - Johnston didn't have to deal with Wheeler, and Wheeler finally got to see some action. His appointment of Cleburne to Corps command was finally officially approved, as was Cleburne's promotion to Lieutenant General.
Richmond, VA (October 13)
To bring some order to the rank system used by the Confederate Army, before the reception held by Davis, Congress approved changing the insignia for officers, and in particular generals:
2nd Lt:
1st Lt:
Captain:
Major:
Lt Col:
Col:
Brig. Gen.:
Maj. Gen.:
Lt. Gen.:
General:
General of the Army:
Chapter 18: Grant Takes Charge (Part 2)
JJohnson
Banned
Near the Chattahoochee (October 13)
The other men of the 4th Georgia were patrolling closer to the river, seeing the Union soldiers setting fire to boxes of supplies before evacuating to the north shore. The Confederates ordered them to stop, and shot, killing one or two and injuring three, but they continued and left. The Confederates took shots at a few as they rowed across, while others put out the fires to the supplies. In the end, they saved several boxes of food, horse tackles, and various other supplies that they could distribute to their army to make up for their lack of a large industrial base.
North of the River (October 15)
In the Union camp, Sherman was getting news increasingly irritating to him. "Surely it's not that bad, General Howard."
"I'm afraid it is, General Sherman. About a hundred men deserted the Army of the Cumberland in the last 24 hours. That brings the total to about 900 men. The morale of our men hasn't improved since the Battle of Peachtree Creek, and the retreat across the river has only made the situation worse."
"The decision to withdraw was mine, General Howard," Sherman said sharply. "If I wanted your opinion on its wisdom I would have asked you for it."
Howard looked to the other two generals for support, but they avoided his glance. Sherman broke the awkward silence.
"I trust the Army of the Tennessee is remaining in better spirits than the shaky men from the Army of the Cumberland?" he asked.
"Unfortunately not, General. Desertions have increased in my forces as well," McPherson reported as neutrally as he could.
"Really?"
"Yes, they have. We need to face facts, that desertions have gone up in all three armies since Peachtree Creek. The news of the defeats in Virginia have only made things worse. Our boys don't have the stomach to continue fighting a war when the rebels have already begun freeing their slaves for us, and our advances seem to have stalled here and up north."
"Well we need to take firm measures to tamp down on desertions," Sherman said. He ordered them to capture the deserters, try them in a court martial, and have them shot in front of the other troops. This caused the others to look at each other uncomfortably.
"General Sherman, are you sure that's wise? Such measure might further dispirit the men and increase desertions."
"As I told General Howard, if I wanted your opinion on my orders, I would ask for it," Sherman said.
"It's not just the issue of desertions, General," McPherson said. "Many of our regiments are coming up to the end of their three-year enlistments. A lot of them are simply going to leave the morning their enlistments are up, and there's not a damn thing we can do about it. Morale being what it is now, I don't see them re-enlisting."
"General Sherman," added General Howard, "with our losses at Peachtree Creek, and the desertions, we have now about 75,000 men. We can only expect this to continue in the near term, weakening our forces in any coming battles."
His sober assessment cast a cloud over the generals' council. Sherman spoke, "General Grant sent the Sixth Corps from Tennessee to Georgia, and they will be here soon. Their lead brigades have already reached Chattanooga. When they arrive, that will add between ten to fifteen thousand rifles to our forces."
"More than a single corps would have been better," said McPherson. "That won't make good the losses we sustained, but will go a long way."
**
(October 17)
Another telegram from Grant informed Sherman that he was sending another three infantry divisions, giving them a total of 25,000 new men to make good the losses from Peachtree Creek. Grant suggested either a renewed attack on Atlanta or an attack on Montgomery or Selma, two other militarily important cities, and to be informed of what he decided.
Sherman was angered by the telegram, as Grant hadn't seen the black troops reinforcing the Confederates, fighting alongside them, rather than in segregated units like in the Union army. They fought just as bravely as the white troops to defeat his armies. Sherman believed attacking Atlanta was ill-advised; didn't Grant think he'd have attacked if it were possible?
McPherson interrupted Sherman's doubts, and read the telegram. He like the idea, expressing great enthusiasm at getting moving again. He talked of living off the land like at Vicksburg, and how both cities were militarily important, and would help the fall election.
Unfortunately Sherman was sour and dismissed the thought. He then shouted at McPherson, one of his closer friends during the war, surprising him, dismissing his idea, and dismissing Grant. He tried explaining the logic of the campaign to Sherman, but Sherman cut him off, told him that if he wanted his advice, he'd ask for it, and to return to his command.
**
(October 17)
As Grant approached via Chattanooga, he got a telegram from Generals Schofield, McPherson, and Howard, expressing their doubts about Sherman's mental well-being. Luckily, members of Grant's staff couldn't tell the content of the letter from his lack of reaction.
New York (October 18)
Unfortunately for newspaperman Manton Marble of the New York World, he took a briefcase full of money from a man named Alexander Humphries, having paid him - $25,000 - to help the Democrat ticket, whether it be for printing pamphlets, paying drunks to get to the polls, sliding a few to a local judge to close polls if the opposition is showing too strongly. The man was a Confederate agent, hoping to affect the upcoming election. The decision would have an effect on more than just the election.
Atlanta (October 18)
Sherman and Grant ate dinner together, with Grant telling Sherman his plan for Atlanta. He would spend time refitting the army, which was about 90,000 men shortly, against the maybe 65-70,000 men in Johnston's. The return of Grant had improved Sherman's mood, which was hopeful for Grant. His decision for the army was also a turning point. Grant would take half the army and 2/3 of the cavalry, and march to Montgomery and Selma, forcing Johnston to follow, and abandon Atlanta. Sherman would remain behind, with the artillery, and shell the city into submission, thus giving him the opportunity to redeem himself in the eyes of the northern population.
Richmond (October 18)
Jefferson Davis met with a man representing the British Government, but the man made it very clear their talking was as two gentlemen, not as a President to the British Government. Mr. Malet, the secretary of Lord Lyons, clarified to him that the British government recognized the victory they had made at Peachtree Creek, and the stalemate in Virginia, and if the Democrat were to win, the British government would be willing to offer to negotiate between the United States and "the entity calling itself the Confederate States of America," as he phrased it.
Mr. Malet qualified his statement by letting Mr. Davis know the British government would require certain 'assurances,' before they would recognize their independence and nationhood. They required to know the terms they would seek from the United States, and the status of the slaves remaining and not in arms.
Mr. Davis spoke up, "The first and most important item would be the recognition by the government of the United States of the independence of the Confederacy and cessation of all claims to any state or territory thereof, and any right to interfere in our internal affairs."
"That's the easy part, isn't it?" Malet said with a grin.
"You're right. There are many more issues," Davis said with a nod.
"Her Majesty's Government would appreciate knowing your positions on the issue of which states, specifically those of Kentucky and Tennessee, then Maryland, Missouri, and Delaware, and how they relate to your claim of sovereignty."
"We believe any peace agreement must contain a clear statement on borders. We don't lay claim to Delaware, nor Maryland, which was denied her sovereign right to choose secession or not," Davis began; Malet ignored the opinion insertion there. "But Tennessee and Kentucky, though heavily occupied, must be included in the Confederation. Missouri is a hotbed, and though we believe it should be allowed a choice as a single political unit, we would be willing to divide Missouri between the US and CS."
Davis continued, "We would be willing to offer free navigation of the Mississippi River, so that US agriculture can exit to the Gulf of Mexico."
"We would not object to that," Malet said.
"Good."
"The hiccup needing to be resolved, as it were," Malet said as he swirled his bourbon and took another sip, "is slavery. You made mention of being willing to emancipate your remaining slaves, or bondservants, as some of your people would call them, in exchange for loans from the British to accomplish this."
"Yes," Davis said, wanting instead to build to that point, but might as well get to it.
"I talked to a few other people and they have informed me you once said slavery was a blessing and the black man your inferior, so your willingness to emancipate does not seem to fit with such opinions," Malet said.
Davis sighed. He knew his words would come back to haunt him. But he felt as if a hand were on his shoulder, and a calmness come upon him, and he spoke, "The United States offered us an amendment, called the Corwin Amendment, yielding their ability to interfere in slavery if we would rejoin the Union, and we rejected the offer. What we want is not to keep blacks enslaved or bonded, but we want our independence. Since seeing our fellow black Confederates in arms, serving and toiling as bravely and boldly as any white man, I must say my own opinions on their place in society have changed. I cannot say so very openly, as there are some in the Congress which would fight to hold on to the old order. But upon starting the war, I knew that if we won or lost, slavery would be finished; we value our freedom and independence more than slavery, so if it requires emancipation to achieve, we will do so. The Slave must be made fit for his freedom by education and discipline, and thus made unfit for slavery. And as soon as he becomes unfit for slavery, the master will no longer desire to hold him as a slave. They should be apprenticed and prepared for citizenship through education in how to manage their own lives. If your government were to provide us the loans for such an endeavor, we would be willing to outline an plan to bring them into citizenship with the white man, but each state manages the specifics."
"That sounds like a much more enlightened opinion than several persons with whom I spoke in the government of the United States," said Mr. Malet. "I myself was surprised to know that President Lincoln's own state of Illinois forbade free blacks from settling there like Oregon."
"Perhaps they aren't such the friend of the black man as they claim to be abroad," Davis quipped.
Mr. Malet chuckled slightly but regained his composure. "We will need to see your plan in detail soon so that I can present it to my government, and thus help secure your loan if they decide to do so."
"Of course," Davis said, as he nodded to Judah Benjamin, who was also in the room with them. Benjamin gave Mr. Malet an envelope with their multi-point plan, which they were prepared to send to Congress. Malet took it and put it in his jacket.
"As to your other points, Mr. Davis, let us proceed," Mr. Malet said.
"As you wish," Davis said. "We would like to seek compensation for the destruction of civilian property of no military necessity, as we believe it violates the rules of civilized warfare."
"I cannot guarantee that, as I do not believe it would be accepted by the United States government," Mr. Malet said. "But continue."
"Perhaps there are concessions the British Empire would be amenable to receive from the Confederacy, to gain friendly relations from us in the event we emerge victorious in this current conflict. Certainly there are actions your government could take to promote such a relationship," Benjamin chimed in.
"Such as?" Davis asked, masking his mild irritation. He didn't like the thought of being dictated to, but he felt he needed to listen to Malet. That feeling he had when he had those dreams came back to him.
"Before the war, English textile mills were supplied with southern cotton of good quality and in a tremendous quantity. When the war is over, we would wish to restore this mutually beneficial economic partnership."
"That would be our wish as well," Davis said with a nod.
"We would like to codify this in the form of a treaty which would guarantee free trade," Mr. Malet said.
"Our Senate would need to ratify any treaty, but I don't foresee any problems," Davis said.
"What else?" asked Benjamin.
"We would seek the Confederate government to agree to a treaty on suppressing the slave trade," Malet answered.
"Our Constitution already prohibits the importation of slaves," Davis began, but he got a feeling he needed to agree, so he adjusted his tone. "But, we will agree to this if your government is willing to assist in our emancipation efforts."
"Our government would also require you to accept the loss of those slaves freed under the Gettysburg Proclamation," Malet continued. "With that and the agreement on the slave trade, it would be much easier to make a proposal to my government regarding your recognition."
"That would be agreeable, Mr. Malet," Davis said as Malet rose; Davis had changed, he realized. A year prior, he might not have agreed to such terms, but now, with independence nearly guaranteed by this and the military situation, he would be willing to entertain the small loss in exchange for such a great prize. The man excused himself due to the hour, and once he left the executive mansion, Davis and Benjamin spoke for another hour or two about what just happened.
Atlanta (October 19)
General Joseph E Johnston was meeting with his generals while Sherman appeared to be stalled north of the river. They went over the railroads, having gone a good way to repairing the line to Augusta, their link to the Carolinas and Virginia. Since having sent Wheeler north, Johnston discovered his cavalry had been nearly completely decimated, and he had been killed in their attempts on the supply lines. In his place, Johnston appointed General William H. Jackson, and had begun attempting to rebuild the cavalry. From the recruits of Albert Sidney Johnston, another 2,000 black cavalry had been added and trained up, though at the meeting Jackson expressed his doubts he could spare any of his troops to guard the fords over the Chattahoochee as well as scouting, and then guard the railroads as well. The arrival of Grant yesterday meant they needed to prepare for any assault he would make. Johnston conferred with his like-named fellow General, and had asked for as many troops as he could spare, bringing him up to 80,000 men. Some generals had expressed themselves against the arming of blacks, though both Johnstons had made it very clear they would be treated the same as any white soldier in or out of combat, or the generals themselves would be held personally responsible. Given the proven combat performance of the new black troops, generals like William Walker, Patton Anderson, and William Bate had been expressly told they would be court-martialled if they refused to obey orders and accept the new troops as if they were white troops.
Johnston explained his plan to face Grant on the south bank of the river, with three corps, believing he could cripple Grant enough that the campaign couldn't resume before the end of the campaigning season.
General Cheatham interrupted and asked if they shouldn't consider the possibility he wouldn't cross to the south bank. Johnston asked him to explain, and he continued, saying that Grant has a history of doing the unexpected, and if they assumed he would just take a direct approach to Atlanta, perhaps he is planning something else? Cheatham used a map and suggested Grant might try heading to Alabama instead, capturing Montgomery and Selma. Montgomery was the first capital, and had a symbolic significance, and it and Selma were hugely important in keeping the Confederate war industry going. The first was a critical transportation hub, while the latter was critical for its iron foundry churning out cannon, iron plating, and more.
Johnston at first dismissed the idea, but remembered what Grant did at Vicksburg, when he defeated him, by abandoning his supply line to move faster. Hardee doubted Grant had enough supply wagons to carry the supplies for his 100,000 men, but Johnston reminded him not to underestimate Grant. Johnston told his fellow General that Grant wouldn't take the entire force with him, that he would leave enough men to prevent the Confederates from going north to attack Chattanooga.
Jackson chimed in, letting Johnston know that with his limited force, the Union could theoretically leave and it would be able to march for a few days without being detected. Johnston ordered him to detach a brigade to monitor for that eventuality, despite the fact that that would limit the Army of Tennessee's ability to monitor the fords.
Johnston was a bit jealous of Robert Lee. Somehow he managed to keep his generals from fighting each other over the black enlistment, and even General Forrest integrated blacks into the cavalry without the rancor Johnston faced. He didn't know what Grant was planning, so he felt Cheatham's plan would be feasible to try to prepare for. Orders went out for three corps, those of Hardee, Hindman, and Stewart, to prepare for march, while Cleburne would assume command of Atlanta with the totality of A.S. Johnston's black trainees, which could give another 10,000 men to Cleburne, even though their training was incomplete. That would solve the problem of the ruffled feathers in the three corps over Cleburne, still protect Atlanta, and also give Cleburne the chance to be the defender of Atlanta, sticking it to those who ridiculed his plan of emancipation.
The meeting broke up and Cleburne rode his horse out to his command. But he was unsettled. He didn't know Grant's plan, so he needed one of his own. Then he got the idea and smiled. They have plenty of captured Union troops, so why not return one of those uniforms? Besides, the cavalry couldn't handle all the scouting.
Cleburne's Camp (October 19)
General Cleburne thought as he rode back whom he would send, and worked on the layout of his plan. As he dismounted, the 4th Georgia walked past. Lt. Johnson was in charge, and handling his new officer rank with aplomb.
"Lt. Johnson!" called Cleburne. "Come with me."
Across the River (October 19)
Lt Johnson waded out of the river, dried off, and put on his uniform. Not his gray, but a Union blue. Having spoken with General Cleburne, Johnson agreed they needed to find out the Union plan. He could've offered the job to spy on the Union to someone else, but then he'd feel guilty if the mission failed when he could've done it himself. Cleburne asked him to write any letters to his loved ones, and get ready. Major Cleary had been informed and given permission for him to go on the mission.
He was going as Samuel Weaver, 140th Pennsylvania, a private, having escaped from Andersonville. The colonel which found him questioned him several times. Asking where he was from, he answered "Pittsburgh, by way of Georgia and Virginia."
Johnson had some relatives he had seen about 5 years ago who moved from Virginia to Pittsburgh, and their accents fascinated him. He was good at accents. He relayed his story of escaping and hiding out in slave quarters, making it back to north of the river. It sounded good when he thought it up but sounded a bit implausible as he said it aloud.
The colonel took it in before shaking his hand, telling him "well done! well done!"
Johnson asked what he would do now, and the colonel said he'd be sent to Virginia, or serve in Georgia, since there'd be plenty of action soon.
"Action, sir?" he asked.
"Yes. The orders are coming in. The entire Army of the Ohio and the Army of the Tennessee are moving out in two days. No one knows where. But wherever Grant orders us to go, we'll go," he said.
"Well, I guess I might as well join up with one of your regiments, sir," Johnson said in his adopted accent. He could hide his Georgia accent quite well.
The colonel clearly wanted to end the interview, as Johnson saw a woman outside when the tent flap waved, and the colonel got a glimpse. So the man signed an order directing him to the 18th Michigan chief-of-staff.
New York (October 20)
Manton Marble met with General McClellan, and was confirmed in his opinion that he was a bit full of himself, but also saw he could easily appeal to his vanity, making it possible to manipulate him; the best kind of President. Their meeting went on for a good while, McClellan insulting both Grant and Lincoln, showing his contempt for both. Marble had McClellan sign a piece of paper with certain persons getting certain offices, so that he could return to Governer Seymour with the credibility to help McClellan in his election, in exchange for some assurances. Marble wanted to be the official Printer of the United States, with a much larger salary, while also continuing to head his paper, the New York World. McClellan wanted the prize, and was willing to pay for it.
North of Atlanta (October 21)
The day was bright, and Grant was mounted on his horse, watching the infantry marching into columns. Thousands looked up to him with hope again. The army in front of him was the Army of the Ohio, the smallest at 25,000 men, one corps and two cavalry divisions. He found General Schofield.
General Schofield
"Good morning, General Schofield," Grant said.
"Morning, sir."
"Fine day for a march, huh?" Grant said with a cigar in his mouth.
"Indeed sir."
Grant glanced at the staff officers, and Schofield got the hint. "Gentlemen," he said, tossing his head to the side. Grant waved his hand to dismiss the dismissal, so they stayed.
"Do you understand your orders?" Grant asked.
"Yes sir, I am to march the Army of the Ohio southwest along the bank of the Chattahoochee River," he replied.
"Correct. The Army of the Tennessee will be right behind yours. Both you and General McPherson have exchanged your liaison officers, I assume."
"Of course, sir."
"Good."
Schofield cleared his throat and continued, "Our orders didn't specify our destination, but considering the supply wagons and ammunition we were allocated, I trust this will be a long march."
"Yes, it will be, General Schofield."
"May I ask where we are going, sir?"
"Your initial destination will be the town of Auburn, just across the Alabama border. If we move quickly, we will reach it in about a week. The roads aren't great, but there should be no significant resistance along the way. I marched through rougher country on the way to Vicksburg. From Auburn, it's only around 55 miles to Montgomery, and another 35 or so to Selma."
"Montgomery? Selma?" Schofield asked.
"That's right, Schofield," Grant said, with a slight grin. "Atlanta is no longer the goal of this campaign. We are shifting our forces to Alabama, with the goal of capturing both cities. Montgomery has political significance as the birthplace of this so-called Confederacy. Selma is a military production hub. Both are critical transportation and logistical hubs. If we capture both, we can inflict a critical blow against these rebels."
"And there are no rebel forces in the way? What about General Taylor's army?"
"I wouldn't call that smattering an army," Grant replied. "Besides, the victory we just got at Mobile Bay has forced Taylor to divert most of his forces to Mobile to prevent an amphibious operation there."
"I apologize sir," Schofield said. "I've been so fixated on Atlanta that the change in focus has me at a loss."
"Well fixate on Montgomery and Selma, because that's just what we're going to do."
"What will prevent Johnston from just going north to capture Chattanooga?"
"The Army of the Ohio and the Army of the Tennessee are marching," Grant answered. "The Army of the Cumberland will remain to block and pin them down, preventing them from intervening in Alabama. We're leaving about 40,000 at Vining's Station."
Schofield smiled as he took it all in. The fall of Montgomery and Selma would be like Vicksburg and New Orleans, and even more impactful than just Atlanta falling. "I'm overwhelmed sir."
"How so?" Grant asked.
"I was preparing myself and my men for a long fight for Atlanta. I wasn't expecting such a dramatic maneuver as what you are suggesting. I'm honored to be a part of it. If we succeed, you will go down in the annals of military history as one of the most innovative generals in history."
"And if it fails, I will go down as a blundering, drunken fool," Grant quipped. "No sense in worrying now. I am fully confident we will succeed."
General Howard was in command of the Army of the Cumberland, while General Sherman remained as well, resting. Grant suggested he remain to rest, and when he felt able, resume command of the Army. He asked Sherman to have Howard attack Atlanta on the 6th (Sunday), shelling the city, and Grant would be in Montgomery to do the same there. It was a nearly flawless plan.
The other men of the 4th Georgia were patrolling closer to the river, seeing the Union soldiers setting fire to boxes of supplies before evacuating to the north shore. The Confederates ordered them to stop, and shot, killing one or two and injuring three, but they continued and left. The Confederates took shots at a few as they rowed across, while others put out the fires to the supplies. In the end, they saved several boxes of food, horse tackles, and various other supplies that they could distribute to their army to make up for their lack of a large industrial base.
North of the River (October 15)
In the Union camp, Sherman was getting news increasingly irritating to him. "Surely it's not that bad, General Howard."
"I'm afraid it is, General Sherman. About a hundred men deserted the Army of the Cumberland in the last 24 hours. That brings the total to about 900 men. The morale of our men hasn't improved since the Battle of Peachtree Creek, and the retreat across the river has only made the situation worse."
"The decision to withdraw was mine, General Howard," Sherman said sharply. "If I wanted your opinion on its wisdom I would have asked you for it."
Howard looked to the other two generals for support, but they avoided his glance. Sherman broke the awkward silence.
"I trust the Army of the Tennessee is remaining in better spirits than the shaky men from the Army of the Cumberland?" he asked.
"Unfortunately not, General. Desertions have increased in my forces as well," McPherson reported as neutrally as he could.
"Really?"
"Yes, they have. We need to face facts, that desertions have gone up in all three armies since Peachtree Creek. The news of the defeats in Virginia have only made things worse. Our boys don't have the stomach to continue fighting a war when the rebels have already begun freeing their slaves for us, and our advances seem to have stalled here and up north."
"Well we need to take firm measures to tamp down on desertions," Sherman said. He ordered them to capture the deserters, try them in a court martial, and have them shot in front of the other troops. This caused the others to look at each other uncomfortably.
"General Sherman, are you sure that's wise? Such measure might further dispirit the men and increase desertions."
"As I told General Howard, if I wanted your opinion on my orders, I would ask for it," Sherman said.
"It's not just the issue of desertions, General," McPherson said. "Many of our regiments are coming up to the end of their three-year enlistments. A lot of them are simply going to leave the morning their enlistments are up, and there's not a damn thing we can do about it. Morale being what it is now, I don't see them re-enlisting."
"General Sherman," added General Howard, "with our losses at Peachtree Creek, and the desertions, we have now about 75,000 men. We can only expect this to continue in the near term, weakening our forces in any coming battles."
His sober assessment cast a cloud over the generals' council. Sherman spoke, "General Grant sent the Sixth Corps from Tennessee to Georgia, and they will be here soon. Their lead brigades have already reached Chattanooga. When they arrive, that will add between ten to fifteen thousand rifles to our forces."
"More than a single corps would have been better," said McPherson. "That won't make good the losses we sustained, but will go a long way."
**
(October 17)
Another telegram from Grant informed Sherman that he was sending another three infantry divisions, giving them a total of 25,000 new men to make good the losses from Peachtree Creek. Grant suggested either a renewed attack on Atlanta or an attack on Montgomery or Selma, two other militarily important cities, and to be informed of what he decided.
Sherman was angered by the telegram, as Grant hadn't seen the black troops reinforcing the Confederates, fighting alongside them, rather than in segregated units like in the Union army. They fought just as bravely as the white troops to defeat his armies. Sherman believed attacking Atlanta was ill-advised; didn't Grant think he'd have attacked if it were possible?
McPherson interrupted Sherman's doubts, and read the telegram. He like the idea, expressing great enthusiasm at getting moving again. He talked of living off the land like at Vicksburg, and how both cities were militarily important, and would help the fall election.
Unfortunately Sherman was sour and dismissed the thought. He then shouted at McPherson, one of his closer friends during the war, surprising him, dismissing his idea, and dismissing Grant. He tried explaining the logic of the campaign to Sherman, but Sherman cut him off, told him that if he wanted his advice, he'd ask for it, and to return to his command.
**
(October 17)
As Grant approached via Chattanooga, he got a telegram from Generals Schofield, McPherson, and Howard, expressing their doubts about Sherman's mental well-being. Luckily, members of Grant's staff couldn't tell the content of the letter from his lack of reaction.
New York (October 18)
Unfortunately for newspaperman Manton Marble of the New York World, he took a briefcase full of money from a man named Alexander Humphries, having paid him - $25,000 - to help the Democrat ticket, whether it be for printing pamphlets, paying drunks to get to the polls, sliding a few to a local judge to close polls if the opposition is showing too strongly. The man was a Confederate agent, hoping to affect the upcoming election. The decision would have an effect on more than just the election.
Atlanta (October 18)
Sherman and Grant ate dinner together, with Grant telling Sherman his plan for Atlanta. He would spend time refitting the army, which was about 90,000 men shortly, against the maybe 65-70,000 men in Johnston's. The return of Grant had improved Sherman's mood, which was hopeful for Grant. His decision for the army was also a turning point. Grant would take half the army and 2/3 of the cavalry, and march to Montgomery and Selma, forcing Johnston to follow, and abandon Atlanta. Sherman would remain behind, with the artillery, and shell the city into submission, thus giving him the opportunity to redeem himself in the eyes of the northern population.
Richmond (October 18)
Jefferson Davis met with a man representing the British Government, but the man made it very clear their talking was as two gentlemen, not as a President to the British Government. Mr. Malet, the secretary of Lord Lyons, clarified to him that the British government recognized the victory they had made at Peachtree Creek, and the stalemate in Virginia, and if the Democrat were to win, the British government would be willing to offer to negotiate between the United States and "the entity calling itself the Confederate States of America," as he phrased it.
Mr. Malet qualified his statement by letting Mr. Davis know the British government would require certain 'assurances,' before they would recognize their independence and nationhood. They required to know the terms they would seek from the United States, and the status of the slaves remaining and not in arms.
Mr. Davis spoke up, "The first and most important item would be the recognition by the government of the United States of the independence of the Confederacy and cessation of all claims to any state or territory thereof, and any right to interfere in our internal affairs."
"That's the easy part, isn't it?" Malet said with a grin.
"You're right. There are many more issues," Davis said with a nod.
"Her Majesty's Government would appreciate knowing your positions on the issue of which states, specifically those of Kentucky and Tennessee, then Maryland, Missouri, and Delaware, and how they relate to your claim of sovereignty."
"We believe any peace agreement must contain a clear statement on borders. We don't lay claim to Delaware, nor Maryland, which was denied her sovereign right to choose secession or not," Davis began; Malet ignored the opinion insertion there. "But Tennessee and Kentucky, though heavily occupied, must be included in the Confederation. Missouri is a hotbed, and though we believe it should be allowed a choice as a single political unit, we would be willing to divide Missouri between the US and CS."
Davis continued, "We would be willing to offer free navigation of the Mississippi River, so that US agriculture can exit to the Gulf of Mexico."
"We would not object to that," Malet said.
"Good."
"The hiccup needing to be resolved, as it were," Malet said as he swirled his bourbon and took another sip, "is slavery. You made mention of being willing to emancipate your remaining slaves, or bondservants, as some of your people would call them, in exchange for loans from the British to accomplish this."
"Yes," Davis said, wanting instead to build to that point, but might as well get to it.
"I talked to a few other people and they have informed me you once said slavery was a blessing and the black man your inferior, so your willingness to emancipate does not seem to fit with such opinions," Malet said.
Davis sighed. He knew his words would come back to haunt him. But he felt as if a hand were on his shoulder, and a calmness come upon him, and he spoke, "The United States offered us an amendment, called the Corwin Amendment, yielding their ability to interfere in slavery if we would rejoin the Union, and we rejected the offer. What we want is not to keep blacks enslaved or bonded, but we want our independence. Since seeing our fellow black Confederates in arms, serving and toiling as bravely and boldly as any white man, I must say my own opinions on their place in society have changed. I cannot say so very openly, as there are some in the Congress which would fight to hold on to the old order. But upon starting the war, I knew that if we won or lost, slavery would be finished; we value our freedom and independence more than slavery, so if it requires emancipation to achieve, we will do so. The Slave must be made fit for his freedom by education and discipline, and thus made unfit for slavery. And as soon as he becomes unfit for slavery, the master will no longer desire to hold him as a slave. They should be apprenticed and prepared for citizenship through education in how to manage their own lives. If your government were to provide us the loans for such an endeavor, we would be willing to outline an plan to bring them into citizenship with the white man, but each state manages the specifics."
"That sounds like a much more enlightened opinion than several persons with whom I spoke in the government of the United States," said Mr. Malet. "I myself was surprised to know that President Lincoln's own state of Illinois forbade free blacks from settling there like Oregon."
"Perhaps they aren't such the friend of the black man as they claim to be abroad," Davis quipped.
Mr. Malet chuckled slightly but regained his composure. "We will need to see your plan in detail soon so that I can present it to my government, and thus help secure your loan if they decide to do so."
"Of course," Davis said, as he nodded to Judah Benjamin, who was also in the room with them. Benjamin gave Mr. Malet an envelope with their multi-point plan, which they were prepared to send to Congress. Malet took it and put it in his jacket.
"As to your other points, Mr. Davis, let us proceed," Mr. Malet said.
"As you wish," Davis said. "We would like to seek compensation for the destruction of civilian property of no military necessity, as we believe it violates the rules of civilized warfare."
"I cannot guarantee that, as I do not believe it would be accepted by the United States government," Mr. Malet said. "But continue."
"Perhaps there are concessions the British Empire would be amenable to receive from the Confederacy, to gain friendly relations from us in the event we emerge victorious in this current conflict. Certainly there are actions your government could take to promote such a relationship," Benjamin chimed in.
"Such as?" Davis asked, masking his mild irritation. He didn't like the thought of being dictated to, but he felt he needed to listen to Malet. That feeling he had when he had those dreams came back to him.
"Before the war, English textile mills were supplied with southern cotton of good quality and in a tremendous quantity. When the war is over, we would wish to restore this mutually beneficial economic partnership."
"That would be our wish as well," Davis said with a nod.
"We would like to codify this in the form of a treaty which would guarantee free trade," Mr. Malet said.
"Our Senate would need to ratify any treaty, but I don't foresee any problems," Davis said.
"What else?" asked Benjamin.
"We would seek the Confederate government to agree to a treaty on suppressing the slave trade," Malet answered.
"Our Constitution already prohibits the importation of slaves," Davis began, but he got a feeling he needed to agree, so he adjusted his tone. "But, we will agree to this if your government is willing to assist in our emancipation efforts."
"Our government would also require you to accept the loss of those slaves freed under the Gettysburg Proclamation," Malet continued. "With that and the agreement on the slave trade, it would be much easier to make a proposal to my government regarding your recognition."
"That would be agreeable, Mr. Malet," Davis said as Malet rose; Davis had changed, he realized. A year prior, he might not have agreed to such terms, but now, with independence nearly guaranteed by this and the military situation, he would be willing to entertain the small loss in exchange for such a great prize. The man excused himself due to the hour, and once he left the executive mansion, Davis and Benjamin spoke for another hour or two about what just happened.
Atlanta (October 19)
General Joseph E Johnston was meeting with his generals while Sherman appeared to be stalled north of the river. They went over the railroads, having gone a good way to repairing the line to Augusta, their link to the Carolinas and Virginia. Since having sent Wheeler north, Johnston discovered his cavalry had been nearly completely decimated, and he had been killed in their attempts on the supply lines. In his place, Johnston appointed General William H. Jackson, and had begun attempting to rebuild the cavalry. From the recruits of Albert Sidney Johnston, another 2,000 black cavalry had been added and trained up, though at the meeting Jackson expressed his doubts he could spare any of his troops to guard the fords over the Chattahoochee as well as scouting, and then guard the railroads as well. The arrival of Grant yesterday meant they needed to prepare for any assault he would make. Johnston conferred with his like-named fellow General, and had asked for as many troops as he could spare, bringing him up to 80,000 men. Some generals had expressed themselves against the arming of blacks, though both Johnstons had made it very clear they would be treated the same as any white soldier in or out of combat, or the generals themselves would be held personally responsible. Given the proven combat performance of the new black troops, generals like William Walker, Patton Anderson, and William Bate had been expressly told they would be court-martialled if they refused to obey orders and accept the new troops as if they were white troops.
Johnston explained his plan to face Grant on the south bank of the river, with three corps, believing he could cripple Grant enough that the campaign couldn't resume before the end of the campaigning season.
General Cheatham interrupted and asked if they shouldn't consider the possibility he wouldn't cross to the south bank. Johnston asked him to explain, and he continued, saying that Grant has a history of doing the unexpected, and if they assumed he would just take a direct approach to Atlanta, perhaps he is planning something else? Cheatham used a map and suggested Grant might try heading to Alabama instead, capturing Montgomery and Selma. Montgomery was the first capital, and had a symbolic significance, and it and Selma were hugely important in keeping the Confederate war industry going. The first was a critical transportation hub, while the latter was critical for its iron foundry churning out cannon, iron plating, and more.
Johnston at first dismissed the idea, but remembered what Grant did at Vicksburg, when he defeated him, by abandoning his supply line to move faster. Hardee doubted Grant had enough supply wagons to carry the supplies for his 100,000 men, but Johnston reminded him not to underestimate Grant. Johnston told his fellow General that Grant wouldn't take the entire force with him, that he would leave enough men to prevent the Confederates from going north to attack Chattanooga.
Jackson chimed in, letting Johnston know that with his limited force, the Union could theoretically leave and it would be able to march for a few days without being detected. Johnston ordered him to detach a brigade to monitor for that eventuality, despite the fact that that would limit the Army of Tennessee's ability to monitor the fords.
Johnston was a bit jealous of Robert Lee. Somehow he managed to keep his generals from fighting each other over the black enlistment, and even General Forrest integrated blacks into the cavalry without the rancor Johnston faced. He didn't know what Grant was planning, so he felt Cheatham's plan would be feasible to try to prepare for. Orders went out for three corps, those of Hardee, Hindman, and Stewart, to prepare for march, while Cleburne would assume command of Atlanta with the totality of A.S. Johnston's black trainees, which could give another 10,000 men to Cleburne, even though their training was incomplete. That would solve the problem of the ruffled feathers in the three corps over Cleburne, still protect Atlanta, and also give Cleburne the chance to be the defender of Atlanta, sticking it to those who ridiculed his plan of emancipation.
The meeting broke up and Cleburne rode his horse out to his command. But he was unsettled. He didn't know Grant's plan, so he needed one of his own. Then he got the idea and smiled. They have plenty of captured Union troops, so why not return one of those uniforms? Besides, the cavalry couldn't handle all the scouting.
Cleburne's Camp (October 19)
General Cleburne thought as he rode back whom he would send, and worked on the layout of his plan. As he dismounted, the 4th Georgia walked past. Lt. Johnson was in charge, and handling his new officer rank with aplomb.
"Lt. Johnson!" called Cleburne. "Come with me."
Across the River (October 19)
Lt Johnson waded out of the river, dried off, and put on his uniform. Not his gray, but a Union blue. Having spoken with General Cleburne, Johnson agreed they needed to find out the Union plan. He could've offered the job to spy on the Union to someone else, but then he'd feel guilty if the mission failed when he could've done it himself. Cleburne asked him to write any letters to his loved ones, and get ready. Major Cleary had been informed and given permission for him to go on the mission.
He was going as Samuel Weaver, 140th Pennsylvania, a private, having escaped from Andersonville. The colonel which found him questioned him several times. Asking where he was from, he answered "Pittsburgh, by way of Georgia and Virginia."
Johnson had some relatives he had seen about 5 years ago who moved from Virginia to Pittsburgh, and their accents fascinated him. He was good at accents. He relayed his story of escaping and hiding out in slave quarters, making it back to north of the river. It sounded good when he thought it up but sounded a bit implausible as he said it aloud.
The colonel took it in before shaking his hand, telling him "well done! well done!"
Johnson asked what he would do now, and the colonel said he'd be sent to Virginia, or serve in Georgia, since there'd be plenty of action soon.
"Action, sir?" he asked.
"Yes. The orders are coming in. The entire Army of the Ohio and the Army of the Tennessee are moving out in two days. No one knows where. But wherever Grant orders us to go, we'll go," he said.
"Well, I guess I might as well join up with one of your regiments, sir," Johnson said in his adopted accent. He could hide his Georgia accent quite well.
The colonel clearly wanted to end the interview, as Johnson saw a woman outside when the tent flap waved, and the colonel got a glimpse. So the man signed an order directing him to the 18th Michigan chief-of-staff.
New York (October 20)
Manton Marble met with General McClellan, and was confirmed in his opinion that he was a bit full of himself, but also saw he could easily appeal to his vanity, making it possible to manipulate him; the best kind of President. Their meeting went on for a good while, McClellan insulting both Grant and Lincoln, showing his contempt for both. Marble had McClellan sign a piece of paper with certain persons getting certain offices, so that he could return to Governer Seymour with the credibility to help McClellan in his election, in exchange for some assurances. Marble wanted to be the official Printer of the United States, with a much larger salary, while also continuing to head his paper, the New York World. McClellan wanted the prize, and was willing to pay for it.
North of Atlanta (October 21)
The day was bright, and Grant was mounted on his horse, watching the infantry marching into columns. Thousands looked up to him with hope again. The army in front of him was the Army of the Ohio, the smallest at 25,000 men, one corps and two cavalry divisions. He found General Schofield.
General Schofield
"Good morning, General Schofield," Grant said.
"Morning, sir."
"Fine day for a march, huh?" Grant said with a cigar in his mouth.
"Indeed sir."
Grant glanced at the staff officers, and Schofield got the hint. "Gentlemen," he said, tossing his head to the side. Grant waved his hand to dismiss the dismissal, so they stayed.
"Do you understand your orders?" Grant asked.
"Yes sir, I am to march the Army of the Ohio southwest along the bank of the Chattahoochee River," he replied.
"Correct. The Army of the Tennessee will be right behind yours. Both you and General McPherson have exchanged your liaison officers, I assume."
"Of course, sir."
"Good."
Schofield cleared his throat and continued, "Our orders didn't specify our destination, but considering the supply wagons and ammunition we were allocated, I trust this will be a long march."
"Yes, it will be, General Schofield."
"May I ask where we are going, sir?"
"Your initial destination will be the town of Auburn, just across the Alabama border. If we move quickly, we will reach it in about a week. The roads aren't great, but there should be no significant resistance along the way. I marched through rougher country on the way to Vicksburg. From Auburn, it's only around 55 miles to Montgomery, and another 35 or so to Selma."
"Montgomery? Selma?" Schofield asked.
"That's right, Schofield," Grant said, with a slight grin. "Atlanta is no longer the goal of this campaign. We are shifting our forces to Alabama, with the goal of capturing both cities. Montgomery has political significance as the birthplace of this so-called Confederacy. Selma is a military production hub. Both are critical transportation and logistical hubs. If we capture both, we can inflict a critical blow against these rebels."
"And there are no rebel forces in the way? What about General Taylor's army?"
"I wouldn't call that smattering an army," Grant replied. "Besides, the victory we just got at Mobile Bay has forced Taylor to divert most of his forces to Mobile to prevent an amphibious operation there."
"I apologize sir," Schofield said. "I've been so fixated on Atlanta that the change in focus has me at a loss."
"Well fixate on Montgomery and Selma, because that's just what we're going to do."
"What will prevent Johnston from just going north to capture Chattanooga?"
"The Army of the Ohio and the Army of the Tennessee are marching," Grant answered. "The Army of the Cumberland will remain to block and pin them down, preventing them from intervening in Alabama. We're leaving about 40,000 at Vining's Station."
Schofield smiled as he took it all in. The fall of Montgomery and Selma would be like Vicksburg and New Orleans, and even more impactful than just Atlanta falling. "I'm overwhelmed sir."
"How so?" Grant asked.
"I was preparing myself and my men for a long fight for Atlanta. I wasn't expecting such a dramatic maneuver as what you are suggesting. I'm honored to be a part of it. If we succeed, you will go down in the annals of military history as one of the most innovative generals in history."
"And if it fails, I will go down as a blundering, drunken fool," Grant quipped. "No sense in worrying now. I am fully confident we will succeed."
General Howard was in command of the Army of the Cumberland, while General Sherman remained as well, resting. Grant suggested he remain to rest, and when he felt able, resume command of the Army. He asked Sherman to have Howard attack Atlanta on the 6th (Sunday), shelling the city, and Grant would be in Montgomery to do the same there. It was a nearly flawless plan.
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I see you've read Shattered Nation! Such a good book, yet I see you may be making some changes. Where, in the book, Grant's movements were only to confuse Johnston, it looks like Grant really is abandoning the idea of taking Atlanta. I'm looking forward to where you are taking this TL. Good work!
JJohnson
Banned
Thanks! I read that, Black and the Gray, and Dixie Victorious before this timeline to see what could change and what the effects would be. I did combine a few of my favorite changes into one timeline. I did see Shattered Nation but some of the author's commentary in the text don't take into account some contrary information from the historical record, which was frustrating to read. Alexander Stephens, Davis and several others repeatedly claimed they weren't fighting to maintain slavery, so I'm taking that at face value for the purpose of this timeline. Hopefully y'all will enjoy this timeline and its conclusion to the war coming up soon. It won't be like SN or B&G's endings.
As for Grant, he did leave behind one army to attack Atlanta. I left him trying to do a coordinated attack on two cities on the same day, so we'll see if he can do it.
That's why I appreciate your TL. The modern perception of hatred towards the southerners and the confederates bothers me. They were a lot more complicated than a bunch of evil slaver nazis who wanted to conquer the world. (That's the basic modern perception at least)
It also looks like Johnston is going to be aware of Grant's plan. The question is what Joe Johnston plans to do. He can't abandon Atlanta and follow Grant. Leaving Cleburne and AS Johnston in Atlanta seems like an option while Johnston goes to try to defend Alabama. I just can't help but think that would end in disaster for Johnston. But the other side of the equation is there is only one Grant and the plan is daring.
I
I think it will be a horribly bloody campaign. Johnston is smart and can probably blunt Grant's offensive if he figures it out in time.
Likely so. Montgomery is closer, so concentrating and repelling whoever attacks Montgomery might be the easiest option. Either way, we'll see how it goes.
Chapter 19: On the Move
JJohnson
Banned
Atlanta (October 24)
The telegram was perfectly clear to Johnston, the morning of the 24th. The War Department ordered him to investigate with cavalry the presence of Union troops near Tallapoosa. That was nearly 60 miles away. He remembered what Jackson said just a few days ago concerning his ability to scout, and then Cheatham's concern Grant would try for Montgomery and Selma. A chill ran down his spine; Pemberton had been outmarched at Vicksburg, and Lee had been in the early days of the operations at Petersburg.
A telegram from Col. Josiah Gorgas, the Chief of Ordnance was handed to him about John Maxwell, a Confederate Secret Service agent with an horological torpedo that had been used at City Point. Johnston read it and told the staff officer, "Give this to Cleburne to use at his discretion. I don't have time to worry about this."
A second telegram told Johnston that the cavalry scout brigade had been attacked; Union troops had been seen occupying Riverton, bypassing his scouts at Campbellton. Shortly after reading that, a third confirmed his brigade at Campbellton had been destroyed.
It confirmed what he had already been fearing, but prepared for already. Cheatham had been right, and listening to him was the correct course of action. Grant was going for Montgomery, and possibly Atlanta at the same time, by leaving a force north of the city.
"Mackall, prepare to have Cheatham, Hardee, and Stewart's corps march immediately. Cleburne's corps will remain to defend Atlanta," Johnston ordered. "With General Sidney Johnston's freedmen recruits and the Georgia militia, he should have more than enough men to defend the city and we shall have enough to destroy Grant. Look into the viability of using the railroads to get ahead of Grant. I want to stop him before he gets to Montgomery."
Past Campbellton (October 25)
Just before the march, Grant with his horse, Cincinatti
Grant smiled as he saw his 60,000 men marching. It was a sight to behold, watching them marching along as they were. As they did, he knew that if he kept his ultimate plan in mind, he could win this. Then the Union would be restored, the South put in its place for daring defy the National government.
Within the ranks of the 18th Michigan, Lt Johnson, disguised as Private Samuel Weaver, marched along in line. He had heard they'd done a number on Union supply lines, but with all the bacon, coffee, fresh fruit and vegetables, and other supplies, he doubted that report as wishful thinking. If the Union could feed its soldiers so well and so easily, what hope did they have? Only guile could help the Confederates, not brute force, he figured. It was very tempting to just stay with the Union just for the coffee alone. One of his neighbor friends back home, a Catherine Anne Janeway would have nearly killed for so good a cup of coffee, he mused to himself.
General Grant rode past as he was deep in thought, and he mused he was close enough to shoot, though he'd never get out alive if he did. Everyone's cheering roused him from his mind to look upon the general as he walked past. The adoration of the men reminded Johnson of his own General Cleburne.
Atlanta (October 26)
The remaining men of the Army of Tennessee were mounting the rolling stock, getting ready for transport west. Hindman's force had already left the day before, as had Stewart. Hardee was last to leave. Johnston's plan was to meet the Union at a rail crossing (Heflin), the only rail link past the mountains, and the best place for a defensive stance. At the same time, General Taylor had been ordered east to that point, to begin building defensive entrenchments there at the crossing (Heflin).
While the others left, Cleburne felt the Union armies would not cross Peachtree Creek again; he believed they would cross from the west, so he concentrated his forces there, while leaving some men either north or south in case they try to pass him over. That way, he could move his forces in whichever direction the enemy was coming to meet them head-on.
Near the Border (October 28)
Grant looked to McPherson and handed him an envelope with his new orders. He was going to head to Montgomery, while Grant would take the Army of the Tennessee back to Atlanta. Divide and conquer was the plan. With McPherson heading to Montgomery, hopefully Johnston would still follow them, leaving Atlanta underdefended, and allowing Grant to make it a gift for the President before the election. Given that General Taylor was undermanned, and now, so was Atlanta, he would be able to defeat the Confederates with his larger army.
The man disguised as Private Sam Weaver found out his orders. The 15th Michigan was returning to Atlanta. As his troop stopped, they were informed that Johnston was moving to Alabama to meet them, leaving Atlanta with just Cleburne and his 20,000 against what would be over twice that number. The march had been long, but when they stopped for the night, 'Private Sam Weaver' chose to slip away to try to stop his fellow soldiers from making a mistake. He walked past where the generals were talking, purely by chance, without raising suspicion, as he had told them he was going to relieve himself.
Walking at least a good two or three miles, now out of the camp, he made it to the rail line he knew was out here. It was clear of any Union troops, luckily for him. So he decided to leave a sign for his true compatriots to tell them to return to Atlanta. He carved into several trees and into railroad ties, and moved a series of rocks to point back to Atlanta. Cleburne hadn't given him any kind of signs or hidden signal to cooperate with Johnston, which in hindsight, was definitely not a good decision, but he did have his invitation to the Saylors, sewn into the jacket lining. So Lt. Johnson would only hope his carvings would be seen when the Confederates passed by the border.*
He ripped the jacket, and saw, in addition to the invitation, his signed order from Cleburne, with a note from Robert Crane, who had done the sewing. It let him know he thought he'd need the order to get back into Confederate lines, so he sewed it into his jacket for him. Robert may have just saved the Army of Tennessee with that.
Campbellton (November 1)
Grant's forces were back at Campbellton, not finding any resistance at all to their return. It took the better part of the last two days to form up for their march back to Atlanta, but Grant felt it necessary to make the march. Now he could finish what Sherman couldn't. Now the Army of the Tennessee, his army, would be able to meet up with Howard's Army of the Cumberland, and with his planned shelling of the city, and McPherson's planned attack on Montgomery on the 6th, deal a dual death blow to the so-called Confederacy.
Washington, DC (November 1)
Lincoln was made aware of the capture of a man by the name of Alexander Humphries by his Secretary of War, Mr. Stanton. It appears that when Humphries was going to be hanged as a spy, he talked, hoping to spare his life. He reported that he got a huge sum of money from Judah Benjamin himself to help the Democrats in their election campaigns. In total, about $100,000 was distributed, including $25,000 to Manton Marble, the editor of the New York World.
Seward exclaimed they needed to have the "bastard" arrested at once, but Lincoln smiled. Ever the consummate politician he asked if Marble knew that Humphries were arrested. Seward was adamant on making an example of him; Lincoln asked the information be sent to Mr. Raymond, the editor on the New York Times, and other friendly Republican papers to see how the people would feel about this information. He then asked for Humphries to be brought to DC, with a hint of a full presidential pardon if he were to cooperate with them, otherwise he would be facing the hangman's noose.
The evening edition of the New York Times featured the entire story, laying out the evidence on Marble and Humphries, which Lincoln and Seward hoped would help sway opinions in the north in their favor to shore up their support for the close election.
Atlanta (November 2)
Cleburne and his aide looked over at the army north of the river. There was no mistaking it. Their artillery was coming to bear, but they weren't moving to try to cross the river. Their 3" guns were being brought up front across the river at Vinings Station. The 3" ordnance rifle had a range of 4830 yards (2.7 miles), and could easily hit their positions but not the city. Cleburne had a suspicion this was not the main center of their attack. Unfortunately his lack of cavalry, most having gone with Johnston, meant his scouting was limited. He knew they couldn't attack Atlanta from there.
Alabama
General Johnston had ordered the train stopped just past the border. A series of carved trees, some arrows, and a few rocks on the track forced his troop train to stop. He was on the last train on the way to the rail crossing (Heflin), and was hoping to get there in time to stop Grant.
"What's the hold up?" Johnston asked as he de-trained. He walked up to the train's conductor and a few of his own staff, who handed him an envelope.
Johnston read the contents, his face staring in unbelief.
General Johnston,
My name is Lieutenant J. David Johnson, of General Cleburne's corps. He placed me in Grant's army to find out their plan. They are planning on sending McPherson to Montgomery to continue their ruse, while General Grant is returning to Atlanta with the Army of the Tennessee so that he and Sherman can finish what they started. It is imperative that the majority of our forces return to Atlanta to stop Grant, otherwise the city will fall by November 7. Please believe my sincerity in this. I have enclosed in this envelope an invitation I received to dinner with the Saylors as proof and a signed order from General Cleburne.
He saw the two papers, and sure enough they were legitimate. How could he have been fooled? Most of his army was now in Alabama, chasing a phantom of a threat when Grant's real threat is still to Atlanta! Johnston began shouting orders to his aids, furious at his own blunder. He would not be the man who lost Atlanta. He was turning around. But he sent General Hardee on to Montgomery to coordinate with General Taylor. Cheatham and Hindman were returning with him. The only question was if he could make it in time.
Guaymas, Sonora Territory (November 1)
Brig. Gen. Lewis Armistead's army had been clear on the purpose of this mission. His army was marching towards San Francisco from the east, after having been forced to abandon San Diego. Brig. Gen. Gillis took Asbury Harpending's plan and decided to sail with several hundred of his troops for the bay city, and they decided to make way for the mint. They had been dressed in Union blue, using newly stolen uniforms smuggled west from Texas and Arkansas. If all went to plan, they could be out of the city in hours, while Armistead's diversion kept everyone occupied. Twelve Confederate ships, no longer working on striking Union commerce, had been rerouted to carry them to San Francisco.
Arkansas (November 1)
General Kirby Smith looked upon the city of Little Rock and drew up his plan. He knew the importance of the upcoming election, and decided it was time to recapture the city for his country.
Atlanta (November 6)
The pounding began early in the morning, at the same time as the church bells called the civilians to service. General Sherman had ordered the timing himself, and ordered his artillery to fire over Cleburne and into the city. The siege of Atlanta had begun. The Confederates were aghast that the Union would think to attack a city, on Sunday, while people were at worship services. They were shelling the city with their 3" ordnance rifles from the east, at Clifton, well within range of their artillery, but outside that of the Confederate artillery. They would need to leave their entrenchments to face them. Most civilians had left the city, but the mayor, city council, and others were still there, including the Saylors.
To the west, General Grant heard the sounds of the artillery and smiled. He'd wait a day, let the city get softened up, then march in and seize control.
Montgomery (November 6)
McPherson had rounded the rail line, bypassing both General Taylor and Johnston, and had made it to Montgomery. He found the city had built some defensive entrenchments, but with his 3" ordnance rifles, he could safely wait outside their range while he shelled the city. He waited until the usual hour for services to start, and gave the command. The siege of Montgomery had started.
San Francisco (November 7)
While much of North California's armies were occupying South California, Armistead had taken up position outside the city, which was north of him on the peninsula. He awaited the signal to begin, which was the stroke of 10 AM. He needed to draw out as much of their forces as possible to make Gillis's job easier. So Armistead ordered his artillery to attack San Francisco.
The United States of America (November 7)
All across the north, newspapers ran news of the war. Both Montgomery and Atlanta were burning, and there were pictures to prove it. Grant would be walking into the city soon. Manton Marble was being paid by the Confederates, as were the Democrats. Loyal Americans knew the war would end soon, or so the papers said, if they could just re-elect Lincoln to finish the war. Peace would come, but only after rebel surrender.
The telegram was perfectly clear to Johnston, the morning of the 24th. The War Department ordered him to investigate with cavalry the presence of Union troops near Tallapoosa. That was nearly 60 miles away. He remembered what Jackson said just a few days ago concerning his ability to scout, and then Cheatham's concern Grant would try for Montgomery and Selma. A chill ran down his spine; Pemberton had been outmarched at Vicksburg, and Lee had been in the early days of the operations at Petersburg.
A telegram from Col. Josiah Gorgas, the Chief of Ordnance was handed to him about John Maxwell, a Confederate Secret Service agent with an horological torpedo that had been used at City Point. Johnston read it and told the staff officer, "Give this to Cleburne to use at his discretion. I don't have time to worry about this."
A second telegram told Johnston that the cavalry scout brigade had been attacked; Union troops had been seen occupying Riverton, bypassing his scouts at Campbellton. Shortly after reading that, a third confirmed his brigade at Campbellton had been destroyed.
It confirmed what he had already been fearing, but prepared for already. Cheatham had been right, and listening to him was the correct course of action. Grant was going for Montgomery, and possibly Atlanta at the same time, by leaving a force north of the city.
"Mackall, prepare to have Cheatham, Hardee, and Stewart's corps march immediately. Cleburne's corps will remain to defend Atlanta," Johnston ordered. "With General Sidney Johnston's freedmen recruits and the Georgia militia, he should have more than enough men to defend the city and we shall have enough to destroy Grant. Look into the viability of using the railroads to get ahead of Grant. I want to stop him before he gets to Montgomery."
Past Campbellton (October 25)
Just before the march, Grant with his horse, Cincinatti
Grant smiled as he saw his 60,000 men marching. It was a sight to behold, watching them marching along as they were. As they did, he knew that if he kept his ultimate plan in mind, he could win this. Then the Union would be restored, the South put in its place for daring defy the National government.
Within the ranks of the 18th Michigan, Lt Johnson, disguised as Private Samuel Weaver, marched along in line. He had heard they'd done a number on Union supply lines, but with all the bacon, coffee, fresh fruit and vegetables, and other supplies, he doubted that report as wishful thinking. If the Union could feed its soldiers so well and so easily, what hope did they have? Only guile could help the Confederates, not brute force, he figured. It was very tempting to just stay with the Union just for the coffee alone. One of his neighbor friends back home, a Catherine Anne Janeway would have nearly killed for so good a cup of coffee, he mused to himself.
General Grant rode past as he was deep in thought, and he mused he was close enough to shoot, though he'd never get out alive if he did. Everyone's cheering roused him from his mind to look upon the general as he walked past. The adoration of the men reminded Johnson of his own General Cleburne.
Atlanta (October 26)
The remaining men of the Army of Tennessee were mounting the rolling stock, getting ready for transport west. Hindman's force had already left the day before, as had Stewart. Hardee was last to leave. Johnston's plan was to meet the Union at a rail crossing (Heflin), the only rail link past the mountains, and the best place for a defensive stance. At the same time, General Taylor had been ordered east to that point, to begin building defensive entrenchments there at the crossing (Heflin).
While the others left, Cleburne felt the Union armies would not cross Peachtree Creek again; he believed they would cross from the west, so he concentrated his forces there, while leaving some men either north or south in case they try to pass him over. That way, he could move his forces in whichever direction the enemy was coming to meet them head-on.
Near the Border (October 28)
Grant looked to McPherson and handed him an envelope with his new orders. He was going to head to Montgomery, while Grant would take the Army of the Tennessee back to Atlanta. Divide and conquer was the plan. With McPherson heading to Montgomery, hopefully Johnston would still follow them, leaving Atlanta underdefended, and allowing Grant to make it a gift for the President before the election. Given that General Taylor was undermanned, and now, so was Atlanta, he would be able to defeat the Confederates with his larger army.
The man disguised as Private Sam Weaver found out his orders. The 15th Michigan was returning to Atlanta. As his troop stopped, they were informed that Johnston was moving to Alabama to meet them, leaving Atlanta with just Cleburne and his 20,000 against what would be over twice that number. The march had been long, but when they stopped for the night, 'Private Sam Weaver' chose to slip away to try to stop his fellow soldiers from making a mistake. He walked past where the generals were talking, purely by chance, without raising suspicion, as he had told them he was going to relieve himself.
Walking at least a good two or three miles, now out of the camp, he made it to the rail line he knew was out here. It was clear of any Union troops, luckily for him. So he decided to leave a sign for his true compatriots to tell them to return to Atlanta. He carved into several trees and into railroad ties, and moved a series of rocks to point back to Atlanta. Cleburne hadn't given him any kind of signs or hidden signal to cooperate with Johnston, which in hindsight, was definitely not a good decision, but he did have his invitation to the Saylors, sewn into the jacket lining. So Lt. Johnson would only hope his carvings would be seen when the Confederates passed by the border.*
He ripped the jacket, and saw, in addition to the invitation, his signed order from Cleburne, with a note from Robert Crane, who had done the sewing. It let him know he thought he'd need the order to get back into Confederate lines, so he sewed it into his jacket for him. Robert may have just saved the Army of Tennessee with that.
Campbellton (November 1)
Grant's forces were back at Campbellton, not finding any resistance at all to their return. It took the better part of the last two days to form up for their march back to Atlanta, but Grant felt it necessary to make the march. Now he could finish what Sherman couldn't. Now the Army of the Tennessee, his army, would be able to meet up with Howard's Army of the Cumberland, and with his planned shelling of the city, and McPherson's planned attack on Montgomery on the 6th, deal a dual death blow to the so-called Confederacy.
Washington, DC (November 1)
Lincoln was made aware of the capture of a man by the name of Alexander Humphries by his Secretary of War, Mr. Stanton. It appears that when Humphries was going to be hanged as a spy, he talked, hoping to spare his life. He reported that he got a huge sum of money from Judah Benjamin himself to help the Democrats in their election campaigns. In total, about $100,000 was distributed, including $25,000 to Manton Marble, the editor of the New York World.
Seward exclaimed they needed to have the "bastard" arrested at once, but Lincoln smiled. Ever the consummate politician he asked if Marble knew that Humphries were arrested. Seward was adamant on making an example of him; Lincoln asked the information be sent to Mr. Raymond, the editor on the New York Times, and other friendly Republican papers to see how the people would feel about this information. He then asked for Humphries to be brought to DC, with a hint of a full presidential pardon if he were to cooperate with them, otherwise he would be facing the hangman's noose.
The evening edition of the New York Times featured the entire story, laying out the evidence on Marble and Humphries, which Lincoln and Seward hoped would help sway opinions in the north in their favor to shore up their support for the close election.
Atlanta (November 2)
Cleburne and his aide looked over at the army north of the river. There was no mistaking it. Their artillery was coming to bear, but they weren't moving to try to cross the river. Their 3" guns were being brought up front across the river at Vinings Station. The 3" ordnance rifle had a range of 4830 yards (2.7 miles), and could easily hit their positions but not the city. Cleburne had a suspicion this was not the main center of their attack. Unfortunately his lack of cavalry, most having gone with Johnston, meant his scouting was limited. He knew they couldn't attack Atlanta from there.
Alabama
General Johnston had ordered the train stopped just past the border. A series of carved trees, some arrows, and a few rocks on the track forced his troop train to stop. He was on the last train on the way to the rail crossing (Heflin), and was hoping to get there in time to stop Grant.
"What's the hold up?" Johnston asked as he de-trained. He walked up to the train's conductor and a few of his own staff, who handed him an envelope.
Johnston read the contents, his face staring in unbelief.
General Johnston,
My name is Lieutenant J. David Johnson, of General Cleburne's corps. He placed me in Grant's army to find out their plan. They are planning on sending McPherson to Montgomery to continue their ruse, while General Grant is returning to Atlanta with the Army of the Tennessee so that he and Sherman can finish what they started. It is imperative that the majority of our forces return to Atlanta to stop Grant, otherwise the city will fall by November 7. Please believe my sincerity in this. I have enclosed in this envelope an invitation I received to dinner with the Saylors as proof and a signed order from General Cleburne.
He saw the two papers, and sure enough they were legitimate. How could he have been fooled? Most of his army was now in Alabama, chasing a phantom of a threat when Grant's real threat is still to Atlanta! Johnston began shouting orders to his aids, furious at his own blunder. He would not be the man who lost Atlanta. He was turning around. But he sent General Hardee on to Montgomery to coordinate with General Taylor. Cheatham and Hindman were returning with him. The only question was if he could make it in time.
Guaymas, Sonora Territory (November 1)
Brig. Gen. Lewis Armistead's army had been clear on the purpose of this mission. His army was marching towards San Francisco from the east, after having been forced to abandon San Diego. Brig. Gen. Gillis took Asbury Harpending's plan and decided to sail with several hundred of his troops for the bay city, and they decided to make way for the mint. They had been dressed in Union blue, using newly stolen uniforms smuggled west from Texas and Arkansas. If all went to plan, they could be out of the city in hours, while Armistead's diversion kept everyone occupied. Twelve Confederate ships, no longer working on striking Union commerce, had been rerouted to carry them to San Francisco.
Arkansas (November 1)
General Kirby Smith looked upon the city of Little Rock and drew up his plan. He knew the importance of the upcoming election, and decided it was time to recapture the city for his country.
Atlanta (November 6)
The pounding began early in the morning, at the same time as the church bells called the civilians to service. General Sherman had ordered the timing himself, and ordered his artillery to fire over Cleburne and into the city. The siege of Atlanta had begun. The Confederates were aghast that the Union would think to attack a city, on Sunday, while people were at worship services. They were shelling the city with their 3" ordnance rifles from the east, at Clifton, well within range of their artillery, but outside that of the Confederate artillery. They would need to leave their entrenchments to face them. Most civilians had left the city, but the mayor, city council, and others were still there, including the Saylors.
To the west, General Grant heard the sounds of the artillery and smiled. He'd wait a day, let the city get softened up, then march in and seize control.
Montgomery (November 6)
McPherson had rounded the rail line, bypassing both General Taylor and Johnston, and had made it to Montgomery. He found the city had built some defensive entrenchments, but with his 3" ordnance rifles, he could safely wait outside their range while he shelled the city. He waited until the usual hour for services to start, and gave the command. The siege of Montgomery had started.
San Francisco (November 7)
While much of North California's armies were occupying South California, Armistead had taken up position outside the city, which was north of him on the peninsula. He awaited the signal to begin, which was the stroke of 10 AM. He needed to draw out as much of their forces as possible to make Gillis's job easier. So Armistead ordered his artillery to attack San Francisco.
The United States of America (November 7)
All across the north, newspapers ran news of the war. Both Montgomery and Atlanta were burning, and there were pictures to prove it. Grant would be walking into the city soon. Manton Marble was being paid by the Confederates, as were the Democrats. Loyal Americans knew the war would end soon, or so the papers said, if they could just re-elect Lincoln to finish the war. Peace would come, but only after rebel surrender.
That escalated quickly. This may prove to be the undoing of Grant if the sieges aren't broken by the time Grant and McPherson are ready to attack. Grant doesn't know Johnston is returning with the bulk of his forces. The similarities to First Manassas are pretty apparent here. McPherson still has to contend with Hardee and Taylor approaching Montgomery. Kirby Smith must have defeated Steele in Arkansas to be able to approach Little Rock or else Steele really hasn't done much at all thanks to the failure of Banks in Louisiana.
I'm genuinely excited to see how this goes! I kinda forgot that the CSA had Southern California. Looks like Kirby is about to launch a campaign to liberate Arkansas. I can now see how your reading of Dixie Victorious is influencing that. Great TL. Looking forward to more.
Chapter 20: Atlanta Falls No More
JJohnson
Banned
Statehood (October 31)
Congress voted to approve statehood for both Nevada and Columbia (OTL British Columbia between 49° and 52° N) by a large margin, as a move to help secure Lincoln's re-election. Both states sent their constitutions to Congress by telegram, both being over $3,000 a piece, the first and second most expensive telegrams in history. But it would be worth it to secure at least 6 more electoral votes.
Georgia-Alabama Border (November 3)
Johnston knew one of Grant's armies was going west to Montgomery; the other returning to Atlanta. Time was against him. He decided to have General Taylor coordinate with General Hardee's force of around 25,000 to envelop the Union invaders at Montgomery, going west on the train as far as possible, while he would take Cheatham and Hindman back to Atlanta to try to defeat Grant. Hopefully the Union hadn't destroyed the railroad up ahead. He silently cursed himself. If Grant made it to Atlanta, his victory at Peachtree Creek would be worthless. His men reloaded and moved east on the train. General Joseph E. Johnston prayed he would get back in time.
Atlanta (November 3)
One of his orderlies came up to General Cleburne, with the letter of introduction for John Maxwell, from the Ordnance Bureau's Colonel Gorgas. He mispronounced 'horological torpedo' but explained to Cleburne what it was. He was intrigued, so he decided to meet the man.
Well outside Atlanta, Lt Johnson, still disguised as Pvt. Sam Weaver, managed to steal a horse, and silently escape from the Union army. He had to warn Atlanta of the oncoming storm.
Atlanta (November 5)
He shed his Union disguise, and put back his normal gray uniform, and galloped back to his troops. They were still facing north, south, and west. It took over an hour to get to Major Cleary, explain what he had seen, and get an audience with General Cleburne. He made his presentation, giving all the information he gleaned from his time in the Union Army. Grant had split his forces, and they were approaching from the west. Cleburne needed an ace up his sleeve, now that he had this information. Their artillery had range that the Confederates didn't have, and they needed an advantage. His eyes caught the paper of introduction again. An horological torpedo...he thought...but how to use it, and when?
November 6
Cleburne's forces were concentrated on the west now; militia and freedmen were manning the artillery as well. They were ready when the Union started shelling them, but were surprised and horrified that the Union, instead of firing directly on them, was firing on the city, on a Sunday, when people were in church. The Confederates had maybe 8 cannon which they had captured that would hit that far out, but they tried firing as much as they could with their 3" ordnance rifles. The siege had been joined.
The siege lasted over the course of three days, from the 6th to the 8th. For Cleburne, one bright side, morbid as it was, was the death of General Walker, the man who tried to call him a traitor over his Memorial earlier in the year, during the first 6 hours of the siege. But by the end of the 6th, they had to abandon East Point for the city, having been overrun by Yankees.
November 8
At East Point, several batteries were critical in defense of the city, but Cleburne knew it would be overrun with the forces arrayed against him. So he had Maxwell place some of his horological torpedoes in the batteries, with instructions to several officers on how to set the clocks if they were about to be overrun. His unfortunate back-up plan would be executed today.
Unfortunately for General Cleburne, that eventuality came to pass after more than 8 hours of intense fighting, Union soldiers hacking back at the abatis, even though the Confederates were firing nearly point blank at them from their trenches.
Union and Confederate fired upon each other; the Union troops gained ground slowly but surely. They were approaching the Confederate entrenchments. The abatis were slowing them down, but they eventually were taken apart and moved out of the way, allowing the bluecoats closer to the lines. Soon fighting devolved into hand to hand combat as they fired their single shots and then worked with bayonets, then using their rifles as clubs. Back and forth the two sides fought, but Cleburne's corps was manning the defenses, augmented with freedmen, and handling themselves capably.
The Confederates put in their reserves, and 40 minutes after the charge sounded, the Union troops retreated. Then in about another 30 minutes, another charge. The process repeated several times, each causing heavy Union casualties, and light Confederate casualties. In total, Grant had suffered about 16,000 casualties over the last two and a half days.
The most important of these batteries was Battery Bate. By the time the Union troops were covering Battery Bate, Major Cleary set the clock, covered it with scraps, and left the Battery, retreating with his men. Once Cleary and the rest of his men were well outside the Battery, and closer to Atlanta, the entire battery exploded in a fireball unseen before in the war by many troops. It mushroomed and showered the ground around them with Union men, several hundred in one fell swoop, but causing hundreds of casualties was the shrapnel of metal from everything in there. From his vantage point in the city, General Cleburne was able to see the explosion through his spyglass. As he saw the event unfold, his mind raced with possibilities. He put down his spyglass and smiled.
"Lieutenant Johnson, I have another assignment for you," General Cleburne said to the newly minted officer. Given superior Union numbers, they would eventually be overrun. But having proven John Maxwell's theory on horological torpedoes, Cleburne now had an ace.
Cleburne's intelligence, limited as it was, told him that General Howard's Army of the Cumberland had been marched around, two corps' worth, leaving only a single corps to guard the bridges over the Chattahoochee, and all their supplies there. He got a telegram from Johnston that his forces were coming and to hold on. Cleburne's corps had suffered 8000 casualties in the last 3 days, but hope was a great motivator.
Given that the Union was shelling the city, Cleburne asked Lt Johnson to pick up another Union disguise once more, and work with that clock man, John Maxwell. The evening of the 8th they had made their way into the Union camp near the railroad, under the guise of seeking the medical tent.
**
Near Palmetto, with a ridge behind him, and forest on either side to help protect from flanking, Johnston dug in. Luckily, Grant was obliging him by meeting him there. For much of the late afternoon of the 8th, Grant's men arrived and fought, but having been shelling and attacking the fortress city of Atlanta the past two to three days, their nerves were frazzled and they didn't press the attack too much. Johnston didn't suffer many casualties, luckily, but wanting to avoid another Sherman-esque flanking maneuver, posted two divisions on either side in the forest, hiding and waiting once the day was done. Having arrived late morning, Johnston's forces had only managed light entrenchments, so the lack of dedicated fighting by the Union forces had been a lucky break for them. Even luckier was the arrival of the rest of his army, two full corps.
San Francisco (Night of November 7-8)
Brig. Gen. Gillis and his troops heard the shelling of the city, south of San Francisco. Their diversion was in play. Sailing in during the night, a fog had come through the bay, obscuring their boats. They all bore the stars and stripes, while they were clad in blue. He formed up and marched his men quickly and silently up 5th Street to the mint building.
Old Mint Building, before the 1874 building was built
Brig Gen Gillis and his troops came to the door, guarded by four poor guards, who were nodding off at the doors. Most everyone was fighting to the south, and this was all they could afford to spare, apparently.
"Private, my name is Brigadier General Gerald Waterson. We're here to protect the gold in the building from the rebels to the south. We need you to help us load everything to take north to Seattle for safe-keeping," he said in his most commanding voice.
The private snapped to, saluted and with a sharp "yes, sir!" and opened the doors, not questioning him in the slightest. From midnight till 5:30 AM, the gold was loaded into wagons and carried to the docks and loaded on the ships. About $3 million in all was loaded out of the mint before Brig. Gen. "Jerry Waterson" decided they needed to leave.
By about 2 PM on the 8th, the Confederate attack ceased, and they retreated; likewise all the "Union" troops who had landed left on their "Union" ships, floating past the island of Alcatraz.
United States of America (November 8)
All across the United States votes were counted in every state. New England was doing well for the Republicans, due to the abolitionists there (more like deportationists and exclusionists over true abolitionists, to be technical). New York was decided by 6,749 votes, sending Lincoln its 33 electoral votes. Pennsylvania had a margin of only 18,849, sending Lincoln its 26 electoral votes. Unfortunately for Lincoln, his own home state of Illinois went Democrat, by 49,212, sending McClellan its 16 electoral votes. It may have helped the Republicans that they had won a victory in Mobile Bay, along with the shelling of both Montgomery and Atlanta, as well as the discovery of Manton Marble's financial dealings with the rebels, or maybe the presence of Republican troops at some polling places, or even some judges closing polling locations at times convenient to one side or the other. Whatever the cause, Abraham Lincoln gained a victory with 143 electoral votes to McClellan's 94 votes. Even with this victory, the Democrats gained in the House, yet Republicans retained control, now with 85 Democrat seats to the Republican 101. Any Confederate hope of a quick peace left many minds when this result was made known.
Election by State.
Montgomery (November 8)
Arriving late in the afternoon, the Confederate forces surprised McPherson, who had not gotten a telegram from Grant telling him when they would be arriving. Unfortunately for McPherson, it was General Hardee's forces who came from the southeast, while General Taylor's forces, about 9500 now, faced him from within their strong entrenchments. Three days of siege was wearing on both sides, McPherson and Taylor. His Louisiana 1st and 2nd Native Guard were earning their pay, and even a few of McPherson's colored troops deserted over the last night.
General Hardee had his men roll up the artillery right behind the Union forces and fired, scattering their battle lines; his cavalry was coming from the south, his infantry from the east. The fighting was intense, but the decisive factor was General Taylor's men. They had managed to get a telegram on the 6th that help was on the way and to hold out for General Hardee. Once he arrived, they were asked to fight as hard as they could. For over six hours, McPherson's men faced 9500 to their west, around 2500 cavalry to the south with another 6000 infantry, plus artillery to the east and another 14,000 infantry to their east. The musket fire was intense enough to create a cloud of smoke over the battlefield. The Confederate gray and butternut tended to blend into the smoke, while Union blue stood out, making them easy targets. Regimental commanders had their men kneel, go prone, or stagger to keep up a constant rate of fire and protect themselves somewhat. The Union forces charged the infantry to their rear, but after four successive charges failed, the Confederates finally captured the artillery, having killed the gun crews; the firing on Montgomery had ceased by about 3 PM, but the fight continued till at least 5:30 PM, when something broke, and the Union lines of battle collapsed and the men left in panic. About this time, the cavalry, having suffered over 600 casualties, tried to help route them north. Taylor's defense forces left their entrenchments to charge, while Hardee moved west to try to destroy them.
Over the course of the next hour, the Union suffered another 1200 casualties, adding to their already 5000, before they successfully withdrew their forces to take a circuitous route around Martin Lake and try to regroup with Grant near Atlanta.
The Confederates cheered their success, the men giving shouts of joy and utter happiness, as the Union troops left; both sides took potshots at each other, most missing rather than hitting. By about 7:15, the Union troops had withdrawn.
General Hardee wanted to pursue, but his men were exhausted by the march, the fight, and the stress of the last few days. He ordered them to help put out fires in Montgomery and attempt to restore order there, including putting back the cut telegraph lines and rail lines, plus act as a discouragement to looters.
Palmetto (November 9)
Grant met Johnston near a small town called Palmetto, southwest of Atlanta. The rebels had given stubborn resistance over the course of the 8th, but with Lincoln re-elected, the Union war effort would continue until the rebellion was smashed to pieces. He had used the night to reform his men and restore their lines to order for the attack today.
Cheatham and Hindman had reformed their various divisions; their entrenchments improved and abatis in place. Confederate reserve artillery was in place. Two divisions were held in the pine forest, concealed from General Grant, on either side now. Four thousand men each. Grant couldn't have known his other troops had finally made it. When the attack would come, Grant would be enveloped on his flanks by Confederate fire.
The Confederates put in their reserves, and 40 minutes after the charge sounded, the Union troops retreated. Then in about another 30 minutes, another charge. The process repeated several times, each causing heavy Union casualties, and light Confederate casualties.
Then, about 11:30 AM, the unexpected happened. His cavalry had been forward and to the north and south, but not behind him. He didn't expect Johnston to come back this soon, or at all, for that matter. Artillery shells began booming in the distance. Crash! Boom! Boom! Canister and shot and heated shells exploded, causing his lines to fray.
"What the hell is going on back there?" he asked, angry. His staff officers began shouting orders, and within about 15 minutes, they had their answer. Johnston had returned. What looked like about 48,000 men, obviously picking up some since leaving the city.
Grant was ready to take East Point, where Cleburne had about 22,000 men entrenched, but now with another 48,000 on his back, he had no options left.
Atlanta (November 9)
Shortly after midday, Lt. Johnson and John Maxwell, disguised as Union soldiers, had walked to the Western and Atlantic Railroad, already repaired and bearing a train across it, resupplying the Union soldiers. The train, with its 14 cars full of ammunition, was a prime target. The pair managed to sneak over to the train to place the torpedo and set it for 30 minutes while en route. Maxwell slit the throat of the engineer and forced the train into reverse, so it would back over the rail bridge as well. Johnson kept look out, but no one was noticing them as of yet, or at least till the engine went backwards.
The two men escaped notice and began walking towards the woods. The lack of security near the supply depot was appalling. But then again, no one expected this to happen. A sudden thunderous boom, followed by 14 more afterwards, reverberated in their chests, throwing them to the ground. They felt the heat and smelled the fire, and saw the train from their position, exploding on the bridge. It was a train wreck they couldn't stop watching. The bridge collapsed as the train exploded. Shells rained out and caused even more destruction of ammunition on the Union depot. Tents caught on fire; food stores were stricken with fire. The two men started walking away, and shed their Union garb once they were maybe a mile or so away. Their hearts were beating a mile a minute, but they eventually managed to lose themselves in the forest, away from the Union camp. They heard more artillery firing to the south, with a distinctive high-pitched ring of Confederate shot, possibly Cleburne attacking.
**
At Palmetto, Grant was disappointed; his attack had petered out by nightfall. They had suffered heavy casualties, a large number of artillery had been captured, and the Army of the Tennessee had been knocked out of the battle. Johnston's flanking maneuver had worked on him, and he didn't even see it coming.
General Schofield rode up to Grant. "My men have been repulsed sir, but we are still capable of fighting."
"Did you hear that explosion a few hours ago?" he asked him.
"I did, sir. The whole army did. What was it?"
"It was most of our ammunition reserve going up in smoke," Grant said more calmly than expected.
"Surely we can replace the ammunition with reserves from Chattanooga," Schofield said.
"We could, but it would take days to get here. The bridge was utterly destroyed, and we have maybe a day's worth of ammunition left here at Palmetto. We will withdraw," Grant said.
"To where sir?" asked Schofield.
"North to Marietta to rest and resupply the men," Grant answered. "Dig in your men. They will act as a shield to protect our withdrawal, and be the last to leave. Make your preparations."
Montgomery (November 9)
Most of the fires were out, and General Hardee and General Taylor were walking towards the state capitol to begin their plan of what to do.
"Good morning, sergeant," said Hardee to the man guarding the mayor's building.
"Good morning, general!" he said, snapping to attention.
"What's your name, son?" Hardee asked.
"Narcisse Doucet, Sergeant Narcisse Doucet, sir," he answered.
"Military police," Taylor said. "Not a front-line fighter for most of our fights, though he has been a great asset here in restoring order. Stopped three looters last night.
"Thank you for your service, Sergeant Doucet," Hardee said, before adding, "Merci."
Doucet smiled and saluted sharply as the two generals entered the building.
The two generals spoke with brigade commanders, and got a picture of the situation. The Union forces had retreated north, and were out of range. They weren't going to return any time soon. So, the two decided that Taylor had things under control in Montgomery, and Hardee would take the train back to Atlanta to reinforce the Army of Tennessee with his 15,400 remaining troops.
*I took the title from the 50th anniversary episode of Doctor Who, the painting is called "Gallifrey Falls No More."
**I delayed Peachtree Creek and Atlanta so that Lincoln would have a chance to win.
Congress voted to approve statehood for both Nevada and Columbia (OTL British Columbia between 49° and 52° N) by a large margin, as a move to help secure Lincoln's re-election. Both states sent their constitutions to Congress by telegram, both being over $3,000 a piece, the first and second most expensive telegrams in history. But it would be worth it to secure at least 6 more electoral votes.
Georgia-Alabama Border (November 3)
Johnston knew one of Grant's armies was going west to Montgomery; the other returning to Atlanta. Time was against him. He decided to have General Taylor coordinate with General Hardee's force of around 25,000 to envelop the Union invaders at Montgomery, going west on the train as far as possible, while he would take Cheatham and Hindman back to Atlanta to try to defeat Grant. Hopefully the Union hadn't destroyed the railroad up ahead. He silently cursed himself. If Grant made it to Atlanta, his victory at Peachtree Creek would be worthless. His men reloaded and moved east on the train. General Joseph E. Johnston prayed he would get back in time.
Atlanta (November 3)
One of his orderlies came up to General Cleburne, with the letter of introduction for John Maxwell, from the Ordnance Bureau's Colonel Gorgas. He mispronounced 'horological torpedo' but explained to Cleburne what it was. He was intrigued, so he decided to meet the man.
Well outside Atlanta, Lt Johnson, still disguised as Pvt. Sam Weaver, managed to steal a horse, and silently escape from the Union army. He had to warn Atlanta of the oncoming storm.
Atlanta (November 5)
He shed his Union disguise, and put back his normal gray uniform, and galloped back to his troops. They were still facing north, south, and west. It took over an hour to get to Major Cleary, explain what he had seen, and get an audience with General Cleburne. He made his presentation, giving all the information he gleaned from his time in the Union Army. Grant had split his forces, and they were approaching from the west. Cleburne needed an ace up his sleeve, now that he had this information. Their artillery had range that the Confederates didn't have, and they needed an advantage. His eyes caught the paper of introduction again. An horological torpedo...he thought...but how to use it, and when?
November 6
Cleburne's forces were concentrated on the west now; militia and freedmen were manning the artillery as well. They were ready when the Union started shelling them, but were surprised and horrified that the Union, instead of firing directly on them, was firing on the city, on a Sunday, when people were in church. The Confederates had maybe 8 cannon which they had captured that would hit that far out, but they tried firing as much as they could with their 3" ordnance rifles. The siege had been joined.
The siege lasted over the course of three days, from the 6th to the 8th. For Cleburne, one bright side, morbid as it was, was the death of General Walker, the man who tried to call him a traitor over his Memorial earlier in the year, during the first 6 hours of the siege. But by the end of the 6th, they had to abandon East Point for the city, having been overrun by Yankees.
November 8
At East Point, several batteries were critical in defense of the city, but Cleburne knew it would be overrun with the forces arrayed against him. So he had Maxwell place some of his horological torpedoes in the batteries, with instructions to several officers on how to set the clocks if they were about to be overrun. His unfortunate back-up plan would be executed today.
Unfortunately for General Cleburne, that eventuality came to pass after more than 8 hours of intense fighting, Union soldiers hacking back at the abatis, even though the Confederates were firing nearly point blank at them from their trenches.
Union and Confederate fired upon each other; the Union troops gained ground slowly but surely. They were approaching the Confederate entrenchments. The abatis were slowing them down, but they eventually were taken apart and moved out of the way, allowing the bluecoats closer to the lines. Soon fighting devolved into hand to hand combat as they fired their single shots and then worked with bayonets, then using their rifles as clubs. Back and forth the two sides fought, but Cleburne's corps was manning the defenses, augmented with freedmen, and handling themselves capably.
The Confederates put in their reserves, and 40 minutes after the charge sounded, the Union troops retreated. Then in about another 30 minutes, another charge. The process repeated several times, each causing heavy Union casualties, and light Confederate casualties. In total, Grant had suffered about 16,000 casualties over the last two and a half days.
The most important of these batteries was Battery Bate. By the time the Union troops were covering Battery Bate, Major Cleary set the clock, covered it with scraps, and left the Battery, retreating with his men. Once Cleary and the rest of his men were well outside the Battery, and closer to Atlanta, the entire battery exploded in a fireball unseen before in the war by many troops. It mushroomed and showered the ground around them with Union men, several hundred in one fell swoop, but causing hundreds of casualties was the shrapnel of metal from everything in there. From his vantage point in the city, General Cleburne was able to see the explosion through his spyglass. As he saw the event unfold, his mind raced with possibilities. He put down his spyglass and smiled.
"Lieutenant Johnson, I have another assignment for you," General Cleburne said to the newly minted officer. Given superior Union numbers, they would eventually be overrun. But having proven John Maxwell's theory on horological torpedoes, Cleburne now had an ace.
Cleburne's intelligence, limited as it was, told him that General Howard's Army of the Cumberland had been marched around, two corps' worth, leaving only a single corps to guard the bridges over the Chattahoochee, and all their supplies there. He got a telegram from Johnston that his forces were coming and to hold on. Cleburne's corps had suffered 8000 casualties in the last 3 days, but hope was a great motivator.
Given that the Union was shelling the city, Cleburne asked Lt Johnson to pick up another Union disguise once more, and work with that clock man, John Maxwell. The evening of the 8th they had made their way into the Union camp near the railroad, under the guise of seeking the medical tent.
**
Near Palmetto, with a ridge behind him, and forest on either side to help protect from flanking, Johnston dug in. Luckily, Grant was obliging him by meeting him there. For much of the late afternoon of the 8th, Grant's men arrived and fought, but having been shelling and attacking the fortress city of Atlanta the past two to three days, their nerves were frazzled and they didn't press the attack too much. Johnston didn't suffer many casualties, luckily, but wanting to avoid another Sherman-esque flanking maneuver, posted two divisions on either side in the forest, hiding and waiting once the day was done. Having arrived late morning, Johnston's forces had only managed light entrenchments, so the lack of dedicated fighting by the Union forces had been a lucky break for them. Even luckier was the arrival of the rest of his army, two full corps.
San Francisco (Night of November 7-8)
Brig. Gen. Gillis and his troops heard the shelling of the city, south of San Francisco. Their diversion was in play. Sailing in during the night, a fog had come through the bay, obscuring their boats. They all bore the stars and stripes, while they were clad in blue. He formed up and marched his men quickly and silently up 5th Street to the mint building.
Old Mint Building, before the 1874 building was built
Brig Gen Gillis and his troops came to the door, guarded by four poor guards, who were nodding off at the doors. Most everyone was fighting to the south, and this was all they could afford to spare, apparently.
"Private, my name is Brigadier General Gerald Waterson. We're here to protect the gold in the building from the rebels to the south. We need you to help us load everything to take north to Seattle for safe-keeping," he said in his most commanding voice.
The private snapped to, saluted and with a sharp "yes, sir!" and opened the doors, not questioning him in the slightest. From midnight till 5:30 AM, the gold was loaded into wagons and carried to the docks and loaded on the ships. About $3 million in all was loaded out of the mint before Brig. Gen. "Jerry Waterson" decided they needed to leave.
By about 2 PM on the 8th, the Confederate attack ceased, and they retreated; likewise all the "Union" troops who had landed left on their "Union" ships, floating past the island of Alcatraz.
United States of America (November 8)
All across the United States votes were counted in every state. New England was doing well for the Republicans, due to the abolitionists there (more like deportationists and exclusionists over true abolitionists, to be technical). New York was decided by 6,749 votes, sending Lincoln its 33 electoral votes. Pennsylvania had a margin of only 18,849, sending Lincoln its 26 electoral votes. Unfortunately for Lincoln, his own home state of Illinois went Democrat, by 49,212, sending McClellan its 16 electoral votes. It may have helped the Republicans that they had won a victory in Mobile Bay, along with the shelling of both Montgomery and Atlanta, as well as the discovery of Manton Marble's financial dealings with the rebels, or maybe the presence of Republican troops at some polling places, or even some judges closing polling locations at times convenient to one side or the other. Whatever the cause, Abraham Lincoln gained a victory with 143 electoral votes to McClellan's 94 votes. Even with this victory, the Democrats gained in the House, yet Republicans retained control, now with 85 Democrat seats to the Republican 101. Any Confederate hope of a quick peace left many minds when this result was made known.
Election by State.
Montgomery (November 8)
Arriving late in the afternoon, the Confederate forces surprised McPherson, who had not gotten a telegram from Grant telling him when they would be arriving. Unfortunately for McPherson, it was General Hardee's forces who came from the southeast, while General Taylor's forces, about 9500 now, faced him from within their strong entrenchments. Three days of siege was wearing on both sides, McPherson and Taylor. His Louisiana 1st and 2nd Native Guard were earning their pay, and even a few of McPherson's colored troops deserted over the last night.
General Hardee had his men roll up the artillery right behind the Union forces and fired, scattering their battle lines; his cavalry was coming from the south, his infantry from the east. The fighting was intense, but the decisive factor was General Taylor's men. They had managed to get a telegram on the 6th that help was on the way and to hold out for General Hardee. Once he arrived, they were asked to fight as hard as they could. For over six hours, McPherson's men faced 9500 to their west, around 2500 cavalry to the south with another 6000 infantry, plus artillery to the east and another 14,000 infantry to their east. The musket fire was intense enough to create a cloud of smoke over the battlefield. The Confederate gray and butternut tended to blend into the smoke, while Union blue stood out, making them easy targets. Regimental commanders had their men kneel, go prone, or stagger to keep up a constant rate of fire and protect themselves somewhat. The Union forces charged the infantry to their rear, but after four successive charges failed, the Confederates finally captured the artillery, having killed the gun crews; the firing on Montgomery had ceased by about 3 PM, but the fight continued till at least 5:30 PM, when something broke, and the Union lines of battle collapsed and the men left in panic. About this time, the cavalry, having suffered over 600 casualties, tried to help route them north. Taylor's defense forces left their entrenchments to charge, while Hardee moved west to try to destroy them.
Over the course of the next hour, the Union suffered another 1200 casualties, adding to their already 5000, before they successfully withdrew their forces to take a circuitous route around Martin Lake and try to regroup with Grant near Atlanta.
The Confederates cheered their success, the men giving shouts of joy and utter happiness, as the Union troops left; both sides took potshots at each other, most missing rather than hitting. By about 7:15, the Union troops had withdrawn.
General Hardee wanted to pursue, but his men were exhausted by the march, the fight, and the stress of the last few days. He ordered them to help put out fires in Montgomery and attempt to restore order there, including putting back the cut telegraph lines and rail lines, plus act as a discouragement to looters.
Palmetto (November 9)
Grant met Johnston near a small town called Palmetto, southwest of Atlanta. The rebels had given stubborn resistance over the course of the 8th, but with Lincoln re-elected, the Union war effort would continue until the rebellion was smashed to pieces. He had used the night to reform his men and restore their lines to order for the attack today.
Cheatham and Hindman had reformed their various divisions; their entrenchments improved and abatis in place. Confederate reserve artillery was in place. Two divisions were held in the pine forest, concealed from General Grant, on either side now. Four thousand men each. Grant couldn't have known his other troops had finally made it. When the attack would come, Grant would be enveloped on his flanks by Confederate fire.
The Confederates put in their reserves, and 40 minutes after the charge sounded, the Union troops retreated. Then in about another 30 minutes, another charge. The process repeated several times, each causing heavy Union casualties, and light Confederate casualties.
Then, about 11:30 AM, the unexpected happened. His cavalry had been forward and to the north and south, but not behind him. He didn't expect Johnston to come back this soon, or at all, for that matter. Artillery shells began booming in the distance. Crash! Boom! Boom! Canister and shot and heated shells exploded, causing his lines to fray.
"What the hell is going on back there?" he asked, angry. His staff officers began shouting orders, and within about 15 minutes, they had their answer. Johnston had returned. What looked like about 48,000 men, obviously picking up some since leaving the city.
Grant was ready to take East Point, where Cleburne had about 22,000 men entrenched, but now with another 48,000 on his back, he had no options left.
Atlanta (November 9)
Shortly after midday, Lt. Johnson and John Maxwell, disguised as Union soldiers, had walked to the Western and Atlantic Railroad, already repaired and bearing a train across it, resupplying the Union soldiers. The train, with its 14 cars full of ammunition, was a prime target. The pair managed to sneak over to the train to place the torpedo and set it for 30 minutes while en route. Maxwell slit the throat of the engineer and forced the train into reverse, so it would back over the rail bridge as well. Johnson kept look out, but no one was noticing them as of yet, or at least till the engine went backwards.
The two men escaped notice and began walking towards the woods. The lack of security near the supply depot was appalling. But then again, no one expected this to happen. A sudden thunderous boom, followed by 14 more afterwards, reverberated in their chests, throwing them to the ground. They felt the heat and smelled the fire, and saw the train from their position, exploding on the bridge. It was a train wreck they couldn't stop watching. The bridge collapsed as the train exploded. Shells rained out and caused even more destruction of ammunition on the Union depot. Tents caught on fire; food stores were stricken with fire. The two men started walking away, and shed their Union garb once they were maybe a mile or so away. Their hearts were beating a mile a minute, but they eventually managed to lose themselves in the forest, away from the Union camp. They heard more artillery firing to the south, with a distinctive high-pitched ring of Confederate shot, possibly Cleburne attacking.
**
At Palmetto, Grant was disappointed; his attack had petered out by nightfall. They had suffered heavy casualties, a large number of artillery had been captured, and the Army of the Tennessee had been knocked out of the battle. Johnston's flanking maneuver had worked on him, and he didn't even see it coming.
General Schofield rode up to Grant. "My men have been repulsed sir, but we are still capable of fighting."
"Did you hear that explosion a few hours ago?" he asked him.
"I did, sir. The whole army did. What was it?"
"It was most of our ammunition reserve going up in smoke," Grant said more calmly than expected.
"Surely we can replace the ammunition with reserves from Chattanooga," Schofield said.
"We could, but it would take days to get here. The bridge was utterly destroyed, and we have maybe a day's worth of ammunition left here at Palmetto. We will withdraw," Grant said.
"To where sir?" asked Schofield.
"North to Marietta to rest and resupply the men," Grant answered. "Dig in your men. They will act as a shield to protect our withdrawal, and be the last to leave. Make your preparations."
Montgomery (November 9)
Most of the fires were out, and General Hardee and General Taylor were walking towards the state capitol to begin their plan of what to do.
"Good morning, sergeant," said Hardee to the man guarding the mayor's building.
"Good morning, general!" he said, snapping to attention.
"What's your name, son?" Hardee asked.
"Narcisse Doucet, Sergeant Narcisse Doucet, sir," he answered.
"Military police," Taylor said. "Not a front-line fighter for most of our fights, though he has been a great asset here in restoring order. Stopped three looters last night.
"Thank you for your service, Sergeant Doucet," Hardee said, before adding, "Merci."
Doucet smiled and saluted sharply as the two generals entered the building.
The two generals spoke with brigade commanders, and got a picture of the situation. The Union forces had retreated north, and were out of range. They weren't going to return any time soon. So, the two decided that Taylor had things under control in Montgomery, and Hardee would take the train back to Atlanta to reinforce the Army of Tennessee with his 15,400 remaining troops.
*I took the title from the 50th anniversary episode of Doctor Who, the painting is called "Gallifrey Falls No More."
**I delayed Peachtree Creek and Atlanta so that Lincoln would have a chance to win.
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