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Cassville.
The enemy was discovered on high ground just beyond the Two-Run Creek, and as soon as our troops came in view he opened fire upon us from a 6-gun battery.
General Stanley promptly brought up his artillery, supported by a brigade of infantry, and replied to the enemy's guns.
He silenced them and drove them off. At this point I was directed by General Sherman in person to move forward four miles to an old mill near the railroad, and there to go into camp.
As soon as General Stanley had dislodged the enemy from the high ground east of the creek he moved forward.
On reaching a point about a half mile from this mill, severe resistance was made to our advance by the enemy's infantry skirmishers, and from a prominent height the enemy's infantry was discovered drawn up in two lines and advancing.
General Stanley formed his lines, his left resting on the railroad.
General Wood's division was moved to his right and General Newton's moved to cover the left.
As soon as our lines were formed the enemy halted and began to cover his front with rail barricades nearly a mile in our front, but in plain sight.
Our artillery opened from different points, whereupon the enemy's first line gave way and passed to the rear in considerable confusion.
Having been directed by General Thomas to push on, I moved forward to the enemy's position, which he had in the mean time abandoned.
The command here went into position, having formed a junction with a portion of General Hooker's corps that had been moving in a column to the east of us and parallel.
The corps had hardly halted, when an order was received to move at once straight on Cassville.
Stanley's advance had hardly progressed a mile, when a sharp fire was opened upon his head of column.
He promptly deployed a portion of his command and several batteries of artillery were placed in position to open the way. The enemy's resistance was so determined that General Wood's division was ordered up on Stanley's right.
The promptitude with which this division was deployed afforded me great satisfaction.
Newton's division was directed to take post on Stanley's left, but all but one or two regiments of it were crowded out by our forming a junction with General Hooker's corps.
In this position, with General Hooker on the left and General Palmer on the right, continuous skirmishing and artillery firing was kept up until after dark.
Before morning Johnston had abandoned another strongly intrenched position about Cassville and fled across the Etowah River, destroying the railroad bridge.
May 20, 21, and 22, the army rested in position near Cassville, renewed its supplies, sent back everything surplus, and made other preparations for a movement on Dallas.
May 23, crossed the Etowah River at Gillem's Bridge and went into position at Euharlee Creek.
May 24, crossed Euharlee Creek at Barrett's Mill and marched to Burnt Hickory, where we encamped for the night.
May 25, command marched by a settlement road, making a detour to the right of Burnt Hickory, and expecting to come into Dallas by a Van Wert and Dallas road. This route was taken to avoid collision with the numerous wagons of the corps in front of us that were obliged to move on one road.
About 2 p. m. Lieutenant-Colonel Mendenhall, department inspector-general, met me at a point six or seven miles from Dallas, bringing an order from General Thomas for me to move by the first left-hand road across to the direct Burnt
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Washington, D.C. Government Printing Office. 1891.
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