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there was no lack, though all were attended with much hard fighting.
Besides the heavy casualties of these incessant affairs, which followed each other at short intervals from Aug. 1 to Nov. 1, there was daily sharpshooting and much mortar and artillery practice, which helped swell the totals.
Confederate reports are entirely lacking, but losses were fully as heavy in proportion to the numbers engaged, as were the
Federal losses; for on several occasions
Lee was the aggressor and lost heavily.
On one, Oct. 7, on the
Darbytown road,
Field's division was sent to charge two brigades in breastworks, which proved to be armed with the Spencer magazine-guns.
He was quickly repulsed with severe loss, which included
Gregg of
Texas killed, and
Bratton of S. C. wounded.
The total Federal casualties for this period, Aug. 1 to Dec. 31, are given as: killed, 2172; wounded, 11,138; missing, 11,311; total, 24,621.
The corresponding Confederate losses were probably between 12,000 and 14,000.
It will afford a better view of the situation as a whole to glance at those events referred to by
Swinton, where he says: —
‘Had not success elsewhere come to brighten the horizon, it would have been difficult to raise new forces to recruit the Army of the Potomac.’
The first and most important of the events resulting in ‘success elsewhere’ was
President Davis relieving
Joseph E. Johnston of the command of the army opposing
Sherman at
Atlanta, and appointing
Hood to succeed him. This step was taken with great reluctance, and under great popular and political pressure brought by
Gov. Brown and
Sen. Hill of
Ga., who claimed that
Johnston intended to surrender
Atlanta without giving battle.
After many reiterations of such charges,
Davis was at length led to give a promise to relieve
Johnston if, on being asked for some assurance of his intention to fight, he failed to give it.
Gen. Bragg was sent to interview him, and after spending two days with him, wired: —
‘He has not sought my advice, and it was not volunteered.
I cannot learn that he has any more plan in the future than he has had in the past.’
Davis then wired to
Johnston a direct inquiry, as follows: —
