Status - John Baer - 40th Indiana Regiment - Stanley's Corps - Newton's Division - Wagner's Brigade
Atlanta Campaign
On the 26th, General Stoneman proposes to make a cavalry raid toward Macon, then further on to Andersonville, if possible. Sherman approves, and also begins another movement to the right in the direction of East Point, GA.
Howard assumes command of the Army of the Tennessee, and over the next day, this army moves from the left all the way to the right. On the 28th, these and other Union troops fight the Battle of Ezra Church, a series of assaults by the Confederate army on the Union right. Again the Confederates take the worst of the battle with regard to casualties; however, Sherman was prevented from breaking the last working railroad line into Atlanta.
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John Baer Diary Entries - text in white, comments in blue. Entries for July 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th.
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DIARY ENTRY - Tuesday, July 26th, 1864
Was engaged in the manufacturing business making a set of chessmen. A petition to the Government gotten up by a committee appointed for the purpose was read to the detachment and approved by the majority - I could not believe that the petition would avail anything, and the only object that I could see that the rebels had in taking such an interest in getting it through was that they thought it would embarrass the government, and to effect our release would cause them to exchange on rebel terms - unless, perchance, they are afraid that a raiding party will release us and they will not get anything for the trouble of keeping us - then it would be to their interest to give a fair exchange.
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As noted above, Stoneman's cavalry was intending to move toward Macon and then Andersonville, so Sherman has begun to think about how to free the prisoners at Andersonville.
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DIARY ENTRY - Wednesday, July 27th, 1864
Weather warm in the forenoon, cloudy in the afternoon with a light shower late in the day. Prisoners from Hunter’s army and Petersburg came in the morning but brought no late intelligence.
A few prisoners from Sherman’s army came in the evening. They report that on the 22nd the rebels charged our lines and drove them into the works but were repulsed and followed to their own works. Our loss in prisoners is reported at 2000 while the rebel loss is estimated at 5000. The loss in killed and wounded was not known, but one man - who had served six years in the old country and claims to have been in some hard battles - says he never saw as hard fighting and never saw men lie so thick on any field.
One man killed by a rebel guard - but such occurrences are not infrequent, men are shot down almost daily by the guard for the least infringement of the rules regarding the dead line. They do not shoot merely to obey orders, but because they take a delight in cold blooded murders - for it cannot be called anything else. Very often it happens that they miss the man they shoot at and kill or wound one or two unoffending individuals.
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The last paragraph notes the enforcement of the dead line, and the belief that the guards many times shoot the prisoners for sport. The motives of the guards cannot really be known, but the enforcement of the dead line was strict, severe, and cruel in many cases.
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DIARY ENTRY - Thursday, July 28th, 1864
A number of prisoners arrived this afternoon from Atlanta, taken in Friday’s fight. The intelligence brought agrees pretty well with, and is in fact a confirmation of, other reports - and my conclusion at first seems to have been correct, that is, that General Hood had undertaken something that he could not do and got considerably worsted. There is another conclusion I have been forced to, taking everything into consideration; I can see no other object in the rebel authorities giving Hood command of the army - seeing that he is only a Major General - except that it is to sacrifice him, and in doing that, they sacrifice the army.
The fall of Atlanta is a blow from which the Confederacy can never recover, and fall it must. The prisoners report now combatants leaving town, all transportation is used in shipping things out, and arrivals from the eastern army report the rebels to be fortifying Augusta as well as Macon - for Hood’s army to attempt to hold both points seems to me to be sheer nonsense. With his forces united, he cannot hold one point, and with it divided he cannot expect to do anything - but if he abandons Augusta his communication with the east cannot be maintained. If he abandons Macon, he gives up Alabama, Mississippi, and the greater part of Georgia, leaving both armies to be supported by Eastern Georgia, North and South Carolina.
If Lee attempts a retreat from Richmond he will do it at the sacrifice of his munitions of war, and these they cannot afford to lose. A concentration at any point will be the beginning of the end, and a separation will give the same result - which would be most disastrous I will not attempt to say
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DIARY ENTRY -
Friday, July 29th, 1864
More arrivals from the front but no more news. The population of Andersonville is increasing very fast, the last week has given an addition of upwards of 2000 - but I think emigration will cease for a short time at least. It is remarkable to note the contrast in prisoners that have been captured on this campaign. Leaving out the capture of the garrisons at Plymouth and Fort Pillow and with other captures of less importance, and Grant has captured more men in one day from Lee’s army than both Lee and Johnston have captured from both armies on the entire campaign. I think 7000 will include all that have been taken from both the armies of Grant and Sherman, while on the other hand, the men captured by Grant alone would exceed four to one of the whole, and those taken by Sherman will exceed two to one - but there is a contrast in another respect that is still greater, and that is the treatment of prisoners.
While we are stripped of every thing and confined in narrow limits on cornbread and meat without quarters, the rebs are furnished with good quarters and plenty to eat. As to the quantity we get, it is sufficient, but the quality and the manner in which it is furnished is the greatest bore possible, and under other circumstances but necessity it would be intolerable. Met an old comrade.
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More Information:
- Link: War Operations, see Volume XXXVIII, Chapter L, Part V, Correspondence, pp. 259-300.
- The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. p. 172.
- The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1II, Red River to Appomattox, Shelby Foote, pp. 475-490.
- Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Retreat With Honor, pp. 315-320.
- Decision In The West, The Atlanta Campaign of 1864, Albert Castel, pp, 424-436.
- Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, pp. 608-613.
- Memoirs of General William T. Sherman, pp. 561-566.
- Events: 1864
NEXT POST: AUGUST 2ND
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