And the Campsites of Hood's Army of Tennessee
— September 2-18, 1864 —
After Hardee's & Lee's Confederate forces lose the first day's battle at Jonesboro on August 31, 1864, Confederate Lt. General John Bell Hood, inside the fortifications of Atlanta, realizes that the last remaining railroad line that supplied Atlanta would be cut and Atlanta would have to be abandoned. Hood immediately blows up all of his ammunition supplies to keep them from falling into U.S. General Sherman's hands.
Taking full precautionary measures to save the rest of his forces at Atlanta, during the night of August 31, 1864 at about 2 a. m; General Hood dispatches Confederate Lt General Stephen D. Lee's corps at Jonesborough to march toward Atlanta to support the evacuation of his forces consisting of Lt. General A. P. Stewart's corp and the Georgia Militia. Lee's corps halted at the Killis Brown farm, NE of the South River.
Meanwhile, on September 1, 1864 Confederate General Hardee's corps is overrun on the second day's battle at Jonesboro and Hardee's corps escapes southward and lands on Cedar Bluff ridge, located six miles south of Jonesboro, and north of Lovejoy on the McDonough road. On that same evening, Stewart's corps marched out of Atlanta at 5 p.m. on the McDonough Road, in the direction of McDonough with orders to quickly support Hardee's corps at Lovejoy, and facing five Union army corps.
General S.D. Lee reported: "On the morning of September 1st I was ordered to move my command toward Lovejoy's Station, which place I reached on the 3rd." On September 2nd, Steward's corps arrived at Lovejoy, supporting Hardee's entrenched corps on the McDonough road.
On September 3, 1864, at 9 a.m. U.S. General Schofield sent a dispatch to Major General Sherman that Stewart's corps had already joined Hardee at Lovejoy, and that Lee's corp was at McDonough. Schofield reported: "If this is true both are probably here now. The enemy's line has been considerably extended eastward since last evening, and probably beyond my reach. It appears to run along a high ridge immediately in front of the McDonough road and behind Walnut Creek. I am feeling well to the left with skirmishers to see if I can reach the enemy's left on the McDonough road." This report indicates that Lee's corps would have arrived after Stewart's corps and Lee's corps would have extended the Confederate right flank.
On September 7, 1864, 10:50 p.m. General Hood's Chief of Staff, F.A Shoup, sent a dispatch to Lee: General Hood desires that you select some convenient place near your present lines and bivouac your corps. Let your artillery go into regular park under the senior officer. Establish such police regulations as shall secure the presence of the men."
In another dispatch General S.D. Lee wrote: "The army remained at Lovejoy's till September 18, when it commenced moving toward Palmetto Station, on the West Point and Atlanta Railroad, where it arrived in the 19th."
(captions)(lower left) Lieutenant General Stephen D. Lee
(lower right) The main Confederate campsites extended from Nash Farm at Babb's Mill road , westward to the Talmadge property, crossing Pan Handle road.
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