"The last regiment was deployed in rear of the

others so as to take in a large space of ground and pick up

prisoners and trophies. You see, we were to break through

the enemy, smashing them, and Long was to sweep over

the ground and pick them up. This was soon determined

on, for there was no time to lose. A few of our men were in

front of us, dismounted, skirmishing with the enemy, and

they were told to throw down the fence where they were.

The enemy all this time was keeping them engaged as

much as possible, while a large force of them were building

rail barricades. We were formed just below the brow of the

hill, skirmishers on the crest of it, the enemy’s artillery to

our left and front playing over us, and bullets and shells

flying thick over our heads. We drew saber, trotted until

we came to the crest of the hill and then started at a gallop.

Down the hill we went, the enemy turning canister upon

us, while the bullets whistled fiercely, and the battery away

on our right threw shells. We leaped fences, ditches,

barricades, and were among them, the artillery being very

hot at this time. You could almost feel the balls as they

passed by. The Fourth Michigan and Seventh Pennsylvania

went straight forward to the woods, the field over which

they passed being at least a half a mile wide, with three

fences, one partially built barricade, and a number of

ditches and gullies, some very wide and deep. Of course

many of the men were dismounted, and upon reaching the

woods they (our men) could not move fast, and they

turned to the right and joined the main column in the road

about one and a half miles from the start. The Fourth

Regulars (my regiment, as I joined it when the charge was

ordered) could not keep parallel with the rest of the

brigade on account of high fences in our front, and seeing

an opening in the fence we turned to the left, and struck

out on the main road, coming upon the enemy in the road

near their battery, and sending them flying. We were soon

among the led horses of the dismounted men in their rear

and among the ambulances, and a perfect stampede took

place, riderless horses and ambulances being scattered in

all directions, we in the midst of them, shooting and cutting

madly. A part of our regiment, with some of the Fourth

Michigan and Seventh Pennsylvania, dashed at the battery,

drove the men from the pieces, and captured three of the

guns. Private William Bailey, a young Tennessean from

near McMinnville, who belonged to Fourth Michigan

Cavalry (he was associated with me at headquarters as

scout), shot the captain. We brought away the guns, and

the charge continued for about two miles, when we halted

for the command to close up. Colonel Long’s brigade did

not charge in line as it was intended, for, finding that the

ground was impracticable, it formed in column and

followed the Fourth Regulars. Colonel Murray’s command,

instead of sweeping all to the left, as we supposed they

would do, turned to the right and followed Long. Had

Murray done what was expected, both sides of the road

would have been cleaned out."

Immediately after the charge and while we were

pushing through the woods it commenced to rain, and

poured in torrents. The command was now started for

McDonough, but before the whole of it had moved off,

Long’s brigade, which had been moved to cover the rear,

was fiercely attacked by the infantry of the enemy. Colonel

Long fought them for about two hours, when, his

ammunition giving out, he was obliged to retire. (Here

Long was wounded twice.) The Fourth Michigan and

Seventh Pennsylvania were formed in the rear, Long

behind rail barricades which had been hastily thrown up.

The Fourth United States Regulars being out of

ammunition were sent on to McDonough, where the

Ninety-second Illinois Mounted Infantry divided

ammunition with some of us near this town. One of Long’s

regiments assisted the Fourth Michigan and Seventh

Pennsylvania. Long passed his men through when the

enemy came on us. Then we had it hot and heavy, the

enemy charging several times, but were repulsed. All this

fighting here was done dismounted, and was for the

purpose of holding back the enemy until our main column

could get out of the way. Our battery (three pieces) during

this fight burst one gun and wedged another, getting a

shell part way down it, so it could not be moved either

way, so we had one gun only, but that was used with

effect, the enemy meanwhile playing their artillery into our

columns all along the road. You see our two brigades had

to do all the fighting, lead the charge, and cover the retreat.

As soon as our men had passed on about a mile, our rearguard

followed, and we were not molested again. We

pushed slowly on to McDonough, crossed Walnut Creek,

and near morning lay down in the mud for sleep. How

tired we were I cannot tell, and men would tumble prone

from their horses, and it was next to impossible to awaken

them. Frequently two or three men would fall asleep upon

their horses, who would stop, and the whole column

behind them would naturally do the same, too, supposing

that there was obstruction ahead. Hundreds of men were

sometimes asleep in that way upon their horses in the mud

for an hour or so at a time. During this time I fell asleep for

about two hours, and awoke drenched to the skin, for it

was raining, and fearfully dark and very disagreeable.

About two o’clock we found a place to stop. I never before

that knew what fatigue meant, for I had not slept a wink

for the nights of the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th until the

morning (about 2 A. M.) of the 21st, except what I had

when riding along. We had had but three meals, and but

little time to eat them, had fought seven pretty hard fights,

besides skirmishing, etc., etc. At daybreak the next morning

we started on again. At Cotton River the bridge was gone,

the stream much swollen by rain, so that it could not be

forded and the horses were obliged to swim it. As the

current was very swift, we had a terrible time crossing it.

We, our brigade, lost one man and about sixty horses

drowned here, and nearly all our pack-mules also. We

could not get the wagon with the two disabled guns across

at all, and rumor said they were buried here, and the site

marked as the graves of two soldiers of the Fourth United

States Cavalry. It was terrible to see the poor wounded

carried across, some fastened on horses, while others were

taken over in ambulances. We all finally got over, but if the

enemy had pushed us here most of the command would

have been captured. We were now nearly all out of

ammunition, and many an anxious glance I gave to the

rear, it being a relief when all were over. We then crossed

South River bridge, burning all the bridges for ten miles

each side, and camped that night at Lithonia. The next day

we returned to our camp at Peach Tree Creek, having made

a complete circuit of the two armies of Hood and Sherman.

We did not do all we hoped we could when we started, but

we did all we could. Notwithstanding what we had

suffered, General Sherman was much dissatisfied with us,

expecting more from us than lay in our power (or his

either) to accomplish."

In the above narrative I have drawn very largely

from a letter written August 28, 1864, by Captain Burns (as

stated before), printed in a work called ‘Minty and the

Cavalry,’ though about all I have written occurred under

my own observation. We captured three stands of colors

claimed to belong to the Third Texas Cavalry,1 Zachariah

Rangers, and Benjamin’s Infantry."

Our aggregate loss in First and Second Brigades,

killed, wounded, and missing, was 14 officers, 192 men.

"2" ROBERT M. WILSON,"Company M, Fourth

United States Cavalry."

Notes:1If the Third Texas colors were captured by

them, they were found in an ambulance, as we did not

have the flag unfurled on this expedition.2It will be noted

here that the aggregate loss of 206 men is only the loss of

one division, not including Kilpatrick’s Division and the two

batteries.