from the right to the extreme left of the brigade, with a loss of three wounded. On the twenty-fifth the regiment moved seven miles to the right and camped at Proctor's creek. On the next day it continued its move to the right about eight miles, passing the Army of the Tennessee and the Fourteenth corps. On the twenty-eighth it continued its move about three miles, and camped near Red Oak Station on the West Point Railroad. On the next day the regiment assisted in the destruction of a large portion of the railroad. On the 'thirtieth it moved about five miles southeast, and encamped in a dense woods, near Shoal creek. On, the thirty-first it moved early in the morning, about five miles to near the Macon railroad.

On September first the destruction of that railroad began. The regiment moved down the railroad, destroying it as they went, until the command came to near Jonesborough, where a line of battle was formed to advance upon the enemy, who were strongly fortified at that place. The regiment was on the extreme right of the brigade, where it advanced through a dense thicket, for about half a mile, close to the enemy's line. There slight works were thrown up under a heavy fire of musketry and artillery, which wounded two men. During the night the enemy retired. On the second the command moved down the railroad to Lovejoy station, where it again encountered the enemy. The regiment was in reserve here, and met with no casualties.

On the third, the Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania was moved to the front, relieving another regiment of the brigade. As the Seventy-seventh was larger than the regiment it relieved, it was necessary to extend the works to cover their entire front. As soon as the fog lifted the enemy opened with musketry and artillery upon the regiment, keeping up the fire until the works were completed. Lieutenant R. H. Thompson was killed, Major Philips lost an arm and eleven men were wounded. On the fifth the regiment withdrew to Jonesbor ough. On the seventh it moved to Rough and Ready, and next day to Atlanta, encamping about two miles east of that city. Thus ended the most eventful and successful campaign of the war. The Confederates were driven from Dalton, their stronghold, over rivers and mountains. Their naturally

strong positions, one after another, yielded to the force of the Union arms, until the "Gate City," Atlanta, at last fell into possession of the Federal armies.

The total loss of the Seventy-seventh in the eventful campaign was two officers and seven men killed, six officers and seventy-seven men wounded, and three men missing, an ag gregate loss of ninety-five.

The Atlanta Campaign, for long continued tenacious fighting stands unparalleled in history, ancient or modern.

The first skirmish of the campaign took place on the fourth day of May, and from that time on, for more than four months, or to be more precise, until the eighth day of September, there was one continuous struggle, over territory more than one hundred and fifty miles in extent, and during all that time there was hardly a single day that there was not fighting sometimes reaching the proportions of great battlesgoing on somewhere along the lines.

Those four battle months were indeed a great school for the soldier; the men who joined the regiment as raw recruits at the beginning of the campaign, were at its close, well seasoned soldiers, the equal of any soldiers to be found anywhere in the civilized world.

Four months of incessant toil and fighting, almost without rest day or night, over a rugged mountainous country, in a semi-tropical climate, during the hottest, most sultry part of the year, was indeed a most severe test of the physical endurance of the strongest and most robust nature.

Imagine an army of young men, under such conditions, in the face of a determined and valiant foe, toiling up the rugged sides of the mountains, fighting every step of their way up the rocky slopes, from crag to crag, and in many places, where horses could get no foothold, dragging up the cannon by hand, often more than a score of men tugging with all their strength, at a single gun, and all this under the hail of shot and shell coming from the foe.

It was not enough to merely drive the enemy from his positions, the ground gained by day, had to be secured by night, when the tired weary men, almost worn out by the day's exertions, instead of lying down to refreshing sleep, nature's sweet restorer to gain the much needed rest, were obliged

to dig up the earth with the only implement at hand-the bayonet-and construct defensive works to shelter themselves from the storm of death dealing missiles that were sure to come from the enemy with the following day. Thus it went on from the beginning of the campaign to its close; driving the enemy, day after day from one position to another, it is true sometimes slowly, but always surely, meeting with the most stubborn resistance at every point, but always gaining the point aimed at.

Portions of the army, alternately, at different times, would get short periods of rest, but such rests the men were obliged to snatch when not on duty, either on the picket or skirmish line, or in the trenches on fatigue duty, were consequently like Angels visits-few and far between-and taken altogether, would amount to very few days during the entire four months.

Yet, notwithstanding all the privations and hardships, there was no fault finding or grumbling, and the men were always cheerful, and as soon as one duty was performed were ready for the next one; it was well for the country that such was the case; such willingness to do their duty on the part of the men, was a sure precursor of final victory.

The Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania, always at the front, endured its full measure-shaken together, pressed down and running over-of all the hardships of this campaign, and the men were as cheerful and happy under all circumstances, as those of any other command in the army.

CHAPTER IX.

Confederates move Northward-Thomas sent to Nashville-Spring HillBattle of Franklin-Battle of Nashville-In Pursuit of the EnemyWinter quarters at Huntsville.

FOUR

OUR days after the fall of Atlanta, Jefferson Davis telegraphed to General Hood that re-inforcements would be sent to him from every available part of the Southern Confederacy, even from Texas, and that he must get ready to move into Tennessee. He commenced preparations accordingly, at once, and, by the end of September, his army was in motion for Sherman's rear, and had captured the garrisons at Acworth, Big Shanty, Dalton and Tilton.

On September twenty-fifth Sherman found that Hood's troops were in his rear, threatening his communications. To provide against this Sherman sent a division to Chattanooga, and one to Rome, Georgia, supposing that Hood would fall back in the direction from which he, Hood, had come, to reach the railroad.

On September twenty-eighth Sherman sent Major General Thomas, his second in command, to Nashville to organize the new troops expected to arrive there, and to make arrangements to meet the enemy, giving Thomas full power over all troops, subject to Sherman's command, except the four corps with which he designed to move through Georgia. This gave Thomas two divisions under A. J. Smith, in Missouri; the Fourth and Twenty-third corps; all the garrisons in Tennessee, and a considerable force of cavalry, which was badly in need of horses. These forces, General Sherman thought, would enable Thomas successfully to cope with Hood and the whole Confederate army that had confronted Sherman's entire army throughout the Atlanta campaign.

On the first of October it was definitely known that Hood, with his army had crossed the Chattahoochee and was moving northward.

On the third, the regiment with the Fourth corps, moved out from Atlanta in pursuit of the enemy, being the leading corps of the Union army. The route in following Hood, led first to Marietta; thence via Pine Top and Lost mountain, to Allatoona and Kingston; from Kingston to Rome, where, finding that Hood had struck the railroad north of Resaca, the corps marched to Resaca, and with the Fourteenth corps, crossed Rocky Face Mountain, just north of Snake Creek Gap, compelling the enemy to relinquish his hold on that pass.

Thence the course followed in the pursuit led through Ship's Gap and down the Chattanooga Valley to Gaylesville, Alabama, where the corps arrived on October twentieth.

Sherman, having followed to Gaylesville, finding that he could not bring the enemy to a stand and give battle, he turned back with his army to Atlanta. Before doing so, he on the twenty-sixth of October, ordered the Fourth corps to proceed to Chattanooga, stating that the commander of the corps (General Stanley) would there receive instructions from General Thomas, commanding the Department of the Cumberland, regulating its future movements. By rapid marches it reached Rossville, four miles south of Chattanooga on the night of the twenty-ninth.

In the evening an order was received by telegraph, from General Thomas, directing the corps to proceed by railway to Athens, Alabama, as early as possible. Early on the morning of the thirtieth it moved into Chattanooga to take the cars. At five in the afternoon of November first, at Athens, orders were received to move to Pulaski, Tennessee, immediately. The regiment moved at daylight on November second, with the brigade in advance of the division, marched to and crossed Elk river at sundown, encamping one mile beyond. On the third the regiment marched, in turn, in the rear of the division to Pulaski.

By November fourth, the three divisions of the corps, less one brigade, which was escorting the artillery and trains, were concentrated at Pulaski. Here an elaborate system of field works was laid out, a certain portion of which was assigned to each division, and ground was immediately broken in their construction. The work was vigorously continued,