Freedom triumphant Author:Charles Carleton Coffin Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. ALLATOONA. THE Confederate army under General Hood had evacuated Atlanta, and the Union troops under General Sherman had taken possession of t... more »he town. (" Redeeming the Republic," chap, xvi.) After its hard marching and continuous fighting the Union army needed rest. The soldiers were in want of slices and clothing, and General Sherman desired time to think about future movements. He was far from his base of supplies, and the Confederate cavalry in his rear were dashing upon the railroad here and there, tearing up the track and thus delaying trains. He had expected co-operation from General Can- by, commanding an army near Mobile. The fleet under Admiral Farragut was riding at anchor in Mobile Bay, but the city of Mobile was still held by the Confederates, and Canby could not advance towards Atlanta. Troops were needed in Missouri to repel an invasion of the enemy under General Sterling Price, and two divisions of the Sixteenth Corps were sent to that State. What next to do was the one absorbing question for General Sherman to consider. It did not take him long to decide upon one point, that Atlanta must be held till he could enter upon a new campaign. The three years for which several thousand soldiers had enlisted was expiring, and every train from Atlanta to Nashville bore veterans to their homes. The Government kept its faith with them. But the returning trains were carrying new recruits to Atlanta, together with veterans who had re-enlisted, and who, notwithstanding the hardships, the inarching, and exposure to sickness and death, had such a love for the flag that they could not think of leaving their comrades till the final victory should be won. So through the month of September the army remained inactive at Atlanta. There was a good deal of dissatisfac...« less