THE CAVALRY EXPEDITIONS.
The next important movement was fixed for the 28th of July, the preparations for which were as follows: General Rousseau’s troops, fatigued with their long march, were not expected to do active service immediately: and were, therefore, ordered to relieve General Stoneman, who was sent to the left flank, there to remain in readiness to strike at the Macon road, at the same time that the Army of the Tennessee, which had been shifted below Proctor’s Creek, was to move toward East Point. In order to make General Stoneman’s movement sure of success, an effective cavalry force of five thousand men was placed under his command. This force, and that of General McCook, numbering four thousand, were ordered to move at the same time, the latter, by the right, on Fayetteville, and the former, by the left, skirting Atlanta, round to McDonough. In the evening of the day appointed, these two strong bodies of Union cavalry were to meet on the Macon road, at a point known as Lovejoy’s, with orders to utterly destroy the railroad. These orders were not carried out.
The two expeditions set forth; General Stoneman taking the direction to McDonough, after sending General Garrard to Flat Rock to cover his movement. General McCook took his way along the right bank of the Chattahoochie. General Stoneman, after proceeding a very short distance on the road he had taken, turned to the Georgia railroad, along which he advanced to Covington. There he altered his course again, going due south for Macon, the neighborhood of which he reached on the 30th. A detachment which he sent east to Loudon, destroyed eleven locomotives and several trains loaded with stores, and a great many bridges between that place and Macon. It had been the intention of General Stoneman, as a part of the expedition—having received the necessary permission from his general commanding—to proceed to Macon and Andersonville, and release the Union prisoners confined at those two places; but having received information at Gordon that the prisoners at Macon had been sent forward to Charleston, the movements upon Macon and Andersonville were both abandoned. On the evening of the 30th General Stoneman turned northward (having so far accomplished nothing of especial value), skirmishing with the enemy as often as he was encountered on the way till on the morning of the 31st he was met by a strong rebel force.
The country at this point was particularly unsuited for cavalry movements; accordingly, General Stoneman determined to escape without fighting, if possible. He sent a portion of his command forward as skirmishers, but quickly discovered that he was surrounded. Everything that ready wit and ingenuity could suggest was done with the hope of outwitting the enemy; but escape was impossible. As a last resource, General Stoneman ordered the larger portion of his command to break through the opposing lines, and effect their escape in the readiest manner possible, while he, himself, with a few hundred men and a section of artillery, drew off the enemy’s attention from the movement of the other troops. He was speedily overpowered, and obliged to surrender; and together with all those who were with him, became prisoners to the enemy.
Of the remainder of his command, one brigade returned in safety to the main army, and another was attacked and considerably broken up on its way back.
General Garrard, in the mean time, after remaining at Flat Rock two days, awaiting further orders, moved toward Covington on the 29th, where he learned that General Stoneman had gone south; and having no further orders to obey, he returned to his position on the left flank of the army.
General McCook was more fortunate in his expedition than his brother officer. Having reached a place called Rivertown, on the Chattahoochie, he crossed the river, and directed his way toward Palmetto Station; at this place he destroyed a portion of the Atlanta and West Point railroad. From there he proceeded to Fayetteville, dealing destruction by burning public and private property along the whole line of his journey. He destroyed an important part of the Macon and Western railroad. There he was disappointed by not meeting General Stoneman; and being constantly met by large and ever increasing numbers of the enemy, he turned to the southwest, and proceeded in that direction. At a place called Newman, on the Atlanta and West Point railroad, he encountered a strong rebel force, through which he cut his way with hard fighting, and considerable loss. After losing all his prisoners, he reached the Chattahoochie, and from thence arrived in safety within the Union lines.