“’The old General shakes his head as though he thought them d—–­d Rebs ain’t evacuating Atlanta so mighty sudden, but are up to some devilment again.  I ain’t sure but he’s right.  They ain’t going to keep falling back and falling back to all eternity, but are just agoin’ to give us a rip-roaring great big fight one o’ these days—­when they get a good ready.  You hear me!’

“Saying which we both went to our companies, and laid down to get a little sleep.  It was about daylight then, and I must have snoozed away until near noon, when I heard the order ‘fall in!’ and found the regiment getting into line, and the boys all tallying about going right into Atlanta; that the Rebels had evacuated the City during the night, and that we were going to have a race with the Fifteenth Corps as to which would get into the City first.  We could look away out across a large field in front of our works, and see the skirmish line advancing steadily towards the main works around the City.  Not a shot was being, fired on either side.

“To our surprise, instead of marching to the front and toward the City, we filed off into a small road cut through the woods and marched rapidly to the rear.  We could not understand what it meant.  We marched at quick time, feeling pretty mad that we had to go to the rear, when the rest of our Division were going into Atlanta.

“We passed the Sixteenth Corps lying on their arms, back in some open fields, and the wagon trains of our Corps all comfortably corralled, and finally found ourselves out by the Seventeenth Corps headquarters.  Two or three companies were sent out to picket several roads that seemed to cross at that point, as it was reported ‘Rebel Cavalry’ had been seen on these roads but a short time before, and this accounted for our being rushed out in such a great hurry.

“We had just stacked arms and were going to take a little rest after our rapid march, when several Rebel prisoners were brought in by some of the boys who had straggled a little.  They found the Rebels on the road we had just marched out on.  Up to this time not a shot had been fired.  All was quiet back at the main works we had just left, when suddenly we saw several staff officers come tearing up to the Colonel, who ordered us to ‘fall in!’ ‘Take aims!’ ‘about, face!’ The Lieutenant Colonel dashed down one of the roads where one of the companies had gone out on picket.  The Major and Adjutant galloped down the others.  We did not wait for them to come back, though, but moved right back on the road we had just come out, in line of battle, our colors in the road, and our flanks in open timber.  We soon reached a fence enclosing a large field, and there could see a line of Rebels moving by the flank, and forming, facing toward Atlanta, but to the left and in the rear of the position occupied by our Corps.  As soon as we reached the fence we fired a round or two into the backs of these gray coats, who broke into confusion.