John M. Corse,
Brigadier-General commanding forces United States.

Of course the attack began at once, coming from front, flank, and rear.  There were two small redoubts, with slight parapets and ditches, one on each side of the deep railroad-cut.  These redoubts had been located by Colonel Poe, United States Engineers, at the time of our advance on Kenesaw, the previous June.  Each redoubt overlooked the storehouses close by the railroad, and each could aid the other defensively by catching in flank the attacking force of the other.  Our troops at first endeavored to hold some ground outside the redoubts, but were soon driven inside, when the enemy made repeated assaults, but were always driven back.  About 11 a.m., Colonel Redfield, of the Thirty-ninth Iowa, was killed, and Colonel Rowett was wounded, but never ceased to fight and encourage his men.  Colonel Tourtellotte was shot through the hips, but continued to command.  General Corse was, at 1 p.m., shot across the face, the ball cutting his ear, which stunned him, but he continued to encourage his men and to give orders.  The enemy (about 1.30 p.m.) made a last and desperate effort to carry one of the redoubts, but was badly cut to pieces by the artillery and infantry fire from the other, when he began to draw off, leaving his dead and wounded on the ground.

Before finally withdrawing, General French converged a heavy fire of his cannon on the block-house at Allatoona Creek, about two miles from the depot, set it on fire, and captured its garrison, consisting of four officers and eighty-five men.  By 4 p.m. he was in full retreat south, on the Dallas road, and got by before the head of General Cox’s column had reached it; still several ambulances and stragglers were picked up by this command on that road.  General Corse reported two hundred and thirty-one rebel dead, four hundred and eleven prisoners, three regimental colors, and eight hundred muskets captured.

Among the prisoners was a Brigadier-General Young, who thought that French’s aggregate loss would reach two thousand.  Colonel Tourtellotte says that, for days after General Corse had returned to Rome, his men found and buried at least a hundred more dead rebels, who had doubtless been wounded, and died in the woods near Allatoona.  I know that when I reached Allatoona, on the 9th, I saw a good many dead men, which had been collected for burial.

Corse’s entire loss, officially reported, was: 

Killed.     Wounded.     Missing.      Total.
142         353         212         707

I esteemed this defense of Allatoona so handsome and important, that I made it the subject of a general order, viz., No. 86, of October 7, 1864: 

The general commanding avails himself of the opportunity, in the handsome defense made of Allatoona, to illustrate the most important principle in war, that fortified posts should be defended to the last, regardless of the relative numbers of the party attacking and attacked . . . .  The thanks of this army are due and are hereby accorded to General Corse, Colonel Tourtellotte, Colonel Rowett, officers, and men, for their determined and gallant defense of Allatoona, and it is made an example to illustrate the importance of preparing in time, and meeting the danger, when present, boldly, manfully, and well.