The　number　of　dead　buried　in　front　of　the　Sixteenth　Corps　is　four　hundred　and　twenty…two。　　We　have　over　one　thousand　of　their　wounded　in　our　hands；　the　larger　number　of　the　wounded　being　carried　off　during　the　night；　after　the　engagement；　by　them。
  We　captured　eighteen　stands　of　colors；　and　have　them　now。　　We　also　captured　five　thousand　stands　of　arms。
  The　attack　was　made　on　our　lines　seven　times；　and　was　seven　times　repulsed。　　Hood's　and　Hardee's　corps　and　Wheeler's　cavalry　engaged　us。
  We　have　sent　to　the　rear　one　thousand　prisoners；　including　thirty…three　commissioned　officers　of　high　rank。
  We　still　occupy　the　field；　and　the　troops　are　in　fine　spirits。　　A　detailed　and　full　report　will　be　furnished　as　soon　as　completed。
  Recapitulation。
  Our　total　loss。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。　3；521　Enemy's　dead；　thus　far　reported；　buried；　and　delivered　to　them。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。　3；220　Total　prisoners　sent　North。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。　1；017　Total　prisoners；　wounded；　in　our　hands。。。。　1；000　Estimated　loss　of　the　enemy；　at　least。。。。　10；000
  Very　respectfully；　your　obedient　servant；　Joan　A。　　Logan；　Major…General。
  On　the　22d　of　July　General　Rousseau　reached　Marietta；　having　returned　from　his　raid　on　the　Alabama　road　at　Opelika；　and　on　the　next　day　General　Garrard　also　returned　from　Covington；　both　having　been　measurably　successful。　　The　former　was　about　twenty…five　hundred　strong；　the　latter　about　four　thousand；　and　both　reported　that　their　horses　were　jaded　and　tired；　needing　shoes　and　reSt。　But；　about　this　time；　I　was　advised　by　General　Grant　（then　investing　Richmond）　that　the　rebel　Government　had　become　aroused　to　the　critical　condition　of　things　about　Atlanta；　and　that　I　must　look　out　for　Hood　being　greatly　reenforced。　　I　therefore　was　resolved　to　push　matters；　and　at　once　set　about　the　original　purpose　of　transferring　the　whole　of　the　Army　of　the　Tennessee　to　our　right　flank；　leaving　Schofield　to　stretch　out　so　as　to　rest　his　left　on　the　Augusta　road；　then　torn　up　for　thirty　miles　eastward；　and；　as　auxiliary　thereto；　I　ordered　all　the　cavalry　to　be　ready　to　pass　around　Atlanta　on　both　flanks；　to　break　up　the　Macon　road　at　some　point　below；　so　as　to　cut　off　all　supplies　to　the　rebel　army　inside；　and　thus　to　force　it　to　evacuate；　or　come　out　and　fight　us　on　equal　terms。
  But　it　first　became　necessary　to　settle　the　important　question　of　who　should　succeed　General　McPherson？　　General　Logan　had　taken　command　of　the　Army　of　the　Tennessee　by　virtue　of　his　seniority；　and　had　done　well；　but　I　did　not　consider　him　equal　to　the　command　of　three　corps。　　Between　him　and　General　Blair　there　existed　a　natural　rivalry。　　Both　were　men　of　great　courage　and　talent；　but　were　politicians　by　nature　and　experience；　and　it　may　be　that　for　this　reason　they　were　mistrusted　by　regular　officers　like　Generals　Schofield；　Thomas；　and　myself。　　It　was　all…important　that　there　should　exist　a　perfect　understanding　among　the　army　commanders；　and　at　a　conference　with　General　George　H。　Thomas　at　the　headquarters　of　General　Thomas　J。　Woods；　commanding　a　division　in　the　Fourth　Corps；　he　（Thomas）　remonstrated　warmly　against　my　recommending　that　General　Logan　should　be　regularly　assigned　to　the　command　of　the　Army　of　the　Tennessee　by　reason　of　his　accidental　seniority。　　We　discussed　fully　the　merits　and　qualities　of　every　officer　of　high　rank　in　the　army；　and　finally　settled　on　Major…General　O。　O。　Howard　as　the　best　officer　who　was　present　and　available　for　the　purpose；　on　the　24th　of　July　I　telegraphed　to　General　Halleck　this　preference；　and　it　was　promptly　ratified　by　the　President。　　General　Howard's　place　in　command　of　the　Fourth　Corps　was　filled　by　General　Stanley；　one　of　his　division　commanders；　on　the　recommendation　of　General　Thomas。　　All　these　promotions　happened　to　fall　upon　West…Pointers；　and　doubtless　Logan　and　Blair　had　some　reason　to　believe　that　we　intended　to　monopolize　the　higher　honors　of　the　war　for　the　regular　officers。　　I　remember　well　my　own　thoughts　and　feelings　at　the　time；　and　feel　sure　that　I　was　not　intentionally　partial　to　any　class；　I　wanted　to　succeed　in　taking　Atlanta；　and　needed　commanders　who　were　purely　and　technically　soldiers；　men　who　would　obey　orders　and　execute　them　promptly　and　on　time；　for　I　knew　that　we　would　have　to　execute　some　most　delicate　manoeuvres；　requiring　the　utmost　skill；　nicety；　and　precision。　　I　believed　that　General　Howard　would　do　all　these　faithfully　and　well；　and　I　think　the　result　has　justified　my　choice。　　I　regarded　both　Generals　Logan　and　Blair　as　〃volunteers；〃　that　looked　to　personal　fame　and　glory　as　auxiliary　and　secondary　to　their　political　ambition；　and　not　as　professional　soldiers。
  As　soon　as　it　was　known　that　General　Howard　had　been　chosen　to　command　the　Army　of　the　Tennessee；　General　Hooker　applied　to　General　Thomas　to　be　relieved　of　the　command　of　the　Twentieth　Corps；　and　General　Thomas　forwarded　his　application　to　me　approved　and　heartily　recommended。　　I　at　once　telegraphed　to　General　Halleck；　recommending　General　Slocum　（then　at　Vicksburg）　to　be　his　successor；　because　Slocum　had　been　displaced　from　the　command　of　his　corps　at　the　time　when　the　Eleventh　and　Twelfth　were　united　and　made　the　Twentieth。
  General　Hooker　was　offended　because　he　was　not　chosen　to　succeed　McPherson；　but　his　chances　were　not　even　considered；　indeed；　I　had　never　been　satisfied　with　him　since　his　affair　at　the　Gulp　House；　and　had　been　more　than　once　disposed　to　relieve　him　of　his　corps；　because　of　his　repeated　attempts　to　interfere　with　Generals　McPherson　and　Schofield。　　I　had　known　Hooker　since　1836；　and　was　intimately　associated　with　him　in　California；　where　we　served　together　on　the　staff　of　General　Persifer　F。　Smith。　　He　had　come　to　us　from　the　East　with　a　high　reputation　as　a　〃fighter；〃　which　he　had　fully　justified　at　Chattanooga　and　Peach…Tree　Creek；　at　which　latter　battle　I　complimented　him　on　the　field　for　special　gallantry；　and　afterward　in　official　reports。　　Still；　I　did　feel　a　sense　of　relief　when　he　left　us。　　We　were　then　two　hundred　and　fifty　miles　in　advance　of　our　base；　dependent　on　a　single　line　of　railroad　for　our　daily　food。　　We　had　a　bold；　determined　foe　in　our　immediate　front；　strongly　intrenched；　with　communication　open　to　his　rear　for　supplies　and　reenforcements；　and　every　soldier　realized　that　we　had　plenty　of　hard　fighting　ahead；　and　that　all　honors　had　to　be　fairly　earned。
  Until　General　Slocum　joined　（in　the　latter　part　of　August）；　the　Twentieth　Corps　was　commanded　by　General　A。　S。　Williams；　the　senior　division　commander　present。　　On　the　25th　of　July　the　army；　therefore；　stood　thus：　the　Army　of　the　Tennessee　（General　O。　O。　Howard　commanding）　was　on　the　left；　pretty　much　on　the　same　ground　it　had　occupied　during　the　battle　of　the　22d；　all　ready　to　move　rapidly　by　the　rear　to　the　extreme　right　beyond　Proctor's　Creek；　the　Army　of　the　Ohio　（General　Schofield）　was　next　in　order；　with　its　left　flank　reaching　the　Augusta　Railroad；　next　in　order；　conforming　closely　with　the　rebel　intrenchmenta　of　Atlanta；　was　General　Thomas's　Army　of　the　Cumberland；　in　the　order　ofthe　Fourth　Corps　（Stanley's）；　the　Twentieth　Corps　（Williams's）；　and　the　Fourteenth　Corps　（Palmer's）。　　Palmer's　right　division　（Jefferson　C。　Davis's）　was　strongly　refused　along　Proctor's　Creek。　　This　line　was　about　five　miles　long；　and　was　intrenched　as　against　a　sally　about　as　strong　as　was　our　enemy。　　The　cavalry　was　assembled　in　two　strong　divisions；　that　of　McCook　（including　the　brigade　of　Harrison　which　had　been　brought　in　from　Opelika　by　General　Rousseau）　numbered　about　thirty…five　hundred　effective　cavalry；　and　was　posted　to　our　right　rear；　at　Turner's　Ferry；　where　we　had　a　good　pontoon…bridge；　and　to　our　left　rear；　at　and　about　Decatur；　were　the　two　cavalry　divisions　of　Stoneman；　twenty…five　hundred；　and　Garrard；　four　thousand；　united　for　the　time　and　occasion　under　the　command　of　Major…General　George　Stoneman；　a　cavalry…officer　of　high　repute。　　My　plan　of　action　was　to　move　the　Army　of　the　Tennessee　to　the　right　rapidly　and　boldly　against　the　railroad　below　Atlanta；　and　at　the　same　time　to　send　all　the　cavalry　around　by　the　right　and　left　to　make　a　lodgment　on　the　Macon　road　about　Jonesboro。
  All　the　orders　were　given；　and　the　morning　of　the　27th　was　fixed　for　commencing　the　movement。　　On　the　26th　I　received　from　General　Stoneman　a　note　asking　permission　（after　having　accomplished　his　orders　to　break　up　the　railroad　at　Jonesboro）　to　go　on　to　Macon　to　rescue　our　prisoners　of　war　known　to　be　held　there；　and　then　to　push　on　to　Andersonville；　where　was　the　great　depot　of　Union　prisoners；　in　which　were　penned　at　one　time　as　many　as　twenty…three　thousand　of　our　men；　badly　fed　and　harshly　treated。　　I　wrote　him　an　answer　consenting　substantially　to　his　proposition；　only　modifying　it　by　requiring　him　to　send　back　General　Garrard's　division　to　its　position　on　our　left　flank　after　he　had　broken　up　the　railroad　at　Jonesboro。　　Promptly；　and　on　time；　all　got　off；　and　General　Dodge's　corps　（the　Sixteenth；　of　the　Army　of　the　Tennessee）　reached　its　position　across　Proctor's　Creek　the　same　evening；　and　early　the　next　morning　（the　28th）　Blair's　corps　（the　Seventeenth）　deployed　on　his　right；　both　corps　covering　their　front　with　the　usual　parapet；　the　Fif