Hardee's Night March to Battle

Chattahooch33

Sergeant Major
Annual Winner
Joined
Oct 4, 2013
Location
Cobb's Legion Country - Bowdon, Ga.
Right now Hardee's Corps is marching south out of the city of Atlanta. Hood is trying a trick out of the Lee-Jackson book. His plan is for Hardee to move his men on a wide flanking movement and come in behind McPherson's Army of Tennessee who is in position from Bald Hill north up today's Moreland Ave. Unfortunately for Hood, McPherson is no Hooker. Mac realizes his left is "in the air" and orders Dodge's XVI Corps to refuse the line and run to the east protecting his flank.
In the meantime Hardee is moving south on the McDonough Rd. Today he would be marching down Capital Ave and Hank Aaron Dr, right past Turner Field, and further south. He will reach The Fayetteville Rd and turn abruptly northeast. After a few miles he reaches a fork. Walker and Bate's division will continue on the Fayetteville Rd. and Cleburne and Maney's will go north on Bouldercrest.
Hood had expected to be in position by daybreak. They won't until noon. Along the way WHT Walker will go into the a house and order a man by the name of Case Turner, with a pistol in his face, to help guide the army into position...

Tomorrow is the battle.
 
And Jason J Figg is with the 11th Tennessee and Vaughn's Brigade, commanded by Major Weems and preparing for his final battle.
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Right now Hardee's Corps is marching south out of the city of Atlanta. Hood is trying a trick out of the Lee-Jackson book. His plan is for Hardee to move his men on a wide flanking movement and come in behind McPherson's Army of Tennessee who is in position from Bald Hill north up today's Moreland Ave. Unfortunately for Hood, McPherson is no Hooker. Mac realizes his left is "in the air" and orders Dodge's XVI Corps to refuse the line and run to the east protecting his flank.
In the meantime Hardee is moving south on the McDonough Rd. Today he would be marching down Capital Ave and Hank Aaron Dr, right past Turner Field, and further south. He will reach The Fayetteville Rd and turn abruptly northeast. After a few miles he reaches a fork. Walker and Bate's division will continue on the Fayetteville Rd. and Cleburne and Maney's will go north on Bouldercrest.
Hood had expected to be in position by daybreak. They won't until noon. Along the way WHT Walker will go into the a house and order a man by the name of Case Turner, with a pistol in his face, to help guide the army into position...

Tomorrow is the battle.

And with all due respect Hardee was no Stonewall Jackson. IMO Hardee never completely enveloped/turned McPhersons flank. Hardee was ordered to start the march about dusk and detach his corps from the main body of the army. He was ordered to go far as Decatur (a six mile march) if needed to turn the flank. Hood stated that Hardee's left never got much farther than a gun shot from the main body line. Maybe Hardee did not march far enough to completely envelope/turn the flank. It really seems to me that for what ever reason Hardee did not want to detach his corps too far from the main line. Hardee had Wheeler and the cavalry on his far flank. Hardee had limited success but he wound up actually attacking the federal breastworks. He attacked the retired wing of their flank. Sherman even said that he was very concerned by the sound of artillery back toward Decatur. Those were actually Wheelers guns. Hardee was ordered to attack at daylight and as you mentioned the attack was late because they were not in position. Hardee had at most a six mile march with an excort from cavalry over familiar roads. He did not go that far but still was very late. I don't blame Hood for this one, IMO Hardee performed poorly.
 
And with all due respect Hardee was no Stonewall Jackson. IMO Hardee never completely enveloped/turned McPhersons flank. Hardee was ordered to start the march about dusk and detach his corps from the main body of the army. He was ordered to go far as Decatur (a six mile march) if needed to turn the flank. Hood stated that Hardee's left never got much farther than a gun shot from the main body line. Maybe Hardee did not march far enough to completely envelope/turn the flank. It really seems to me that for what ever reason Hardee did not want to detach his corps too far from the main line. Hardee had Wheeler and the cavalry on his far flank. Hardee had limited success but he wound up actually attacking the federal breastworks. He attacked the retired wing of their flank. Sherman even said that he was very concerned by the sound of artillery back toward Decatur. Those were actually Wheelers guns. Hardee was ordered to attack at daylight and as you mentioned the attack was late because they were not in position. Hardee had at most a six mile march with an excort from cavalry over familiar roads. He did not go that far but still was very late. I don't blame Hood for this one, IMO Hardee performed poorly.


The problem is you can't trust anything Hood and Hardee said about each other.

Going by google maps and pinpointing locations it is 3.6 miles from the intersection of Peachtree St and Ponce de Leon Ave (Hardee's corps general location on the line) down what was the McDonough Rd to today's McDonough Blvd, 3.4 miles from that point to the turn up Fayetteville Rd., then 5 miles from that point to Terry's Mill pond. That comes to 12 miles on today's roads that are probably much more straight than then.
As for Hood saying "no farther than a gun shot", the farthest point would have been the turn up Fayetteville Rd. which by road is 3.6 miles from Fort Walker which hung lower below the Outer Defense Line at today's Grant Park. Though it may be true that by the time the turn north was made Hardee's rear may still be within site of Fort Walker.
 
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