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almost at right angles to the general line, and intrenching; that, under such circumstances, he had thought it inexpedient to attack, and asked for instructions.
I supposed, from the terms of this message, that Hood's corps was in the presence of the enemy, and that, his movement and position being known to them, they would be prepared to repel his assault as soon as he to make it, after his aide-de-camp's return.
If the attack had been expedient when Lieutenant-General Hood's message was dispatched, the resulting delay, by enabling the enemy to reenforce the threatened point and complete the intrenchments begun, made it no longer so. He was therefore recalled.1 The Federal intrenched line was extended daily toward the railroad, in the direction of Alatoona.
We endeavored to keep pace with this extension, to prevent being cut off from the railroad and Marietta.
But, from the great inequality of force, two or three miles of the right of ours was occupied by dismounted cavalry in skirmishing order.
The enemy's demonstrations against this part of our front led to
1 General Hood contradicts this statement, as it appeared in my official report, in his own, referred to in the notes to page 324. (In confirmation of my statement, see General Mackall's statement in those notes.) Lieutenant-General Hardee, in the letter quoted in the note to page 324, wrote: “On the 28th of May, at New Hope Church, instructions were given the assembled corps commanders, Generals Polk, Hood, and myself, for a general engagement the next day. General Hood was to get in position during the night, and attack the left flank of the enemy the following morning. The attack thus begun was to be joined in by the rest of the army successively. I was present with you in the forenoon of the 29th, awaiting the attack by General Hood, which was to signal the general engagement, when a report was received from him stating that he had found the enemy intrenched, and, deeming it inexpedient to attack, asked instructions. The opportunity had passed. General Hood was recalled, and the army resumed its defensive attitude.”
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