Diary of Orrin Brown, at the same place he was yesterday (near Monticello) on the Georgia piedmont.
Tuesday–Nov. 22nd
There is a cold N. W. Wnd blowing this morning so that it is very uncomfortable. The smok of Camp has hurt my eyes today very bad so that I can scarcely see any thing, we had Peafowl for dinner and it went of fine. We layed over today to let another division pass us.
While Slocum’s Left Wing (the Army of Georgia) moved east and south east, Howard commanded the Right Wing as the Army of the Tennessee with the XV Corps and XVII Corps, with Judson Kilpatrick’s Union Cavalry to their far Right. They moved out of Atlanta more south by south east toward Macon.
Maj. Gen Joseph Wheeler had regrouped the Confederate Cavalry south of Atlanta as Sherman was preparing to leave the city. He shadowed the Army of Tennessee for several days. On the 20th, Kilpatrick briefly engaged the Confederate cavalry near Macon. The next day, Federal Forces took the small manufacturing town of Griswoldville, east of Macon. Early on 22 November, Wheeler drew first blood of the March to the Sea, attacking the 9th Pennsylvania at Griswoldville, only to be driven back through the town. However, the Georgia Militia was on the march and soon engaged the experienced Federal troops. The Rebs, mostly old men and young boys, took the brunt of the engagement, with over 1,100 Confederate casualties vs. 94 Union loses, dead, wounded and captured.
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