saw, and was the apex of the triangle, the salient of the enemy's position. All seemed well fortified, and connected by lines of breast-works in the midst of dense chesnut woods. I first ordered Thomas to push Palmer's and Howard's corps in the interval between kenesaw and Pine Hill, till they occupied a certain road, the batteries in front of Pine Hill occupying the attention of the enemy. One of these shots killed Bishop Polk. The movement was perfectly successful, and this morning Pine Hill was abandoned to us, strongly fortified. This morning I ordered Schofield on the right to threaten Lost Mountain, and McPherson to threaten to turn Kenesaw by the left, while Thomas pushed his whole army to break the center. Schofield carried the first line of the enemy's works, left exposed by the loss of Pine Hill, and has some 40 prisoners. McPherson carried a hill to his left front, taking the Fortieth Alabama Regiment entire, 320 strong, and Thomas has pushed the enemy back about one mile and a half, and is still moving. I hope he will pass the dividing ridge, in which case the enemy's position will be untenable. I left him about sundown, but the ground was so obscured by bushes that we could not discern whether the enemy had a second line of earth-works, connecting Kenesaw and Lost Mountain, and I not want to give them time to form one. From Pine Hill we can see Marietta. Losses to-day very small, it having been one grand skirmish, extending along as front of eight miles. An intercepted dispatch reports the death, by cannon-shot, of Bishop Polk, and it is conformed by the prisoners.

W. T. SHERMAN,

Major-General.

BIG SHANTY, June 15, 1864.

General WHETHER:

Tell Sawyer to issue an order that, pending military operations at the front and until further notice, cotton and produce cannot be transported on the cars. Spite of promises, cars will be delayed on side tracks to load with cotton. I have ordered Donaldson to seize all cotton and sell it for account of the United States, and if sutlers and army followers will buy cotton, we will use the proceeds. I don't remembered giving Lotty Hough a permit to buy cotton. I never gave such permits. I may have indorsed on somebody's else's paper that I had no objections to her getting cotton already owned by her out of the country, but I never knew a cotton dealer, male or female, but what would falsify, and, therefore, if I ever did sign such a paper, I deny its validity on the score that it was obtained by false representations. My orders have already been to burn the cotton, or seize if for the account of the United States. The former is my preference, as we have no system of checks whereby quarter master can be held responsible for seizures. If people have cotton, let them haul to to market, and have nothing more to do with it than with hay, corn, or other produce. Our railroad must be exclusively used for the supplies of the army till the war is over.

W. T. SHERMAN,

Major-General.

NASHVILLE, June 15, 1864.

General SHERMAN:

Captain Mussey informs me that General Lorenzo Thomas has ordered the Fifteenth and Seventeenth Regiments Colonel Troops to Bowling

31 R R - VOL XXXVIII, PT IV