Onthe13thIorderedMcPherson，withtheFifteenthCorps，tomoveuptoRoswell，tocrossover，preparegoodbridges，andtomakeastrongtete—du—pontonthefartherside。StonemanhadbeensentdowntoCampbellton，withorderstocrossoverandtothreatentherailroadbelowAtlanta，ifhecoulddosowithouttoomuchrisk;
andGeneralBlair，withtheSeventeenthCorps，wastoremainatTurner’sFerry，demonstratingasmuchaspossible，thuskeepingupthefeintbelowwhilewewereactuallycrossingabove。ThomaswasalsoorderedtopreparehisbridgesatPowers’sandPaice’sFerries。BycrossingtheChattahoocheeabovetherailroadbridge，wewerebetterplacedtocoverourrailroadanddepotsthanbelow，thoughamovementacrosstheriverbelowtherailroad，tothesouthofAtlanta，mighthavebeenmoredecisive。Butwewerealreadysofarfromhome，andwouldbecompelledtoacceptbattlewheneveroffered，withtheChattahoocheetoourrear，thatitbecameimperativeformetotakeallprudentialmeasuresthecaseadmittedof，andIthereforedeterminedtopasstheriverabovetherailroad—bridge—McPhersonontheleft，Schofieldinthecentre，andThomasontheright。Onthe13thIreportedtoGeneralHalleckasfollows:
Alliswell。IhavenowaccumulatedstoresatAllatoonaandMarietta，bothfortifiedandgarrisonedpoints。HavealsothreeplacesatwhichtocrosstheChattahoocheeinourpossession，andonlyawaitGeneralStoneman’sreturnfromatripdowntheriver，tocrossthearmyinforceandmoveonAtlanta。
Stonemanisnowouttwodays，andhadorderstobebackonthefourthorfifthdayatfurthest。
>Fromthe10thtothe15thwewereallbusyinstrengtheningtheseveralpointsfortheproposedpassageoftheChattahoochee，inincreasingthenumberandcapacityofthebridges，rearrangingthegarrisonstoourrear，andinbringingforwardsupplies。Onthe15thGeneralStonemangotbacktoPowderSprings，andwasorderedtoreplaceGeneralBlairatTurner’sFerry，andBlair，withtheSeventeenthCorps，wasordereduptoRoswelltojoinMcPherson。Onthe17thwebeganthegeneralmovementagainstAtlanta，ThomascrossingtheChattahoocheeatPowers’sandPaice’s，bypontoon—