AssoonasitwasknownthatGeneralHowardhadbeenchosentocommandtheArmyoftheTennessee;GeneralHookerappliedtoGeneralThomastoberelievedofthecommandoftheTwentiethCorps，andGeneralThomasforwardedhisapplicationtomeapprovedandheartilyrecommended。IatoncetelegraphedtoGeneralHalleck，recommendingGeneralSlocum（thenatVicksburg）tobehissuccessor，becauseSlocumhadbeendisplacedfromthecommandofhiscorpsatthetimewhentheEleventhandTwelfthwereunitedandmadetheTwentieth。
GeneralHookerwasoffendedbecausehewasnotchosentosucceedMcPherson;buthischanceswerenotevenconsidered;indeed，IhadneverbeensatisfiedwithhimsincehisaffairattheGulpHouse，andhadbeenmorethanoncedisposedtorelievehimofhiscorps，becauseofhisrepeatedattemptstointerferewithGeneralsMcPhersonandSchofield。IhadknownHookersince1836，andwasintimatelyassociatedwithhiminCalifornia，whereweservedtogetheronthestaffofGeneralPersiferF。Smith。HehadcometousfromtheEastwithahighreputationasa\"fighter，\"whichhehadfullyjustifiedatChattanoogaandPeach—TreeCreek;atwhichlatterbattleIcomplimentedhimonthefieldforspecialgallantry，andafterwardinofficialreports。Still，Ididfeelasenseofreliefwhenheleftus。Wewerethentwohundredandfiftymilesinadvanceofourbase，dependentonasinglelineofrailroadforourdailyfood。Wehadabold，determinedfoeinourimmediatefront，stronglyintrenched，withcommunicationopentohisrearforsuppliesandreenforcements，andeverysoldierrealizedthatwehadplentyofhardfightingahead，andthatallhonorshadtobefairlyearned。
UntilGeneralSlocumjoined（inthelatterpartofAugust），theTwentiethCorpswascommandedbyGeneralA。S。Williams，theseniordivisioncommanderpresent。Onthe25thofJulythearmy，therefore，stoodthus:theArmyoftheTennessee（GeneralO。O。
Howardcommanding）wasontheleft，prettymuchonthesamegroundithadoccupiedduringthebattleofthe22d，allreadytomoverapidlybythereartotheextremerightbeyondProctor’sCreek;
theArmyoftheOhio（GeneralSchofield）wasnextinorder，withitsleftflankreachingtheAugustaRailroad;nextinorder，conformingcloselywiththerebelintrenchmentaofAtlanta，wasGeneralThomas’sArmyoftheCumberland，intheorderof——theFourthCorps（Stanley’s），theTwentiethCorps（Williams’s），andtheFourteenthCorps（Palmer’s）。Palmer’srightdivision（JeffersonC。