DURING the truce which closed September 22d, General Hood had moved his army toward Macon, to protect that important town. But the startling rumor reached his ear that his bold antagonist would turn his front toward Mobile, away on the shores of the Gulf. This drew the rebel chief from his position, and brought him by a westward movement across the track toward the seaboard. On Sunday, September 25th, at Macon, Jeff Davis addressed the soldiers, assuring them their feet would soon press the soil of Tennessee, spreading before them golden visions of conquest and abundance of supplies. To compel General Sherman to abandon his southern march, and follow him into Tennessee, the desperate leader of treason’s battalions wheeled about and recrossed the Chattahoochie River. Thus was abandoned the great State of Georgia, and the “hotbed of secession,” South Carolina, to the Union army. Generals Hood and Forrest began to cut railroad lines and burn bridges. At Allatoona Pass the enemy made a furious assault on our garrison to regain this Thermopylæ of the campaign, but dashed in vain upon the valor of our unyielding ranks. The commander-in-chief of our forces, who had signalled General Corse from the top of Kenesaw Mountain to meet the enemy there, sent the “boys” his warm congratulations: “HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, } IN THE FIELD, KENESAW MOUNTAIN, _Oct. 7, 1864_. } “The General commanding avails himself of the opportunity, in the handsome defence made of ‘Alatoona,’ to illustrate the most important principle in war, that fortified posts should be defended to the last, regardless of the relative numbers of the party attacking and attacked. “Allatoona was garrisoned by three regiments, commanded by Colonel Tourtelotte, and reënforced by a detachment from a division at Rome, under command of Brigadier-General J. M. Corse, on the morning of the 5th, and a few hours after was attacked by French’s division of Stewart’s corps, two other divisions being near at hand, and in support. General French demanded a surrender, in a letter, to ‘avoid a useless effusion of blood,’ and gave but five minutes for answer. General Corse’s answer was emphatic and strong, that he and his command were ready for the ‘useless effusion of blood’ as soon as it was agreeable to General French. “This was followed by an attack which was prolonged for five hours, resulting in the complete repulse of the enemy, who left his dead on the ground, amounting to more than two hundred, and four hundred prisoners, well and wounded. The ‘effusion of blood’ was not ‘useless,’ as the position at Allatoona was and is very important to our present and future operations.