Hurrah! Johnston is holding the Yanks twenty-two miles away!
Yes, the lines around Kennesaw Mountain were impregnable. After twenty-five days of fighting,even General Sherman was convinced of this, for his losses were enormous. Instead of continuingthe direct assault, he swung his army in a wide circle again and tried to come between theConfederates and Atlanta. Again, the strategy worked. Johnston was forced to abandon the heightshe had held so well, in order to protect his rear. He had lost a third of his men in that fight and theremainder slogged tiredly through the rain across the country toward the Chattahoochee River. TheConfederates could expect no more reinforcements, whereas the railroad, which the Yankees nowheld from Tennessee south to the battle line, brought Sherman fresh troops and supplies daily. Sothe gray lines went back through the muddy fields, back toward Atlanta.
With the loss of the supposedly unconquerable position, a fresh wave of terror swept the town.
For twenty-five wild, happy days, everyone had assured everyone else that this could not possiblyhappen ielts reading. And now it had happened! But surely the General would hold the Yankees on the oppositebank of the river. Though God knows the river was close enough, only seven miles away!
But Sherman flanked them again, crossing the stream above them, and the weary gray files were forced to hurry across the yellow water and throw themselves again between the invaders andAtlanta. They dug in hastily in shallow pits to the north of the town in the valley of PeachtreeCreek. Atlanta was in agony and panic.
Fight and fall back! Fight and fall back! And every retreat was bringing the Yankees closer tothe town. Peachtree Creek was only five miles away! What was the General thinking about?
The cries of “Give us a man who will stand and fight!” penetrated even to Richmond. Richmondknew that if Atlanta was lost, the war was lost, and after the army had crossed the Chattahoochee,General Johnston was removed from command. General Hood, one of his corps commanders, tookthe army, and the town breathed a little easier. Hood wouldn’t retreat. Not that tallKent(over) uckian, with his flowing beard and flashing eye! He had the reputation of a bulldog. He’ddrive the Yankees back from the creek, yes, back across the river and on up the road every step ofthe way back to Dalton. But the army cried: “Give us back Old Joe!” for they had been with OldJoe all the weary miles from Dalton and they knew, as the civilians could not know, the odds thathad opposed them.Hurrah! Johnston is holding the Yanks twenty-two miles away!
Yes, the lines around Kennesaw Mountain QV Babywere impregnable. After twenty-five days of fighting,even General Sherman was convinced of this, for his losses were enormous. Instead of continuingthe direct assault, he swung his army in a wide circle again and tried to come between theConfederates and Atlanta. Again, the strategy worked. Johnston was forced to abandon the heightshe had held so well, in order to protect his rear. He had lost a third of his men in that fight and theremainder slogged tiredly through the rain across the country toward the Chattahoochee River. TheConfederates could expect no more reinforcements, whereas the railroad, which the Yankees nowheld from Tennessee south to the battle line, and supplies daily. Sothe gray lines went back through the muddy fields, back toward Atlanta.
With the loss of the supposedly unconquerable position, a fresh wave of terror swept the town.
For twenty-five wild, happy days, everyone had assured everyone else that this could not possiblyhappen. And now it had happened! But surely the General would hold the Yankees on the oppositebank of the river. Though God knows the river was close enough, only seven miles away!
But Sherman flanked them again, crossing the stream above them, and the weary gray files were forced to hurry across the yellow water and throw themselves again between the invaders andAtlanta. They dug in hastily in shallow pits to the north of the town in the valley of PeachtreeCreek. Atlanta was in agony and panic.
Fight and fall back! Fight and fall back! And every retreat was bringing the Yankees closer tothe town. Peachtree Creek was only five miles away! What was the General thinking about?
The cries of “Give us a man who will stand and fight!” penetrated even to Richmond. Richmondknew that if Atlanta was lost, the war was lost, and after the army had crossed the Chattahoochee,General Johnston was removed from command. General Hood Neo skin lab, one of his corps commanders, tookthe army, and the town breathed a little easier. Hood wouldn’t retreat. Not that tallKent(over) uckian, with his flowing beard and flashing eye! He had the reputation of a bulldog. He’ddrive the Yankees back from the creek, yes, back across the river and on up the road every step ofthe way back to Dalton. But the army cried: “Give us back Old Joe!” for they had been with OldJoe all the weary miles from Dalton and they knew, as the civilians could not know, the odds thathad opposed them.
“Oh, Scarlett!” she cried, shutting the door and sinking on the bed. “Is Auntie home yet? Sheisn’t? Oh, thank the Lord! Scarlett, I’m so mortified 2 bedroom house for rent I could die! I nearly swooned and, Scarlett,Uncle Peter is threatening to tell Aunt Pitty!”
“Tell what?”
“That I was talking to that—to Miss—Mrs.—” Melanie fanned her hot face with herhandkerchief. “That woman with red hair, named Belle Watling!”
“Why, Melly!” cried Scarlett, so shocked she could only stare.
Belle Watling was the red-haired woman she the first day she came toAtlanta and by now, she was easily the most notorious woman in town. Many prostitutes hadflocked into Atlanta, following the soldiers, but Belle stood out above the rest, due to her flaminghair and the gaudy, overly fashionable dresses she wore. She was seldom seen on Peachtree Streetor in any nice neighborhood, but when she did appear respectable women made haste to cross thestreet to remove themselves from her vicinity. And Melanie had been talking with her. No wonderUncle Peter was outraged.
“I shall die if Aunt Pitty finds out! You know she’ll cry and tell everybody in town and I’ll bedisgraced,” sobbed Melanie. “And it wasn’t my fault. I—I couldn’t run away from her. It wouldhave been so rude. Scarlett, I—I felt sorry for her. Do you think I’m bad for feeling that way?”
But Scarlett was not concerned with the ethics of the matter. Like most innocent and well-bredyoung women, she had a devouring curiosity about prostitutes.
“What did she want? What does she talk like?”
“Oh, she used awful grammar but I could see she was trying so hard to be elegant, and Uncle Peter and the carriage weren’t waiting, so I thought I’d walkhome. And when I went by the Emersons’ yard, there she was hiding behind the hedge! Oh, thankHeaven, the Emersons are in Macon! And she said, ‘Please, Mrs. Wilkes, do speak a minute withme.’ I don’t know how she knew my name. I knew I ought to run as hard as I could but—well,Scarlett, she looked so sad and—well, sort of pleading. And she had on a black dress and blackbonnet and no paint and really looked decent but for that red hair. And before I could answer shesaid, ‘I know I shouldn’t speak to you but I tried to talk to that old peahen, Mrs. Elsing, and she ranme away from the hospital.’ ”
“Did she really call her a peahen?” said Scarlett pleasedly and laughed.
“Oh, don’t laugh. It isn’t funny. It seems that Miss—this woman, wanted to do something for thehospital—can you imagine it? She offered to nurse every morning and, of course, Mrs. Elsing musthave nearly died at the idea and ordered her out of the hospital. And then she said, ‘I want to dosomething, too. Ain’t I a Confedrut, good as you?’And, Scarlett, I was right touched at her wantingto help. You know, she can’t be all bad if she wants to help the Cause. Do you think I’m bad to feelthat way?”
“For Heaven’s sake, Melly, who cares if you’re bad? What else did she say?”
“She said she’d been watching the ladies go by to the hospital and thought I had—a—a kindface and so she stopped me. She had some money and she wanted me to take it and use it for thehospital -and not tell a soul where it came from . She said Mrs. Elsing wouldn’t let it be used if sheknew what kind of money it was. What kind of money! That’s when I thought I’d swoon! And Iwas so upset and anxious to get away, I just said: ‘Oh, yes, indeed, how sweet of you’ or somethingidiotic, and she smiled and said: That’s right Christian of you’ and shoved this duty handkerchiefinto my hand. Ugh, can you smell the perfume?”
Melanie held out a man’s handkerchief, soiled and highly perfumed, in which some coins wereknotted.
“She was saying thank you and something about bringing me some money every week and justthen Uncle Peter drove up and saw me!” Melly collapsed into tears and laid her head on the pillow.