"...fought with Johns[t]on all the way."

After weeks of brutal campaigning, Captain A. L. Wellman of Company F, 48th Illinois Infantry, wrote home to the editors of the Centralia Sentinel (a staunchly republican pro-war paper printed in Marion County, Illinois) on May 22, 1864 to give a solid accounting for his regiment's activities during the first epoch of the Atlanta Campaign with special emphasis given to the fighting at Resaca.

 Camp in the Field; near Kingston, Ga., May 22.

Messrs. Fletcher: -- I wrote you a short time since, in which I warned you to look for stirring news, all of which has proved true. We left Scottsboro on the 3d inst., bringing up the rear of our corps we did not get with the command until 2 o'clock on the night of the 7th, on the old battle-field of Chikamauga [sic]. Was early on the move on the morning of the 8th. Nothing of interest but occasional slight skirmishing with the enemies pickets, which we found posted for many miles, until the morning of the 13th when we found the enemy in considerable force some three miles out from their main works. The cavalry was ordered forward and soon become engaged, but found the enemy in to strong a position, and were compelled to fall back, but not until Gen. Kilpatrick was wounded. I was near him when it happened, and saw him a few minutes after. His wound is only slight, and I hope he will again soon be able to take the field, as we much need such officers at this time.

After the Cavalry withdrew, the Infantry was thrown into position, and soon the skirmishing became general; but we rapidly drove them to their works where we had very heavy skirmishing during the remainder of the day, which closed at dark, but was resumed early the next morning, and continued until the night of the 16th. There was but little else then heavy skirmishing at any time, on our part of the lines, but on our left there was some hard fighting. Those not accustomed to hear fireing would have thought we were having something of a fight, but we only looked upon it as a skirmish.

Why Johnson left the position he held, is a mystery to me, for it is the strongest I have seen in the Confederacy, and if he cannot hold such positions as that, I cannot imagine where he intends to make his final stand.

We are now at Kingston -- distance from Dalton, some fifty miles, we have fought with Johnson all the way to this point, routing him in every fight, capturing quite a number of prisoners, some transportation and some artillery, but how much I am not able to say. All of the prisoners that I have talked to, seem to think that the rebellion is played out. One of them said that he thought we would have to get shorter ranged guns, for the Confederacy was getting so narrow that we would soon be in danger of killing our own men; all of which I thought was a tolerably wise conclusion.

I must give Johnston the credit of making a splendid retreat, but it is not to be wondered at, when we consider that he has studied and practiced that much more than fighting.

We now have railroad and telegraph communication to this point. The sound of the whistles of the rebel engines have scarcely died away, until the sound of the Yankee whistle was heard. They were so tightly pressed that they injured the road but little, they are repairing it as fast as the army moves. I learn that we again move forward in the morning.

Respectfully yours,

A. L. Wellman,

Com. Co. F, 48th Ill. Inf. V. V.

Source: Centralia Sentinel, 16 June 1864