He knew perfectly
well where my troops were, and what they were doing, and it seems
to me utterly impossible that he can have meant by his despatch
what General Sherman understood it to mean.

My despatches of that date to Sherman show that I had no special
apprehension even in respect to our extreme right flank, and that
I doubted the report that one whole corps was in our front.

My orders on that day,( 2) show that Hascall was up with Hooker at
the intersection of the Marietta and Powder Spring roads, near the
Kolb House, as early as 3 P. M., and that Cox was ordered up with
three brigades at 4:15 P. M., _before the assault began_. Cox
arrived with the head of his column during the enemy's attack, and
was directed by me in person where and how to put his troops in
position. Hence I think I must be right in the inference that in
Hooker's despatch to Sherman of 5:30 P. M., the words "our extreme
right flank" must have been intended to refer to _my_ extreme right,
and not _his_. He was simply unduly apprehensive for the safety
of the extreme right flank of the army, not of his own corps in
particular. My report to General Sherman at 9 P. M. simply shows
that I did not share that apprehension; that, instead of believing
there were "three entire corps in front of us," I doubted whether
there was even all of Hood's corps.

General Hooker's habit of swinging off from the rest of General
Thomas's army, and getting possession of roads designated for
McPherson or for me, was a common subject of remark between Sherman,
Thomas, McPherson, and myself; and his motive was understood to
be, as General Sherman states, to get command of one of the armies,
in the event of battle, by virtue of his senior commission. But
the subject was never mentioned between General Hooker and me, and
he never even approximated to giving me an order. No doubt he
entertained the opinion that he would have a right to give orders
to either General McPherson or myself under certain circumstances
likely to arise, for General Sherman entertained the same opinion.
What General Thomas thought on the question I never knew. My own
opinion and McPherson's were decidedly the contrary.

CONVERSATION OVER THE QUESTION OF RELATIVE RANK

In the final movement which resulted in the withdrawal of Johnston's
army from Kenesaw, the Army of the Tennessee passed by the right
flank of my infantry line along the famous Sandtown Road.