The Right Wing at McDonough

On the night of Nov. 16, 1864, the Right Wing, the 15th and 17th Corps of General Sherman's U.S. army, camped in and near McDonough after marching from Atlanta the previous morning on the March to the Sea. Headquarters of the Department and Army of the Tennessee, the Right Wing under Maj. Gen. O.O. Howard, U.S.A., and headquarters of the 15th Corps under Osterhaus were established in McDonough, while headquarters of the 17th Corps under Blair was established on Walnut Creek, 2 miles north. After driving Iverson’s smaller Confederate cavalry division from Lovejoy’s and Bear Creek stations at Hampton, west of McDonough on the Central of Georgia Railway, Kilpatrick's cavalry division turned east and camped on the Griffin and McDonough Road. On Nov. 17th, the 15th Corps marched south on the Jackson Road; south of Locust Grove, Wood’s and Hazen’s divisions took a road west of Jackson and camped near Liberty Church, 3 miles southwest of Indian Springs, while Smith’s and Corse’s divisions marched through Jackson and camped east of the town. The 17th Corps, except for G.A. Smith’s division, followed the 15th Corps to Jackson and camped in and near the town. G.A. Smith’s division, accompanied by the 1st Missouri Engineers with a pontoon train, marched east from McDonough on the Key’s Ferry road and camped near South River, west of Hendricks’s Mill. Kilpatrick’s cavalry division marched to the Towaliga River to threaten Forsyth and camped at points north of that stream.

McDonough, Georgia · United States