Grenville Mellen Dodge

The Confederates of Hardee's Corps had made that difficult night march to get around the southern flank of McPherson's Army of the Tennessee so that they could get themselves into a position to launch an attack into McPherson's left rear, or so they believed.

But on the federal side, James McPherson had been worried about his vulnerable left flank and had taken action to address the danger by ordering Grenville Dodge's 16th Corps to move south to cover the exposed left flank of 17th Corps.

In essence, McPherson intended to use Dodge to refuse the Army of the Tennessee's vulnerable southern flank, their southeast of Atlanta.

By the end of the last episode, the Confederate General W.H.T. Walker had been killed by one of the very first shots of the Battle of Atlanta, while the sudden explosion of musketry and artillery fire that signaled the opening of the battle startled McPherson, who had just finished having lunch with 15th Corps Commander Black Jack Logan and 17th Corps Commander Frank Blair.

Since the situation was radically different than what was contemplated in his orders, Bates sent a message to Hardy asking for new instructions, but he never heard back.

And so, at around a quarter past noon, his men stepped off on their assault, not against the Federal left rear, or even an unguarded flank, but against the Yankees of Dodge's 16th Corps.

33-year-old Grenville Dodge was a New Englander by birth and an Iowan by choice, and according to one observer, quote, a small and very ordinary man.

But he was actually not that small, since he stood a respectable 5 feet 8 inches, which was about average for the times, and he was far from ordinary.

according to that same account mcpherson said more than once to his staff that we are likely to have that day the severest battle of the campaign

Unwilling to ignore that gut feeling, and all too aware of his vulnerable southern flank, McPherson rode over to confer with Major General Grenville Dodge, commander of 16th Corps in McPherson's Army of the Tennessee.

He instructed Dodge to move his men south to cover the exposed left flank of 17th Corps.

Well, basically, McPherson was going to use Dodge to refuse his vulnerable southern flank.