Freedom by the Sword - US Army Center Of Military History

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Freedom by the Sword: The U.S. Colored Troops, 1862–1867
The country around Dalton, Georgia, drawn by Alfred R. Waud in October 1864
and two of his own officers with a flag of truce to get a more accurate idea of the
enemy’s strength; they reported that two infantry corps of the three that made up
Hood’s army were in the immediate vicinity and that the third was not far off. 54
While Johnson’s officers were talking to Hood’s, the Confederates continued
to advance their artillery until Johnson was able to see twenty pieces on a height
overlooking his fort, about five hundred yards to the southeast. Toward 3:00, Hood
asked to speak with the federal commander. When he appeared, Hood told him to
“decide at once; that I already had occupied too much of his time,” Johnson reported,
“and when I protested against the barbarous measures which he threatened
. . . he said that he could not restrain his men, and would not if he could; that I could
choose between surrender and death.” Although Johnson overestimated the size
of Hood’s force by 25 percent, it was still several times larger than Wheeler’s had
been ten days earlier, and better armed. After consulting with his officers, Johnson
decided to surrender. 55
By 4:00 that afternoon, the Union soldiers had stacked arms and black infantry
stood separate from their white officers and the enlisted cavalrymen, who were to
be paroled and exchanged. Black soldiers lined up for inspection by slaveholders
in the Confederate ranks who wanted to identify escaped property. Hood’s force at
Dalton included thirty-seven Tennessee infantry regiments, so there was some possibility
that a Confederate soldier might recognize one of his former slaves among
54 Ibid., pt. 1, p. 718 (quotations), and pt. 3, p. 257.
55 Ibid., pt. 1, p. 719 (quotation), and pt. 2, pp. 850–51.