On October first the Brigade moved in pusuit 
of Hood's army which was heading north, hoping 
Sherman would abandon Atlanta and follow him. 
Sherman merely sent a division after him and 
continued his march to the sea.

On the 2nd and 3rd of October the brigade 
engaged the rebel rear in a lively skirmish 
at Sweet Water Creek with slight loss; on the 
4th of October joined the Division at Marietta. 
On the 5th the division attacked the rear guard 
at Alatoona Pass, crushing it and capturing over 
one hundred prisoners. On the 6th, the brigade 
attacked and cut to pieces a whole brigade, 
capturing a brigadier general and over five 
hundred prisoners. Hood retreated to his old 
works at Dallas. The division assaulted him here
and drove him out, capturing one piece of 
artillery.

On October 12th, Confederate cavalry under 
General Joseph Wheeler was reported to be west 
of Rome, Georgia. As the US 2nd Cavalry Division, 
of which the 7th Pennsylvania was a part, was 
re-forming after having crossed the two rivers at 
Rome, rebels attacked the pickets about 1/4 mile 
from the main body on the Coosaville Road. A 
patrol found the rebels too strong to attack 
mounted; there were nearly 1200 rebels to 300 
cavalry, thus outnumbering the Division 4 to 1. 
Still they drove the rebels out of their 
breastworks, sending dismounted men and horses 
fleeing in confusion. The command was then formed 
in the breastworks and, it being late, settled in
for the night.

At 6:30 am on the 13th of October, the Second 
Brigade, consisting of the 7th Pennsylvania, 4th 
Michigan, and the 4th US Regular Cavalries, led 
the advance. Brigadier General Kennard Garrard, 
Commander of the 2nd Cavalry Division, states in 
his Official Report:

   "On the 13th the enemy's cavalry appeared on 
the hills west of Rome. The Division crossed...and 
then drove the enemy away and five miles down the 
road toward Coosaville...After advancing some four 
miles, we struck the enemy. The 1st Ohio was 
dismounted as skirmishers, and the 3rd Ohio was 
sent out on the flanks mounted, and the 3rd 
Brigade was brought up in line, two Regiments on 
each side of the road. The advance was ordered 
and the Second Brigade was ordered up."

Colonel Burns stated: "All then moved forward...
when we arrived at the top of the hill in sight 
of the rebel gunners they opened on us with their 
artillery.  We moved at a walk about a third of a 
mile when we were ordered to charge! Away we went 
with the most infernal yelling and cheering, the 
Seventh in the advance!"

General Garrard continues: "The enemy, after a 
little skirmishing, fellback but our advance 
continued. Soon the enemy opened artillery...
when within long rifle-range of their position 
the woods  ended, and large open cornfields lay 
between us and the enemy, who had formed a line 
beyond a creek on a ridge in the edge of some 
timber. The enemy stood firing his artillery up 
to the last moment, and the cannoneers used their 
pistols in defense of their pieces. The artillery, 
two pieces, was captured...the enemy was routed 
and pursued on several roads. Their killed, 
wounded, and captured was over 70, but every 
pursuing party reported large numbers left wounded 
or killed on the roads or in the woods. The main 
body was pursued on the Coosaville Road 14 miles 
below Rome. The enemy was completely routed, and 
I learned afterward it was more than three days 
before this Rebel Division could be collected 
together again."