Atlanta campaign

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Throughout May, June, and early July 1864, the Union army of Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman advanced through northern Georgia toward Atlanta while the Confederate army of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, to the increasing alarm of the Richmond authorities, retreated in front of it. Finally, on 17 July, President Jefferson Davis acted, replacing Johnston with the aggressive Gen. John Bell Hood.

By this time the Confederate army was backed into the very outskirts of Atlanta, and Hood had no choice but to fight or abandon the city. On 20 July, he attacked Federal troops under Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas near Peachtree Creek (the Battle of Peachtree Creek). Hood's plan went awry and the result was a bloody repulse.

Two days later, Hood struck again, in what is called the Battle of Atlanta. His target this time was a Federal force under Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson. Hood's plan was a good one, a flanking maneuver of his own, and this time it was tolerably well executed. Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee led his Confederate force on a long, tiring night march to gain the Federal rear. While he attacked from that direction, Confederates under Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Cheatham were to attack the Union front. Hood, who was hampered by a crippled arm and a missing leg, was not personally present on the battlefield, and afterward he complained that Hardee had not positioned his troops as directed. Hardee, who resented being passed over in favor of Hood, was sometimes uncooperative. Still, Confederates struck hard at McPherson's Federals in a fierce day‐long battle. The result went against the Southerners. Two Union divisions of Maj. Gen. Grenville Dodge's corps had, the night before, taken up a position that allowed them to blunt Hardee's attack. That, along with exceptionally hard fighting on the part of McPherson's men, produced Hood's defeat, but not before McPherson himself had been killed and John A. Logan had taken his place. On the Confederate side, Maj. Gen. William H. T. Walker was killed. Just over 30,000 Federals were engaged against nearly 40,000 Confederates. Federal casualties were 3,722; Confederate losses are harder to pinpoint, but the best estimate is 7,000.

Six days later, Sherman tried yet another turning maneuver, and Hood responded again, attacking the Federals at the Battle of Ezra Church and again suffering a bloody repulse. After that, operations settled down to a quasi‐siege of Atlanta. Hood's three sorties had cost him heavily in casualties and failed to gain battlefield success. Nevertheless, they had prevented Sherman from taking the city that month and forced the Union commander to show more caution in his future operations. Though Atlanta fell to Sherman on 2 September 1864, it is likely that Hood's installation as commander had delayed that event six weeks beyond the time it would have happened had Johnston remained in command.

[See also Civil War: Military and Diplomatic Course.]

Bibliography

• Richard M. McMurry, John Bell Hood and the War for Southern Independence, 1982.
• Albert Castel, Decision in the West: The Atlanta Campaign of 1864, 1992

(June 22, 1864) a Civil War battle in which Gen. John B. Hood's Confederate forces gained the rear of Union army Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's left flank and launched a coordinated attack with troops assaulting from before the lines. The vicious battle resulted in heavy casualties on both sides and forestalled the fall of Atlanta, which was held by beseiged Confederates until evacuated on September 2, 1864.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

Major General William T. Sherman's campaign in 1864 to capture Atlanta, Georgia, resulted in the loss of the Confederacy's most important railroad hub. Atlanta was also the location of important factories, foundries, munitions plants, and supply depots. The Union advance to Atlanta began on 5 May 1864, simultaneously with Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's advance to Richmond. Sherman commanded a force of three armies totaling 100,000 men. He was opposed by Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Tennessee, which numbered 65,000. Sherman's superior force led Johnston to adopt a defensive strategy of continuous retreat, to which the mountainous topography of northern Georgia was favorable. His army could not withstand a direct battle with Sherman's. The resulting campaign was one of maneuver and little fighting. Sherman attempted an attack at Resaca, but overcautious subordinates and an overestimation of enemy strength produced only a skirmish. Johnston considered fighting Sherman at Cassville, halfway to Atlanta, but subordinates believed the risk too great and he did not attack. Sharp but indecisive fighting occurred at New Hope Church from 25 to 28 May. Both armies then settled down for several weeks of skirmishing, maneuvering, and raiding. Johnston moved skillfully and entrenched his army so well that Sherman was unable to find a weak point to attack. As the opposing armies drew closer to Atlanta, fighting became more frequent. Sherman broke the stalemate with a frontal attack against Confederate fortifications at Kenesaw Mountain on 27 June. He was bloodily repulsed, losing 3,000 men compared to Confederate losses of 442.

The size of Sherman's three armies required him to keep his forces close to railroad lines for the entire advance to Atlanta. Frequent raids on Union supply trains by Confederate cavalry men Nathan Bedford Forrest and Joseph Wheeler slowed Sherman considerably. However, the sheer size of Sherman's armies allowed them to out-flank Johnston and continue the advance despite these raids and the defeat at Kenesaw Mountain.

By 9 July, Sherman forced Johnston to move his army across the Chattahoochee River, into fortifications along Peachtree Creek, only four miles from downtown Atlanta. This threw the city into a panic as well as the Confederate government in Richmond. On 17 July, Confederate President Jefferson Davis relieved Johnston of command and replaced him with John B. Hood, who Davis believed would be more aggressive. Hood attacked Sherman on 20 July but was repulsed. He initiated the Battle of Atlanta on 22 July, but suffered another costly defeat. A third Confederate offensive on 28 July at Ezra Church again ended in a bloody repulse. These three battles cost Hood 15,000 casualties compared to Sherman's 6,000. The Union armies besieged Atlanta during August. Hood evacuated Atlanta on 1 September and moved his army south. The mayor of Atlanta surrendered the city to Sherman the next day. Sherman burned Atlanta on 15 November before setting out on his "march to the sea."

The capture of Atlanta boosted Northern war morale, weakened the peace platform of the Democratic presidential candidate George B. McClellan, and contributed to Abraham Lincoln's reelection that November. The fall of Atlanta also weakened Confederate morale. The city's importance to the Confederate military effort made it second only to the capital, Richmond, as a symbol of Southern strength and resistance.

Bibliography

Hattaway, Herman, and Archer Jones. How the North Won: A Military History of the Civil War. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1983.

McPherson, James M. Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.

—W. Scott Thomason

Battle of Atlanta Part of the American Civil War Battle of Atlanta, by Kurz and Allison (1888). Date July 22, 1864 Location DeKalb County, Georgia, Fulton County, Georgia Result Union victory Belligerents United States (Union) CSA (Confederacy) Commanders William T. Sherman James B. McPherson† John B. Hood Strength Military Division of the Mississippi Army of Tennessee Casualties and losses 3,641[1] 8,499[1]

v • d • e Atlanta Campaign Rocky Face Ridge – Resaca – Adairsville – New Hope Church – Pickett's Mill – Dallas – Kolb's Farm – Kennesaw Mountain – Marietta – Noonday Creek – Pace's Ferry – Peachtree Creek – Atlanta – Ezra Church – Brown's Mill – Utoy Creek – 2nd Dalton – Lovejoy's Station – Jonesborough

The Battle of Atlanta (also known as the Battle of Decatur) was a battle of the Atlanta Campaign fought during the American Civil War on July 22, 1864, just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Continuing their summer campaign to seize the important rail and supply center of Atlanta, Union forces overwhelmed and defeated Confederate forces defending the city. Despite the implication of finality in its name, the battle occurred mid-way through the campaign and the city would not fall for another six weeks.

Contents 1 Background 2 Battle 3 Aftermath 4 References 5 Notes

Background

In the Atlanta Campaign, Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman commanded the Union forces of the Western Theater. The main Union force in this battle was the Army of the Tennessee, under Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson. He was one of Sherman's and Grant's favorite commanders, as he was very quick and aggressive. Within Sherman's army, the XV Corps was commanded by Maj. Gen. John A. Logan, the XVI Corps was commanded by Maj. Gen. Grenville M. Dodge, and the XVII Corps was commanded by Maj. Gen. Frank P. Blair Jr.

During the months leading up to the battle, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston had repeatedly retreated from Sherman's superior force. All along the railroad line from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Marietta, Georgia, a pattern was played and replayed: Johnston would take up a defensive position, Sherman would march to outflank the Confederate defenses, and Johnston would retreat again. After Johnston's withdrawal following the Battle of Resaca, the two armies clashed again at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, but the Confederate senior leadership in Richmond was unhappy with Johnston's perceived reluctance to fight the Union army, even though he had little chance of winning. Thus, on July 17, 1864, as he was preparing for the Battle of Peachtree Creek, Johnston was relieved of his command and replaced by Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood. Hood lashed out at Sherman's army at Peachtree Creek, but the attack failed with heavy casualties.

Hood, with his vastly outnumbered army, was faced with two problems. First, he needed to defend the city of Atlanta, which was a very important rail hub and industrial center for the Confederacy. Second, his army was small in comparison to the enormous armies that Sherman commanded. He decided to withdraw inwards, enticing the Union troops to come forward. McPherson's army closed in from Decatur, Georgia, to the east side of Atlanta.

Battle

Palisades and chevaux de frise in front of the Potter House, Atlanta, Georgia, 1864.

Meanwhile, Hood took Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee's corps on a march around the Union left flank, had Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler's cavalry march near Sherman's supply line, and had Maj. Gen. Benjamin Cheatham's corps attack the Union front. However, it took longer than expected for Hardee to get in position, and during that time, McPherson had correctly deduced a possible threat to his left flank, and sent XVI Corps, his reserve, to help strengthen it. Hardee's force met this other force, and the battle began. Although the initial Confederate attack was repulsed, the Union left flank began to retreat. About this time, McPherson, who had ridden to the front to observe the battle, was shot and killed by Confederate infantry.

Near Decatur, Brig. Gen. John W. Sprague, in command of the 2nd Brigade, 4th Division of the XVI Corps, masterfully conducted a delaying action under heavy enemy fire. With only a small command, he defeated an overwhelming Confederate force and saved the ordnance and supply trains of the XV, XVI, XVII, and XX Corps. Sprague would later be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.

The main lines of battle now formed an "L" shape, with Hardee's attack forming the lower part of the "L" and Cheatham's attack on the Union front as the vertical member of the "L". If successful, Hood could later on surround the Union troops and win the battle. However, Hardee's attack stalled as the Union XVI Corps regrouped and held the line. Meanwhile, Cheatham's troops had broken through the Union lines, but Sherman massed 20 artillery pieces near his headquarters, and had them shell the Confederates, while Logan's XV Corps regrouped and repulsed the Southern troops.

Aftermath

Potter's House in Atlanta housed Confederate sharpshooters until Union artillery made a special target of it.

The Union suffered 3,641 casualties, the Confederates 8,500.^[1] This was a devastating loss for the already reduced Confederate Army, but they still held the city. Sherman settled into a siege of Atlanta, shelling the city and sending raids west and south of the city to cut off the supply lines from Macon, Georgia. Finally, on August 31 at Jonesborough, Georgia, Sherman's army captured the railroad track from Macon, pushing the confederates to Lovejoy Station. Union forces in Jonesborough could hear the explosions from Atlanta throughout the night as Hood pulled his troops out of Atlanta the next day, destroying supply depots as he left to prevent them from falling into Union hands. On September 2, a committee of Mayor James Calhoun and Union-leaning citizens William Markham, Jonathan Norcross, and Edward Rawson met a captain on the staff of Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum and surrendered the city.^[2] Sherman sent a telegram to Washington reading, "Atlanta is ours, and fairly won" and he established his headquarters there on September 7, where he stayed for two months. He ordered the evacuation of the entire city population. The army then burned all but about 400 buildings and departed east on what would become known as Sherman's March to the Sea.

The fall of Atlanta was especially noteworthy for its political ramifications. Former Union General George B. McClellan was running against President Lincoln on a peace platform in the 1864 election. Part of the Democratic platform called for a truce with the Confederates. Had this truce been achieved, it is highly unlikely that the war could ever have been restarted. However, the capture of Atlanta and Hood's burning of many military facilities as he evacuated were extensively covered by Northern newspapers, and significantly boosted Northern morale. Lincoln was re-elected by a comfortable margin.

The battlefield is now urban residential and commercial land, with only a few markers memorializing the history of the battle. To commemorate the 140th anniversary of the battle in 2004, two new markers were erected in the Inman Park neighborhood. The "L"-shaped line of battle roughly corresponds to what is now Moreland Avenue between Little Five Points and I-20 as the north-south line and Interstate 20 as the east-west line where Hardee made his attack. The Atlanta Cyclorama contains a painting and museum of the battle.

References

• Foote, Shelby, The Civil War, A Narrative: Red River to Appomattox, Random House, 1974, ISBN 0-394-74913-8.
• Golden, Randy, The Battle of Atlanta at North Georgia History
• Kennedy, Frances H., ed., The Civil War Battlefield Guide, 2nd ed., Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998, ISBN 0-395-74012-6.
• National Park Service battle description

Notes

American Civil War portal

1. ^ ^{a b c} Kennedy, p.340.
2. ^ Upper Marietta Street Artery website

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