John Bell Hood
The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was a Confederate attempt to disrupt General William Tecumseh Sherman's supply line during the Atlanta Campaign in June 1864. Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston sought to halt Sherman's advance by positioning his forces on the mountain, but despite some initial success, the Confederates were ultimately unable to prevent Sherman's troops from continuing their march toward Atlanta. Sherman's strategic maneuvering and superior artillery eventually overcame the Confederate defenses.
Because Sherman had managed to keep Bedford Forrest occupied in Tennessee, and unable to cut his supply-lines, to try and pull him back from Atlanta. The newly-appointed Confederate commander in Atlanta, John Hood, failed in his attacks on the two widely-separated Union armies, and escaped into the mountains, leaving Sherman to occupy the city. This gave a major boost to Lincoln in his election campaign.
After being unable to defend Atlanta, Georgia, Confederate General John Bell Hood sought to march north and threaten General Sherman's supply lines from Tennessee . Hood also envisioned a successful re-capture of this Confederate state from the Union. Hood needed to cross the Tennessee River as quickly as possible. He was deterred from doing this at Decatur, Alabama by Union troops under General Thomas. Hood therefore retreated from Decatur to find a better place to ford the river.
Union Major General William T. Sherman's plan to raid Merdian, Mississippi succeeded in February of 1863 despite the planned combination cavalry forces led by General William Sooy Smith's. Smith's forces of 7,000 troopers and 20 cannon were to leave Memphis Tennessee on February 5th but he was unable to march until the following day, February 6, 1863. As he traveled southward towards Okolona, Smith was surprised by the attack from Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Smith was unable to turn back Forrest's assault and began to retreat. Forrest pursued and Smith had no choice but to return to Memphis, having never combined with Sherman's army. Sherman sent troops to try and locate Smith's cavalry, and had no idea that Smith had been attacked by Forrest and retreated back to Memphis. Still, even without the help of General Smith, Sherman conducted a successful raid on Meridian and after destroying railways and a Confederate arsenal, he marched his troops back to Vicksburg.
Sherman was too brutal and kept sending in men to fight he believed in Total Warfare. IMPROVEMENT. Because Hood's Army, after having evacuated Atlanta, instead remaining in Georgia and hindering Sherman's activity there, started a campaign to invade the Tennessee with the ultimate goal of menacing the Ohio Line. Gen. Beauregard, at that time Confederate overall commander of the Western Fronts, authorized the choice. Despite his efforts he didn't succeeded in gathering sufficient troops to effectively fight Sherman's Army.
By destroying the farms that supported the Confederate armies in the field, while the South was blockaded and unable to import supplies. Sherman was particularly motivated to rob the enemy of his crops and livestock so that his army could live off the land. His own long supply-line had been attacked by Confederate cavalry for months, and he wanted to be free of it.
Based on the instructions from General in Chief Henry Wager Halleck, US Grant sent General Sherman to catch Confederate General Johnston's army. Sherman was unable to snare the elusive Johnston, but was able to destroy the railroad bridge as directed by Grant. Sherman was then directed to return his force back to the base on the Mississippi River. Sherman decided to extend his expedition a few extra days on his own initiative. He ordered his regiments to march along the tracks and seize the railway ties. The ties were positioned in such a way that when set on fire they formed a line and became the early versions of his famous Sherman "neckties". He then allowed his men to loot homes and burn them, leaving only blackened chimneys, called later on as "Sherman Monuments".As an aside, when the war ended he spent his unused anger on helpless Native Tribes.
A punitive raid on the civilian underpinning of the Confederacy, helping to starve the Southern armies, and demonstrate to the world that the Confederacy was unable to defend itself.
...the Confederacy was unable to defend itself, and that Union victory was inevitable.
...the Confederacy was unable to defend itself, and that Union victory was inevitable.
The main and immediate concern of General Robert E. Lee on September 14, 1862 was to prevent George B. McClellan from smashing through the division of D.H. Hill at Turner's Gap. This placed Confederate General James Longstreet's divisions to be unable to be concentrated for the defense of Boonsboro.
Confederate troops in Mississippi attempted to reinforce the Southern armies of Bragg and Smith in Tennessee. They were unable to do so because of Major General Henry Halleck. He had left troops under the command of General US Grant . Grant attempted to defeat the reinforcement army by attacking the enemy in the rear. Although this proved to be ineffective, the threat posed by Grant sent the rescue troops of the Confederacy back into Mississippi.