The Battle of Atlanta in the American Civil War

The Battle of Atlanta in the American Civil War The Battle of Atlanta was fought July 22, 1864, during the  American Civil War  (1861-1865) and saw Union forces under Major General William T. Sherman win a near-run victory. The second in a series of battles around the city, the fighting centered on a Confederate attempt to defeat Major General James B. McPhersons Army of the Tennessee east of Atlanta. While the attack did achieve some success, including killing McPherson, it was ultimately repulsed by Union forces. Following the battle, Sherman shifted his efforts to the western side of the city. Strategic Background Late July 1864 found Major General William T. Shermans forces approaching Atlanta. Nearing the city, he pushed  Major General George H. Thomas Army of the Cumberland toward Atlanta from the north, while  Major General John Schofields Army of the Ohio neared from the northeast. His final command, Major General James B. McPhersons Army of the Tennessee, moved towards the city from Decatur in the east. Opposing the Union forces was the Confederate Army of Tennessee which was badly outnumbered and undergoing a change in command. Major General William T. Sherman. Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives Records Administration Throughout the campaign, General Joseph E. Johnston had pursued a defensive approach as his sought to slow Sherman with his smaller army. Though he had been repeatedly flanked out of several positions by Shermans armies, he had also forced his counterpart of fight bloody battles at Resaca and Kennesaw Mountain. Increasingly frustrated by Johnstons passive approach, President Jefferson Davis relieved him on July 17 and gave command of the army to Lieutenant General John Bell Hood. An offensive-minded commander, Hood had served in General Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia and had seen action in many of its campaigns including the fighting at Antietam and Gettysburg. At the time of the change in command, Johnston had been planning an attack against Thomas Army of the Cumberland. Due to the imminent nature of the strike, Hood and several other Confederate generals requested that the command change be delayed until after the battle but they were denied by Davis. Lieutenant General John B. Hood. Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives Records Administration Assuming command, Hood elected to move forward with the operation and he struck at Thomas men at the  Battle of Peachtree Creek  on July 20. In heavy fighting, the Union troops mounted a determined defense and turned back Hoods assaults. Though unhappy with the result, it did not deter Hood from remaining on the offensive. Fast Facts: Battle of Atlanta Conflict: Civil War (1861-1865)Dates: July 22, 1863Armies Commanders:United StatesMajor General William T. ShermanMajor General James B. McPhersonapprox. 35,000 menConfederacyGeneral John Bell Hoodapprox. 40,000 menCasualties:United States: 3,641Confederacy: 5,500 A New Plan Receiving reports that McPhersons left flank was exposed, Hood commenced planning an ambitious strike against the Army of the Tennessee. Pulling two of his corps back into Atlantas inner defenses, he ordered Lieutenant General William Hardees corps and  Major General Joseph Wheelers cavalry to move out on the evening of July 21. Hoods attack plan called for the Confederate troops to swing around the Union flank to reach Decatur on July 22. Once in the Union rear, Hardee was to advance west and take McPherson from the rear while Wheeler attacked the Army of the Tennessees wagon trains. This would be supported by a frontal assault on McPhersons army by  Major General Benjamin Cheathams corps. As the Confederate troops began their march, McPhersons men had entrenched along a north-south line east of the city. Union Plans On the morning of July 22, Sherman initially received reports that the Confederates had abandoned the city as Hardees men had been seen on the march. These quickly proved to be false and he resolved to begin cutting the rail links into Atlanta. To accomplish this, he sent orders to McPherson instructing him to send Major General Grenville Dodges XVI Corps back to Decatur to tear up the Georgia Railroad. Having received reports of Confederate activity to the south, McPherson was reluctant to obey these orders and questioned Sherman. Though he believed his subordinate was being overly cautious, Sherman agreed to postpone the mission until 1:00 p.m. Major General James B. McPherson. Photograph Courtesy of the Library of Congress McPherson Killed Around noon, with no enemy attack having materialized, Sherman directed McPherson to send Brigadier General John Fullers division to Decatur while Brigadier General Thomas Sweenys division would be allowed to remain in position on the flank. McPherson drafted the necessary orders for Dodge, but before they were received the sound of firing was heard to the southeast. To the southeast, Hardees men were badly behind schedule due to a late start, poor road conditions, and a lack of guidance from Wheelers cavalrymen. Due to this, Hardee turned north too soon and his lead divisions, under Major Generals William Walker and William Bate, encountered Dodges two divisions which were deployed on an east-west line to cover the Union flank. While Bates advance on the right was hampered by swampy terrain, Walker was killed by a Union sharpshooter as he formed his men. As a result, the Confederate assault in this area lacked cohesion and was turned back by Dodges men. On the Confederate left, Major General Patrick Cleburnes division quickly found a large gap between Dodges right and the left of Major General Francis P. Blairs XVII Corps. Riding south to the sound of the guns, McPherson also entered this gap and encountered the advancing Confederates. Ordered to halt, he was shot and killed while trying to escape (Map). Major General Patrick Cleburne. Photograph Courtesy of the Library of Congress The Union Holds Driving on, Cleburne was able to attack the flank and rear of XVII Corps. These efforts were supported by Brigadier General George Maneys division (Cheathams Division) which assaulted the Union front. These Confederate attacks were not coordinated which allowed the Union troops to repel them in turn by rushing from one side of their entrenchments to the other. After two hours of fighting, Maney and Cleburne finally attacked in conjunction forcing Union forces to fall back. Swinging his left back in an L-shape, Blair centered his defense on Bald Hill which dominated the battlefield. In an effort to aid Confederate efforts against XVI Corps, Hood ordered Cheatham to attack Major General John Logans XV Corps to the north. Sitting astride the Georgia Railroad, XV Corps front was briefly penetrated through an undefended railroad cut. Personally leading the counterattack, Logan soon restored his lines with the aid of artillery fire directed by Sherman. For the remainder of the day, Hardee continued to assault the bald hill with little success. The position soon became known as Leggetts Hill for Brigadier General Mortimer Leggett whose troops held it. Fighting died off after dark though both armies remained in place. To the east, Wheeler succeeded in occupying Decatur but was prevented from getting at McPhersons wagon trains by a skillful delaying action conducted by Colonel John W. Sprague and his brigade. For his actions in saving the wagon trains of the XV, XVI, XVII, and XX Corps, Sprague received the Medal of Honor. With the failure of Hardees assault, Wheelers position in Decatur became untenable and he withdrew to Atlanta that night.   Aftermath The Battle of Atlanta cost Union forces 3,641 casualties while Confederate losses totaled around 5,500. For the second time in two days, Hood had failed to destroy a wing of Shermans command. Though a problem earlier in the campaign, McPhersons cautious nature proved fortuitous as Shermans initial orders would have left the Union flank completely exposed. In the wake of the fighting, Sherman gave command of the Army of the Tennessee to Major General Oliver O. Howard. This greatly angered XX Corps commander Major General Joseph Hooker who felt entitled to the post and blamed Howard for his defeat at the Battle of Chancellorsville. On July 27, Sherman resumed operations against the city by shifting to the west side to cut the Macon Western Railroad. Several additional battles occurred outside of the city before Atlantas fall on September 2.