- Date:
- July 22, 1864
- Location:
- Atlanta
- Georgia
- United States
- Participants:
- Confederate States of America
- United States
- Context:
- American Civil War
- Atlanta Campaign
Battle of Atlanta
-
What was the Battle of Atlanta?
The Battle of Atlanta occurred on July 22, 1864, as part of the Atlanta Campaign during the American Civil War. Union Major Generals William Tecumseh Sherman and James B. McPherson successfully defended against a Confederate offensive led by Lieut. Gen. John Bell Hood on Atlanta's eastern outskirts.
The Union victory dealt a blow to Confederate forces, but was not decisive on its own. Although Sherman succeeded in cutting off Atlanta from the eastern railroad and inflicting heavy casualties on Hoodâs army, Atlanta remained heavily fortified. The capture of Atlanta and the repeated Union victories significantly boosted Abraham Lincoln's reelection campaign. Confederate forces suffered an estimated 5,500 casualties, while the Union experienced 3,722 casualties.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
When and where did the Battle of Atlanta take place?
The Battle of Atlanta occurred on July 22, 1864, on the eastern outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia. It was part of the Atlanta Campaign during the American Civil War.
Union Major Generals William Tecumseh Sherman and James B. McPherson successfully defended against a Confederate offensive led by Lieutenant General John Bell Hood. The Union victory inflicted heavy casualties on Hoodâs army, with Confederate forces suffering an estimated 5,500 casualties. Although the Union won, Atlanta did not fall to Sherman until September.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Who were the main leaders in the Battle of Atlanta?
The Battle of Atlanta occurred on July 22, 1864, as part of the Atlanta Campaign during the American Civil War.
The main leaders in the Battle of Atlanta were Union Major Generals William Tecumseh Sherman and James B. McPherson, who successfully defended against a Confederate offensive led by Lieutenant General John Bell Hood.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Why was Atlanta important during the Civil War?
Atlanta's importance during the Civil War stemmed from its role as a critical Confederate railroad, supply, and manufacturing center. Serving as the keystone of Confederate rail transportation east of the Mississippi River, it became the prime military objective for Union General William Tecumseh Sherman during the Atlanta Campaign.
The Battle of Atlanta inflicted heavy casualties on Confederate forces. Although the city did not fall immediately, its eventual capture significantly boosted President Lincoln's reelection chances and complicated the Confederate position near Richmond, Virginia. After the fall of Atlanta, Union forces converted the city into a military camp.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What happened during the battle?
The Battle of Atlanta occurred on July 22, 1864, as part of the Atlanta Campaign during the American Civil War. Union Major Generals William Tecumseh Sherman and James B. McPherson successfully defended against a Confederate offensive led by Lieut. Gen. John Bell Hood on Atlanta's eastern outskirts.
The Union victory dealt a crippling blow to Confederate forces, but was not decisive. The Union victory at the Battle of Atlanta, and the eventual capture of the city, greatly assisted Abraham Lincoln's reelection campaign.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did the outcome of the Battle of Atlanta affect the rest of the Civil War?
The Battle of Atlanta significantly impacted the American Civil War. Although the Union victory at the Battle of Atlanta inflicted heavy casualties on the Confederate forces, it was not decisive on its own. However, the victory, along with others in the Atlanta Campaign, greatly influenced the U.S. presidential election of 1864, bolstering Abraham Lincoln's reelection campaign and signaling that the war was being successfully conducted under his leadership. The fall of Atlanta also complicated the Confederate position near Richmond, Virginia, and was one of the Confederacyâs last chances at victory.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Battle of Atlanta, American Civil War engagement fought on July 22, 1864, that was part of the Unionâs summer Atlanta Campaign. Union Major Generals William Tecumseh Sherman and James B. McPherson successfully defended against a Confederate offensive from Lieut. Gen. John Bell Hood on the eastern outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia. Although the Union victory inflicted heavy casualties on Hoodâs army, the city of Atlanta would not fall to Sherman until September of that year.
Context
In May of 1864, Sherman began his Atlanta Campaign. At the direction of Lieut. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, Sherman intended to advance on Atlanta, Georgia, from his station in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Atlanta was a major strategic city for the Confederacy that served as a railroad terminus, supply depot, and manufacturing hub. Given Atlantaâs position south of the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, capturing the city would severely threaten the stability of the Confederacy. If Atlanta fell, Union leadership hoped that it would bring the already bloody war to a swift end. Furthermore, the Atlanta Campaign held a special significance for Union Pres. Abraham Lincoln. In the North, 1864 was a presidential election year, and, with the war dragging on longer than either side expected, both Republicans and Democrats wanted hostilities to cease. War dissatisfaction already threatened Lincolnâs chances at reelection. His ability to serve a second term thus largely hinged on the Atlanta Campaignâs success or failure.
Sherman marched toward Atlanta at the helm of three Federal armies totaling approximately 100,000 men: the Army of the Cumberland, the Army of the Tennessee, and the Army of the Ohio. Attempting to slow Shermanâs advance was Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnstonâs army of 60,000 soldiers. Sherman and Johnston regularly engaged at strategic points throughout the formerâs march south, with Resaca, Georgia, and Kennesaw Mountain being of particular importance. Johnstonâs defensive approach resulted in his army being forced to retreat behind Atlantaâs defenses. Unfortunately for Johnston, these repeated withdrawals infuriated Confederate Pres. Jefferson Davis. On July 17 Davis relieved the general of his post and transferred command of his army to Lieut. Gen. John Bell Hood. Unlike Johnston, Hood aimed to take the battle to Atlantaâs assailants at every possible moment. He began by attacking the Army of the Cumberland on its flank at Peachtree Creek on July 20. He was handily repulsed, but he resolved to strike Shermanâs forces on its eastern flank two days later.
Battle
Upon hearing of Shermanâs departure from Chattanooga earlier in the summer, Atlantaâs Confederate defenders had forced their slaves to construct two rings of fortifications around the city. The inner ring was heavily defended, and the outer ring had a series of earthen palisades and trenches to slow Union troops. Cannon batteries were positioned along both rings of defenses. It was from these fortifications that Hoodâs army departed on the night of July 21. He left two corps behind the inner ring and ordered an infantry and cavalry corps numbering 17,000â18,000 soldiers to separately advance south and east in the general direction of Shermanâs left flank. In the early morning the infantry would swing north and strike the Union army in a weakened rear. The cavalry would wheel around to destroy Shermanâs supply train in hopes that it would be mostly unprotected.
Meanwhile, Sherman had sent the Army of the Tennessee, under the command of young Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson, to cut off and destroy the Georgia Railroad that entered Atlanta from the east. Sherman himself had moved his field headquarters to nearby Decatur, Georgia, and established temporary headquarters at the Augustus Hurt House, located on a hill some 2 miles (3.2 km) east of central Atlanta. While McPherson advanced westward toward the Georgia capital, Sherman took in a commanding view of Atlantaâs defenses from the hilltop. When he learned just before dawn on July 22 that Hoodâs forces had left the outer ring, he ordered his army to hunt them down. However, Union intelligence noted the continued presence of some Confederate defenders, which contradicted his initial survey of the situation. Sherman retracted his orders. Sherman would have also sent an infantry corps away from his left flank had McPherson not cautioned his superior to consider the serious vulnerability that would result from such a strategy. Sherman took McPhersonâs advice and left the infantry in place, a decision which proved crucial in maintaining the Unionâs position during the ensuing battle. McPherson arranged his nearly 35,000 troops in a lengthy L-shape, with the vertical arm running north-south and the horizontal arm running east-west. He reinforced his flank by placing cannon on Bald Hill (later renamed Leggettâs Hill for the Union general who captured it) and fortifying his line with trenches.
While Hoodâs plan of attack was logical, his forces suffered from difficult terrain and a delayed start to their march. Furthermore, he possessed little intelligence about the extent of McPhersonâs line, which meant that the commander of his infantry corps could not accurately determine when to swing north. Instead of surprising McPherson from the rear, Hoodâs infantry assumed its final position both six hours behind schedule and to the south of an entrenched left flank.
The Confederate infantry engaged McPhersonâs east-west line shortly after noon. McPherson could hear the gunshots from his post and made sure that the Union leaders on that flank were holding the line before inspecting the rest of his army. There was a sizable chink in his position at the intersection of the vertical and horizontal arms. McPherson galloped toward this intersection, which happened to be the site of an intensifying Confederate assault. Hoodâs infantry in this area quickly noticed the Union general and shot him from his saddle. He died shortly thereafter. McPherson, a youthful and promising protĂ©gĂ© of Grant, was one of the highest-ranking Union generals to be killed in combat.
The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.
SUBSCRIBE
Despite McPhersonâs untimely death, Union troops continued to hold their positions, particularly atop Bald Hill along the north-south line. The fighting was mostly concentrated around this strategic high ground, which was the highest elevated point between Atlanta and Decatur. Both sides engaged in vicious combat as Confederate troops rushed the hill in successive waves. Despite exploiting a gap in the Union line and nearly succeeding in attacking the position from several directions, Hoodâs infantry was unable to seize the hill.
In the late afternoon, Confederate soldiers assaulted another weak point at an exposed railroad cut to the north. Union forces were forced to retreat eastward, losing the Troup Hurt House and Capt. Francis DeGressâs artillery battery in the process. However, a Union commander led a strong counterattack buttressed by Shermanâs artillery, which fired on and behind Hoodâs line and prevented reinforcements from arriving. Having been repulsed several times with significant bloodshed, Hoodâs infantry retreated to Atlanta by nightfall. His cavalry half-succeeded in their mission: the corps took Decatur from Sherman, but a tenacious Union commander stalled the Confederate cavalry from destroying the wagon train. When the cavalry corpsâ leader learned of the infantry corpsâ sound defeat, he ordered his men to fall back to Atlanta as well.
Casualties and aftermath
Of the 34,863 Union troops engaged at the Battle of Atlanta, 3,722 were killed, wounded, captured, or reported missing. Confederate forces suffered an estimated 5,500 casualties (of 40,438 engaged). While the Union victory at the Battle of Atlanta dealt a crippling blow to the Confederacyâs defensive forces, it was not itself decisive. Sherman had succeeded in cutting off Atlanta from the eastern railroad and killing, wounding, or capturing over 10 percent of Hoodâs army, but Atlanta remained a heavily fortified city with two major railroads still accessible from the west. Given this, Sherman began intensifying his shelling of Atlanta and repositioned the Army of the Tennessee in order to sever the cityâs western railroads. He would not force a surrender, however, until the first week of September. After torching everything of military value in Atlanta, Sherman and his men would lay waste to the Georgia countryside on his momentous and utterly devastating March to the Sea.
For Lincolnâs part, the repeated victories at Atlanta and the eventual capture of the city bolstered his reelection campaign. With Grant and Sherman having turned the tide in the war, an end to the death and destruction was now in sight.