Overview
The Battle of Atlanta was fought on July 22, 1864, in Fulton County, near Atlanta, Georgia, during the American Civil War. It was part of the Atlanta Campaign and followed months of fighting between Union and Confederate forces in northern Georgia.
After Union forces broke the Confederate siege of Chattanooga in late November 1863, Major General William T. Sherman led three Union Armies south from Tennessee in pursuit of General Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of Tennessee.
Sherman repeatedly used flanking movements to threaten the Western and Atlantic Railroad, forcing Johnston to retreat toward Atlanta. By mid-July, Sherman had pushed Johnston’s army to the outskirts of the city. Confederate President Jefferson Davis removed Johnston from command on July 17, 1864, and replaced him with General John B. Hood, who quickly launched attacks against Union forces.
After a costly failure at Peachtree Creek on July 20, Hood attacked General James B. McPherson’s Army of the Tennessee east of Atlanta on July 22. Confederate forces struck the Union left flank and later the Union center, but failed to break the line. McPherson was killed during the battle, but Union forces regrouped, counterattacked, and won. Hood’s army suffered about 8,500 casualties, while Union losses totaled about 3,600.
Essential Facts
- Date: July 22, 1864.
- Location: Fulton County, near Atlanta, Georgia.
- Participants: United States of America (USA), Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: William T. Sherman, James B. McPherson, John M. Schofield, and George H. Thomas.
- CSA Commanders: John B. Hood.
- Who Won: The United States won the Battle of Atlanta.
- Campaign: Atlanta Campaign (1864).
- Era: Civil War, 1864, May–August, Civil War.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: About 3,600 killed, wounded, captured, or missing.
- Forces Engaged: Army of the Tennessee, Army of the Ohio, and Army of the Cumberland.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 34,863.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: About 8,500 killed, wounded, captured, or missing.
- Forces Engaged: Army of Tennessee.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 40,438.
Significance
The Battle of Atlanta is important to American History because it was a major Union victory during William T. Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign. Sherman’s forces held their lines against John Bell Hood’s attacks on the Union left flank and center, even after Confederate soldiers killed General James B. McPherson. Hood’s army suffered heavy casualties, weakening Confederate forces defending Atlanta. Although the Confederates still held the city after the battle, their position became difficult to maintain. Sherman then settled into a siege, shelled Atlanta, and cut off supplies until Hood evacuated the city six weeks later.
History
Federal Breakout from Chattanooga
In late November 1863, Union forces commanded by Major General Ulysses S. Grant successfully lifted Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston’s siege of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Union victories at the Battle of Lookout Mountain (November 24) and the Battle of Missionary Ridge (November 25) forced Johnston to withdraw thirty miles south near Dalton, Georgia.
Grant Promoted to Lieutenant General
After the Federal breakout from Chattanooga, President Abraham Lincoln promoted Grant to the special rank of Lieutenant General and placed him in command of all Union armies. Grant moved his headquarters to Washington, leaving his trusted subordinate, Major General William T. Sherman, in command of federal operations in the western theater.
Grant’s Umbrella Strategy
Grant’s primary military strategy was a coordinated effort to attack and defeat the two main Confederate armies in the field, Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia in the east, and Joseph E. Johnston and the Army of Tennessee in the west.
On May 5, 1864, Grant launched his Overland Campaign against Lee in Virginia. Two days later, Sherman led three armies, the Army of the Tennessee, commanded by Major General James B. McPherson; the Army of the Ohio, commanded by Major General John M. Schofield; and the Army of the Cumberland, commanded by Major General George H. Thomas, out of Tennessee in pursuit of Johnston’s army in northern Georgia.
Sherman Moves South
Throughout the summer of 1864, the Confederate and Union armies engaged in a series of battles between Dalton and Atlanta in northern Georgia. Most of the fighting occurred at places on or near the Western and Atlantic Railroad, which connected Chattanooga and Atlanta. Both sides depended on the railway for supplies throughout the campaign. In a pattern that Sherman often repeated, he used flanking movements that threatened the railway to Johnston’s rear, forcing the Confederate commander to retreat south to protect his supply lines.
Hood Replaces Johnston
By mid-July, Sherman had driven Johnston’s army to the outskirts of Atlanta. Southerners, in general, and Jefferson Davis, in particular, had grown weary of Johnston’s strategy of retreat. On July 17, 1864, the Confederate President relieved Johnston of his command, replacing him with General John Bell Hood. Known as an aggressive fighter, Hood was a veteran officer with a reputation for personal bravery. He received severe wounds at the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863) and at the Battle of Chickamauga (September 19–20, 1863). Upon assuming his new command, General Hood wasted little time in responding to Southerners’ calls for action.
Peachtree Creek
On July 20, Hood launched a costly attack against the Army of the Cumberland. The assault cost Hood nearly 5,000 soldiers and did not drive the Federals back north of Peachtree Creek. Undeterred, Hood turned his attention to McPherson’s Army of the Tennessee, east of Atlanta.
Engagement at Atlanta
On July 22, Hood ordered William J. Hardee’s corps to march out and assault McPherson’s left flank, which Hood believed was vulnerable. Unfortunately for Hood, McPherson recognized the weakness on his left flank and reinforced it before Hardee arrived to launch his assault. The battle began when Hardee’s soldiers encountered McPherson’s reinforcements. The Federals repulsed the initial attack but gradually began to give ground. Confederate soldiers shot and killed McPherson, who rode to the front to observe the fighting. Despite the loss of their leader, the Union forces regrouped and eventually held their line.
At about 4 p.m., Hood launched a secondary assault against the Union center. Once again, the initial push was successful, and the Confederates forced the Federals back. In response, Sherman personally directed artillery fire on the Confederates, halting their surge and inflicting heavy casualties. The Federals then launched a counterattack and restored their lines. With the Union lines stabilized on both fronts and Confederate losses rising to unacceptable levels, Hood called off the attacks.
Aftermath of the Battle
The Battle of Atlanta was another costly defeat for the Confederacy. Hood’s army lost 8,500 killed, wounded, captured, or missing badly needed soldiers. Union losses totaled about 3,600, including McPherson. The Confederates still held Atlanta, but their situation was untenable. Sherman settled into a siege, shelling the city, and cutting off supplies until Hood had to evacuate Atlanta six weeks later.
Timeline
- 1863, November — Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant lifted the Confederate Siege of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
- Union forces won the Battle of Lookout Mountain (November 24)
- Union forces won the Battle of Missionary Ridge (November 25).
- Confederate forces marched southward to Dalton, Georgia.
- 1864, February 22–27 — Confederate forces won the First Battle of Dalton.
- 1864, February 25 — Union and Confederate forces engaged in the inconclusive Battle of Crow Valley, near Dalton.
- 1864, February 29 — President Abraham Lincoln promoted Grant to the special rank of Lieutenant General and placed him in command of all Union armies.
- 1864, May 5 — Grant launched the Overland Campaign against Robert E. Lee in Virginia.
- 1864, May 7 — William T. Sherman led three Union armies out of Tennessee in pursuit of Joseph E. Johnston’s army in northern Georgia, starting the Atlanta Campaign.
- 1864, May 7–13 — Union forces won the Battle of Buzzard’s Roost and the Battle of Rocky Face Ridge.
- 1864, May 13–15 — Sherman’s forces engaged the Army of Tennessee at the Battle of Resaca near Resaca, Georgia, and won.
- 1864, May 17 — Union forces won the Battle of Adairsville.
- 1864, May 20 — Johnston established new defensive lines at Allatoona Pass, about 30 miles north of Atlanta.
- 1864, May 25 — Confederate forces won the Battle of New Hope Church.
- 1864, May 26
- Confederate and Union forces entrenched near Dallas, Georgia.
- Johnston reinforced the Confederate right flank at Pickett’s Mill with soldiers led by Patrick R. Cleburne.
- 1864, May 27 — Confederate forces won the Battle of Pickett’s Mill.
- 1864, June 9 — Johnston withdrew the Army of Tennessee to a fortified position around Marietta, Georgia.
- 1864, June 14–15 — Union forces won the Battle of Pine Mountain.
- 1864, June 15–16 — Confederate forces won the Battle of Gilgal Church.
- 1864, June 19 — Johnston withdrew the Army of Tennessee to a defensive position near Kennesaw Mountain.
- 1864, June 22 — Union forces won the Battle of Kolb’s Farm.
- 1864, June 27 — Union forces won the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. Johnston withdrew to the Chattahoochee River, ending the Marietta Operations.
- 1864, July 17 — Confederate President Jefferson Davis relieved Johnston of command and replaced him with John Bell Hood.
- 1864, July, 20 — Union forces won the Battle of Peachtree Creek.
- 1864, July, 22
- Hood ordered William J. Hardee to attack James B. McPherson’s left flank. McPherson was killed in the attack.
- Sherman directed artillery fire against Hood’s attack on the Union center, pushing the Confederates back and allowing Union forces to restore their lines.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Atlanta (1864) — The Battle of Atlanta was fought on July 22, 1864, in Fulton County, near Atlanta, Georgia, during the Atlanta Campaign. General William T. Sherman commanded Union forces, while General John B. Hood commanded Confederate forces. Hood ordered William J. Hardee’s Corps to attack the Union left flank, but General James B. McPherson reinforced the position before the assault. Hood later attacked the Union center, but Sherman directed artillery fire that stopped the Confederate advance. Union forces counterattacked, restored their lines, and won the battle.
Alignment
The Battle of Atlanta is part of the following AP US History sections:
