Overview
The Battle of Buzzard’s Roost took place during General William T. Sherman’s advance into Northern Georgia in May 1864. The battle followed the Federal breakout from Chattanooga, Tennessee, where Union victories at the Battle of Lookout Mountain on November 24 and the Battle of Missionary Ridge on November 25 forced Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston to withdraw 30 miles south near Dalton, Georgia.
After President Abraham Lincoln promoted General Ulysses S. Grant to Lieutenant General and placed him in command of all Union armies, Grant left Sherman in charge of Federal operations in the Western Theater. On May 5, 1864, Grant launched his Overland Campaign against Robert E. Lee in Virginia. Two days later, Sherman led three Union armies out of Tennessee in pursuit of Johnston’s Army of Tennessee in Northern Georgia.
On May 7, 1864, Sherman’s forces reached Johnston’s entrenched position near Dalton, in rough mountain land around Rocky Face Ridge. General George H. Thomas attacked the Confederate defenses on May 7 and May 8, but gained little ground. On May 9, Thomas attacked Johnston’s main line at Buzzard’s Roost Gap while General James B. McPherson moved toward Snake Creek Gap. Sherman’s movement threatened the Western and Atlantic Railroad and Johnston’s supply line, forcing Johnston to withdraw to Resaca on the night of May 12-13.
Essential Facts
- Also Known As: Buzzard’s Roost Gap.
- Date: May 9, 1864.
- Location: Buzzard’s Roost Gap, near Dalton, Georgia.
- Participants: United States of America (USA), Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: William T. Sherman, George H. Thomas, and James B. McPherson.
- CSA Commanders: Joseph E. Johnston.
- Who Won: The United States won the Battle of Buzzard’s Roost.
- Campaign: Atlanta Campaign (1864).
- Era: Civil War, 1864, May–August, Civil War.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: Unknown.
- Forces Engaged: Army of the Cumberland and Army of the Tennessee.
- Troop Strength: Unknown.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: Unknown.
- Forces Engaged: Army of Tennessee.
- Troop Strength: Unknown.
Significance
The Battle of Buzzard’s Roost is significant to American History because it formed part of Sherman’s early advance into Georgia during the Civil War. General George H. Thomas’s attack at Buzzard’s Roost Gap held Johnston’s army in place, while General James B. McPherson moved through Snake Creek Gap. This threatened the Western and Atlantic Railroad and Johnston’s supply line. Although the Confederates stopped Thomas’s attack, Sherman forced Johnston to withdraw to Resaca.
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
Upon arriving in Washington, Grant, along with Sherman, devised a “total war” policy aimed at the Confederate military, transportation systems, and anything else abetting the Confederate cause. 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.
Sherman Moves South
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.
On May 7, 1864, Sherman’s forces approached the Army of Tennessee, entrenched near Dalton, in rugged, mountainous terrain on and around Rocky Face Ridge. On May 7 and 8, General George Thomas’s Army of the Cumberland tested the Confederate defenses with limited gains. Foreseeing little prospect for success through frontal assaults, Sherman sent General James McPherson’s Army of the Tennessee southwest, in search of a way around the Confederate defenders.
Action at Buzzard’s Roost
On May 9, elements of Major General George Thomas’s Army of the Cumberland attacked Johnston’s main line of defense at a gap in the mountains, known locally as Buzzard’s Roost Gap. Meanwhile, McPherson moved his army to an unprotected gap in the mountains farther south at Snake Creek. Leaving Thomas to demonstrate before the main Confederate line, Sherman moved the rest of his forces south through the Snake Creek Gap, threatening to disable the Western and Atlantic Railroad behind Johnston’s lines. In danger of being outflanked and having his supply line severed, Johnston withdrew twelve miles to Resaca, Georgia, on the night of May 12-13.
Aftermath
Although the Confederate defenders rebuffed Thomas’s army at the Battle of Buzzard’s Roost, the engagement accomplished Sherman’s objective of holding the Confederates in check as he successfully outflanked Johnston’s army.
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 7–8 — George Thomas’s Army of the Cumberland tested the Confederate defenses near Rocky Face Ridge.
- 1864, May 9 — Elements of Thomas’s army attacked Johnston’s main defense line at Buzzard’s Roost Gap, resulting in a Union victory.
- 1864, May 9 — James B. McPherson moved his army toward Snake Creek Gap.
- 1864, May 12–13 — Johnston withdrew 12 miles to Resaca, Georgia, ending the Battle of Rocky Face Ridge.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Buzzard’s Roost (1864) — The Battle of Buzzard’s Roost was fought in Northern Georgia in May 1864 during Union General William T. Sherman’s pursuit of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of Tennessee. General George H. Thomas engaged the Confederate defenses near Rocky Face Ridge, while General James B. McPherson moved toward Snake Creek Gap. Thomas attacked Buzzard’s Roost Gap on May 9, and Sherman shifted forces south to threaten Johnston’s railroad and supply line. Johnston withdrew to Resaca on the night of May 12-13.
Alignment
The Battle of Buzzard’s Roost is part of the following AP US History sections:
