Overview
The Battle of Crow Valley was fought near Dalton, Georgia, on February 25, 1864, when Union forces under General George H. Thomas tested the defenses of General Joseph E. Johnston’s Confederate Army of Tennessee. Confederate soldiers repelled Union attacks from Crow Valley and Rocky Face Ridge, and Thomas withdrew after Confederate reinforcements returned to Dalton. The battle ended without a clear winner.
Essential Facts
- Date: February 25, 1864.
- Location: Whitfield County, Georgia.
- Participants: United States of America (USA), Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: George H. Thomas.
- CSA Commanders: Joseph E. Johnston.
- Who Won: The outcome of the Battle of Crow Valley was inconclusive.
- Campaign: Atlanta Campaign (1864).
- Era: Civil War, 1864, January–June, Civil War.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: Union forces suffered an estimated 345 soldiers killed, wounded, captured, or missing.
- Forces Engaged: Union forces included two divisions of the 14th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland.
- Troop Strength: Unknown.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: Confederate forces suffered an estimated 260 soldiers killed, wounded, captured, or missing.
- Forces Engaged: Confederate forces included Stewart’s Division and Breckinridge’s Division of the Army of Tennessee.
- Troop Strength: Unknown.
Significance
The Battle of Crow Valley is important to American History because it tested Confederate defenses near Dalton before the Atlanta Campaign. General George H. Thomas attacked after Confederate President Jefferson Davis weakened General Joseph E. Johnston’s army by sending troops to reinforce Meridian, Mississippi. Union forces found Johnston’s fortified position at Rocky Face Ridge difficult to capture, and Confederate soldiers repelled attacks there and from Crow Valley. When Confederate troops returned from Meridian, Thomas faced a larger force and withdrew.
History
Breakout from Chattanooga
In September 1863, Confederate General Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee attempted to recapture Chattanooga, Tennessee, from federal forces by besieging the city. Union leaders responded by sending Major General Ulysses S. Grant and reinforcements to Chattanooga with orders to break the siege. After establishing a new supply line into the city, Grant executed a breakout offensive in late November that successfully drove Bragg’s army back into northern Georgia.
Meridian Campaign
Following the breakout from Chattanooga, Grant sent Major General William T. Sherman with 25,000 soldiers to break Confederate General James Longstreet’s siege of Knoxville. After driving Longstreet away from Knoxville, Sherman returned to Ohio, where he spent Christmas with his family. In February, he traveled to Vicksburg, where he began a campaign against General Leonidas Polk’s troops at Meridian, Mississippi. Confederate President Jefferson Davis countered Sherman’s threat against Meridian by ordering General Joseph Johnston, who had replaced Bragg, to send troops to reinforce Polk.
Skirmishing Near Rocky Face Ridge
When Grant learned that Johnston’s force in Georgia was weakened, he ordered Major General George Thomas, commanding the Army of the Cumberland, to probe Johnston’s depleted defenses at Rocky Face Ridge, near Dalton, on February 22, 1864. The Federals enjoyed some success in the early skirmishing, but Thomas found Johnston’s position to be strong. On February 25, Union soldiers attempted to seize a heavily fortified gap through Rocky Face Ridge near Dalton, but the Confederates drove them back. The Confederate defenders also repelled a simultaneous Union assault from Crow Valley. When Polk withdrew from Meridian, Johnston’s soldiers returned to Dalton. Facing a larger foe, Thomas withdrew from the area on February 27.
Aftermath
Results of the relatively minor Battle of Crow Valley were inconclusive. The Union suffered 345 casualties (killed, wounded, captured/missing), and the Confederacy lost 260 men.
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.
- 1863, December — William T. Sherman spent Christmas with his family in Ohio after helping force James Longstreet away from Knoxville.
- 1864, February — Sherman traveled to Vicksburg and launched a campaign against Leonidas Polk’s troops at Meridian, Mississippi.
- 1864, February 22 — George H. Thomas moved against Joseph E. Johnston’s defenses at Rocky Face Ridge, initiating the First Battle of Dalton, which resulted in a Confederate victory.
- 1864, February 25 — Union forces attacked Confederate defenses at Rocky Face Ridge and Crow Valley but failed to break the Confederate lines.
- 1864, February 27 — Thomas withdrew after Confederate reinforcements returned to Dalton.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Crow Valley (1864) — The Battle of Crow Valley was fought near Dalton, Georgia, on February 25, 1864, before the Atlanta Campaign. Union General George H. Thomas tested General Joseph E. Johnston’s weakened defenses after Confederate troops left Georgia to reinforce Meridian, Mississippi. Union soldiers attacked a fortified gap at Rocky Face Ridge and advanced from Crow Valley, but Confederate forces repelled both attacks. After Confederate reinforcements returned to Dalton, Thomas withdrew on February 27. The battle ended without a clear winner.
Alignment
The Battle of Crow Valley is part of the following AP US History sections:
