Overview
The Battle of Pickett’s Mill took place on May 27, 1864, during Union operations in Northern Georgia. After the Union breakout from Chattanooga in late November 1863, President Abraham Lincoln promoted General Ulysses S. Grant and placed him in command of all Union armies. Grant moved his headquarters to Washington, D.C., and left General William T. Sherman in command of Union operations in the Western Theater.
Sherman led three armies out of Tennessee in pursuit of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of Tennessee. During the summer of 1864, Union and Confederate forces fought a series of battles between Dalton and Atlanta, mostly along the Western and Atlantic Railroad. Sherman often used flanking movements to threaten Johnston’s supply lines and force Confederate retreats.
After the Union defeat at New Hope Church on May 26, Sherman ordered General Oliver O. Howard to turn the Confederate right flank at Pickett’s Mill. Johnston expected the move and reinforced the position with troops led by General Patrick R. Cleburne.
On May 27, Union soldiers advanced through dense underbrush and rough terrain before Confederate sharpshooters fired on them from above. The Confederates pinned the Federals near the Pickett family farm and grist mill, then launched a counterattack at 10 p.m. Union forces suffered more than 1,600 casualties, while Confederate losses totaled 500.
Essential Facts
- Date: May 27, 1864.
- Location: Pickett’s Mill in northern Georgia, near Benjamin and Malachi Pickett’s family farm and grist mill.
- Participants: United States of America (USA), Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: William T. Sherman and Oliver O. Howard.
- CSA Commanders: Joseph E. Johnston and Patrick R. Cleburne.
- Who Won: The Confederate States won the Battle of Dallas.
- Campaign: Atlanta Campaign (1864).
- Era: Civil War, 1864, May–August, Civil War.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: More than 1,600 casualties, including 700 killed.
- Forces Engaged: Soldiers under the command of General Oliver O. Howard.
- Troop Strength: Unknown.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: 500 casualties.
- Forces Engaged: Soldiers led by General Patrick R. Cleburne.
- Troop Strength: Unknown.
Significance
The Battle of Pickett’s Mill is significant to American History because it was a costly Union defeat during William T. Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign. Joseph E. Johnston used strong defensive positions to resist Sherman’s flanking movements near the Western and Atlantic Railroad. Sherman ordered Oliver O. Howard’s soldiers to turn the Confederate right flank, but Johnston expected the move and reinforced the area with Patrick Cleburne’s troops. The Union attack failed in rough terrain and heavy underbrush. Following the war, Sherman created controversy by failing to mention the battle in his memoirs.
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.
Fighting Along the Western and Atlantic Railroad
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 he often repeated, Sherman used flanking movements that threatened the railway to Johnston’s rear, forcing the Confederate commander to retreat south to protect his supply lines.
Federals Attempt to Turn Confederate Right Flank
Following the Union defeat at the Battle of New Hope Church on May 26, 1864, Sherman ordered soldiers under the command of Major General Oliver O. Howard to turn the right flank of the Confederate line at Pickett’s Mill on May 27. Johnston expected Sherman’s maneuver and reinforced his right flank on May 26, with soldiers led by one of his best commanders, Major General Patrick R. Cleburne.
As Cleburne’s men dug in, Howard’s soldiers probed through dense underbrush and rough terrain trying to locate the end of the Confederate line. At about 4:00 p.m., the Federals encountered the Confederate line and Sherman sent word for them to “get on the enemy’s flank and rear as soon as possible.”
At 4:30, the Union soldiers began advancing through a deep ravine tangled with heavy undergrowth. As they struggled up the slopes of the ravine, Confederate sharpshooters, concealed by the dense vegetation, unleashed a murderous volley from above. In the confusion that followed, the Confederates pinned the Union soldiers down near Benjamin and Malachi Pickett’s family farm and grist mill.
The Confederates continued to pour a heavy fire onto the hapless Union troops until launching a counterattack at 10:00 p.m., forcing their foes to turn and run. By the end of the battle, the Federals had suffered over 1,600 casualties, including 700 killed. The Confederates suffered only 500 casualties.
Aftermath of the Battle
After the war, critics chided Sherman for ignoring the ill-fated attack he ordered at Pickett’s Mill in his memoirs. His most vocal critic was the famed author Ambrose Bierce, who fought for the Union at Pickett’s Mill. In 1888, on the twenty-fourth anniversary of the Battle of Pickett’s Mill, an embittered Bierce published an essay titled “The Crime at Pickett’s Mill.” In the essay, Bierce detailed the carnage that occurred at Pickett’s Mill and chastised Sherman for relegating the brave men who fought there to oblivion by ignoring the battle in his memoirs, even though Sherman ordered the attack.
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
- Sherman ordered Oliver O. Howard’s soldiers to turn the Confederate right flank at Pickett’s Mill.
- Howard’s men found the Confederate line at about 4 p.m. and advanced through a deep ravine at 4:30 p.m.
- Confederate forces launched a counterattack at 10 p.m., forcing Howard’s men to retreat.
- 1888 — Ambrose Bierce published “The Crime at Pickett’s Mill” on the 24th anniversary of the battle.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Pickett’s Mill (1864) — The Battle of Pickett’s Mill was fought in Northern Georgia on May 27, 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign in Northern Georgia. After the Union defeat at New Hope Church, General William T. Sherman ordered General Oliver O. Howard to turn the Confederate right flank. Confederate General Joseph Johnston expected the move and reinforced the position with General Patrick R. Cleburne’s troops. Union soldiers advanced through rough terrain and heavy brush, but Confederate fire stopped them. A Confederate counterattack at 10 p.m. forced the Federal troops to retreat.
Alignment
The Battle of Pickett’s Mill is part of the following AP US History sections:
