Overview
After Union forces broke out from Chattanooga in late November 1863, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston withdrew 30 miles south to near Dalton, Georgia. President Abraham Lincoln then promoted General Ulysses S. Grant, placing him in command of all Union armies.
Grant moved his headquarters to Washington, D.C., while General William T. Sherman took command of Union operations in the Western Theater.
Grant’s strategy called for coordinated attacks against the Confederacy’s two main field armies. On May 5, 1864, Grant launched the Overland Campaign against General 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.
During the summer of 1864, Sherman and Johnston fought a series of battles between Dalton and Atlanta, often near the Western and Atlantic Railroad. By June 9, Johnston had placed his army in trenches near Marietta, Georgia.
On June 14, Union artillery shelled the Confederate position on Pine Mountain and killed General Leonidas Polk. On June 15, about 15,000 Federal soldiers attacked the Confederate position, but General Patrick Cleburne’s troops held their positions.
Essential Facts
- Also Known As: Battle of Pine Knob and Battle of Pine Hill.
- Date: June 14–15, 1864.
- Location: Cobb County, Georgia.
- Participants: United States of America (USA), Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: John W. Geary.
- CSA Commanders: William Hardee and Patrick Cleburne.
- Who Won: The United States won the Battle of Pine Mountain.
- Campaign: Atlanta Campaign (1864), Marietta Operations (1864).
- Era: Civil War, 1864, May–August, Civil War.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: More than 750 soldiers killed, wounded, captured, or missing.
- Forces Engaged: Geary’s White Star Division of the 20th Corps.
- Troop Strength: 15,000.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: Unknown.
- Forces Engaged: William Hardee’s Corps and Patrick Cleburne’s Division.
- Troop Strength: Unknown.
Significance
The Battle of Pine Mountain is important to American History because of the role it played in William T. Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign, which placed steady pressure on Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of Tennessee in northern Georgia. Sherman used repeated flanking movements and threats against the Western and Atlantic Railroad, which both armies needed for supplies. The battle led to the death of Confederate General Leonidas Polk, who was killed by a Union cannonball. Although Confederate forces held their position against the Union assault on June 15, Sherman later forced Johnston to withdraw from the Marietta area by July 3, 1864.
History
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 Lookout Mountain (November 24) and Missionary Ridge (November 25) forced Johnston to withdraw thirty miles south to near Dalton, Georgia.
Grant in Charge
After the Federal breakout from Chattanooga, President Lincoln promoted Grant to the special rank of Lieutenant General and placed in command of all Union armies. Grant moved his headquarters to Washington, DC, 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’s Army of Northern Virginia in the east, and Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of Tennessee in the west. On May 5, 1864, Grant launched his Overland Campaign against Lee in Virginia.
Sherman Pursues Johnston
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 Sherman often repeated, he flanked the Confederate Army and threatened the railway to Johnston’s rear, forcing the Confederate commander to retreat south to protect his supply lines.
June 14-15: Clash at Pine Mountain
By June 9, 1864, Johnston had withdrawn the Army of Tennessee to an entrenched position in the Marietta area, in Cobb County, Georgia. Over the next three weeks, Sherman continued to press Johnston, engaging his army at various locations near Marietta, including at the Battle of Pine Mountain (also known as the Battle of Pine Knob and the Battle of Pine Hill) on June 14 and 15.
June 14: Union Artillerists Kill Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk
The Confederates encamped on Pine Mountain, a small hill standing just 300 feet above the surrounding countryside. On June 14, Union artillery batteries shelled the Confederate position on Pine Mountain, inflicting few casualties, with the notable exception of Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk, who was killed by a Northern cannonball.
June 15: Confederates Withstand Union Assault
On June 15, Northern forces stormed the Confederate position. Three Union divisions from the 20th Corps, commanded by Major General Joseph Hooker, attacked the Southern defenders, commanded by General Patrick Cleburne. Numbering roughly 15,000 men, the Federals attacked at 5:00 PM. The Confederates held their position, forcing the Union soldiers to entrench on the hillside.
Aftermath
The Union lost over 750 soldiers (killed, wounded, captured/missing) during the Battle of Pine Mountain. Confederate casualties were unreported.
Despite the Confederate victory, Sherman eventually forced Johnston to withdraw from the Marietta area by July 3, 1864, following several other minor engagements.
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 — Union artillery batteries shelled the Confederate position on Pine Mountain and killed Leonidas Polk.
- 1864, June 15 — Union forces attacked the Confederate position on Pine Mountain and won the battle.
- 1864, July 3 — Sherman forced Johnston to withdraw from the Marietta area after several other small engagements.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Pine Mountain (1864) — Fought in Cobb County, Georgia, on June 14 and 15, 1864, the Battle of Pine Mountain formed part of the Atlanta Campaign. General William T. Sherman pressed General Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of Tennessee near Marietta after earlier Union advances from Chattanooga. Union artillery shelled Pine Mountain and killed Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk. On June 15, about 15,000 Federal soldiers attacked Confederate defenders under General Patrick Cleburne. The Confederates held their position, but Sherman eventually forced Johnston to withdraw from the Marietta area.
Alignment
The Battle of Pine Mountain is part of the following AP US History sections:
