Marietta Operations Summary

June 9–July 3, 1864

The Marietta Operations was a series of engagements between Union forces commanded by Major General William T. Sherman and Confederate forces commanded by General Joseph E. Johnston from June 9 - July 3, 1864 during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War.

Joseph Johnston, Civil War General

By June 9, 1864, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston (pictured here) had withdrawn the Army of Tennessee to an entrenched position near Marietta, Georgia. Over the next three weeks, Major General William T. Sherman continued to press Johnston, engaging his army at various locations near Marietta. [Wikimedia Commons]

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Prelude to the Battle

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 War Strategy

Upon arriving in Washington, Grant devised a “total war” policy aimed at the Confederate military, transportation systems, and anything else abetting the Rebel 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’s Army of Northern Virginia in the east, and Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of Tennessee in the west.

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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 in Georgia

Throughout the summer of 1864, the main Confederate and Union armies in the West 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.

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Sherman Presses Johnston Near Marietta, Georgia

By June 9, 1864, Johnston had withdrawn the Army of Tennessee to an entrenched position in the Marietta area. Over the next three weeks, Sherman continued to press Johnston, engaging his army at various locations near Marietta including the Battle of Pine Mountain (June 14), Battle of Gilgal Church (June 15), Battle of Kolb’s Farm (June 22), and the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain (June 27). Gradually, Sherman forced Johnston to withdraw from the area by July 3.

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Citation Information

The following information is provided for citations.

  • Article Title Marietta Operations Summary
  • Date June 9–July 3, 1864
  • Author
  • Keywords marietta operations
  • Website Name American History Central
  • Access Date June 1, 2023
  • Publisher R.Squared Communications, LLC
  • Original Published Date
  • Date of Last Update May 6, 2022

Marietta Operations Summary is Part of the Following on AHC

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