Overview
The Battle of Peachtree Creek was fought on July 20, 1864, in Fulton County, near Atlanta, Georgia, during the Atlanta Campaign of 1864. The battle took place as General William T. Sherman pushed Union forces closer to Atlanta after months of fighting along the Western and Atlantic Railroad. Sherman divided his forces during the final advance, sending General George H. Thomas and the Army of the Cumberland directly toward the city while other Union armies moved around Atlanta to the east.
Confederate President Jefferson Davis had recently replaced General Joseph E. Johnston with General John Bell Hood because many Southerners had grown frustrated with Johnston’s strategy of retreat. Hood quickly looked for a chance to attack. Thomas’s army had to cross Peachtree Creek in several places, and Johnston had already created a plan to strike the Union troops during the crossing.
Hood used Johnston’s plan on July 20, but the attack started around 4 p.m., three hours later than planned. By then, Thomas’s army had already crossed the creek. The Confederate assault showed early promise, but Union forces held their ground, inflicted heavy casualties, and forced Hood to withdraw. The Union victory helped set the stage for the Battle of Atlanta two days later.
Essential Facts
- Date: July 20, 1864.
- Location: Fulton County, near Atlanta, Georgia.
- Participants: United States of America (USA), Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: William T. Sherman and George H. Thomas.
- CSA Commanders: John Bell Hood.
- Who Won: The United States won the Battle of Peachtree Creek.
- Campaign: Atlanta Campaign (1864).
- Era: Civil War, 1864, May–August, Civil War.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: 1,700 killed, wounded, captured, or missing.
- Forces Engaged: Army of the Cumberland.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 21,655.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: 5,000 killed, wounded, captured, or missing.
- Forces Engaged: Army of Tennessee.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 20,250.
Significance
The Battle of Peachtree Creek is important to American History because it helped shape the final stage of William T. Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign. After Sherman pushed Joseph E. Johnston’s army to the outskirts of Atlanta, President Jefferson Davis replaced Johnston with John Bell Hood, who quickly tried to take action. Hood attacked George H. Thomas’s Army of the Cumberland after it crossed Peachtree Creek, but the assault started later than planned. Union forces held their ground and caused heavy Confederate casualties. The victory strengthened Sherman’s position near Atlanta and helped set the stage for the Battle of Atlanta two days later.
History
Siege of 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’s Umbrella Strategy
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 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.
Hood Replaces Johnston
By mid-July, Sherman had driven Johnston’s army to the outskirts of Atlanta. Many Southerners, including President Jefferson Davis, had grown weary of Johnston’s strategy of retreat. On July 17, 1864, Davis relieved Johnston of his command, replacing him with General John Bell Hood. Known as an aggressive fighter, Hood was a veteran officer with a reputation for personal bravery who had suffered severe wounds at the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863) and the Battle of Chickamauga (September 19–20, 1863). General Hood wasted little time responding to Southerners’ calls for action.
Sherman Divides His Forces
When Sherman began his final push toward Atlanta, he divided his forces, sending Thomas’s Army of the Cumberland directly toward the city and ordering Schofield’s Army of the Ohio and McPherson’s Army of the Tennessee around Atlanta to the east. Hood viewed this as an opportunity to strike a blow for the Confederacy.
Engagement at Peachtree Creek
To approach Atlanta, Thomas’s army had to cross Peachtree Creek in several places. Johnston had known that while still in command and had devised a plan to attack Thomas’ soldiers at the time of the crossing. When the crossing took place on July 20, Hood implemented Johnston’s plan. Unfortunately for the Southerners, Thomas’ army had already crossed the creek when the attack began at about 4:00 p.m., instead of the planned time of 1 p.m. The assault initially showed promise, but the Federals held their ground and eventually inflicted heavy casualties on the Confederates.
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 14–15 — Union forces won the Battle of Pine Mountain.
- 1864, June 15–16 — Confederate forces won the Battle of Gilgal Church.
- 1864, June 19 — Johnston withdrew the Army of Tennessee to a defensive position near Kennesaw Mountain.
- 1864, June 22 — Union forces won the Battle of Kolb’s Farm.
- 1864, June 27 — Union forces won the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. Johnston withdrew to the Chattahoochee River, ending the Marietta Operations.
- 1864, July 17 — Confederate President Jefferson Davis relieved Johnston of command and replaced him with John Bell Hood.
- 1864, July 20
- Hood attacked George Thomas’s Army of the Cumberland after it crossed Peachtree Creek.
- Union forces held their ground at the Battle of Peachtree Creek and forced Hood to withdraw.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Peachtree Creek (1864) — The Battle of Peachtree Creek was fought on July 20, 1864, in Fulton County, near Atlanta, Georgia, during the Atlanta Campaign. General John Bell Hood attacked Union forces after replacing General Joseph E. Johnston, whose retreat strategy had angered Southern leaders. Hood used Johnston’s plan to strike General George H. Thomas’s Army of the Cumberland while it crossed Peachtree Creek, but Hood was late, and the army had already crossed. Union forces held their lines, causing heavy Confederate casualties and forcing Hood to withdraw.
Alignment
The Battle of Peachtree Creek is part of the following AP US History sections:
