Overview
The Second Battle of Dalton took place from August 14-15, 1864, in Whitfield County, in and near Dalton, Georgia, during the Atlanta Campaign. The battle developed from Confederate General John Bell Hood’s attempt to break General William T. Sherman’s Siege of Atlanta by attacking the Union supply line.
After Sherman’s forces pushed Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston’s army to the outskirts of Atlanta, Confederate President Jefferson Davis replaced Johnston with Hood on July 17. Hood launched costly attacks at the Battle of Peachtree Creek (July 20) and the Battle of Atlanta (July 22), but he failed to drive Sherman away from the city. In late July, Sherman placed Atlanta under siege.
Desperate to disrupt Sherman’s supply lines, Hood sent General Joseph Wheeler’s cavalry into northern Georgia to destroy railroad tracks. On August 15, Wheeler approached Dalton and demanded the surrender of the Union garrison. Colonel Bernard Laibolt refused.
Wheeler attacked and drove the Federals into fortifications outside town. Skirmishing continued into the night, but the Union troops held out. The next morning, Wheeler withdrew into eastern Tennessee. The battle ended as a Union victory because Wheeler failed to cut Sherman’s railroad supply line.
Essential Facts
- Date: August 14-15, 1864.
- Location: Whitfield County, in and near Dalton, Georgia.
- Participants: United States of America (USA), Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: James B. Steedman and Bernard Laibolt.
- CSA Commanders: Joseph Wheeler.
- Who Won: The United States won the Second Battle of Dalton.
- Campaign: Atlanta Campaign (1864).
- Era: Civil War, 1864, May–August, Civil War.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: 90, including 40 killed and 55 wounded.
- Forces Engaged: District of Etowah.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 800.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: 150 killed, wounded, captured, or missing.
- Forces Engaged: Wheeler’s Cavalry Corps of the Army of Tennessee.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 5,000.
Significance
The Second Battle of Dalton is important to American History because of the role it played in William T. Sherman’s effort to capture Atlanta, Georgia. John Bell Hood sent Joseph Wheeler’s cavalry north to break the Siege of Atlanta by destroying railroad tracks and disrupting Sherman’s supply line. Although Wheeler drove the Union garrison into fortifications outside Dalton, they refused to surrender and held out through the night. Wheeler’s failure to cut the railroad allowed Sherman’s forces to continue the siege
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’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.
Sherman Moves into Georgia
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.
Atlanta Under Siege
Hood launched costly attacks against Sherman’s armies on July 20 (Battle of Peachtree Creek) and July 22 (Battle of Atlanta) that produced high Confederate casualties (over 13,000 men killed, wounded, captured, and missing. Despite his high losses, Hood prevented Sherman from penetrating Atlanta from the north and from the east. Foiled in his efforts to capture the city by force, Sherman besieged Atlanta in late July.
Wheeler Threatens Sherman’s Supply Lines at Dalton
Desperate to break the siege, Hood sent Major General Joseph Wheeler’s cavalry to northern Georgia to destroy railroad tracks and disrupt Sherman’s supply lines. On August 15, Wheeler approached the town of Dalton and demanded the surrender of the Union garrison. The Northern commander, Colonel Bernard Laibolt, refused to surrender. Wheeler attacked and drove the Union garrison into fortifications outside of town. Skirmishing continued into the night, but the Federals held out. The next morning, Wheeler retired and moved his cavalry into eastern Tennessee.
Aftermath
The number of casualties at the Second Battle of Dalton is unknown. However, the battle was a Union victory, as Wheeler failed to cut the railroad supplying Sherman’s forces surrounding Atlanta.
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 — Union forces won the Battle of Peachtree Creek.
- 1864, July, 22 — Union forces won the Battle of Atlanta and initiated a siege.
- 1864, July 25-27 — Sherman moved the Army of the Tennessee to the west side of Atlanta.
- 1864, July 28 — Union forces won the Battle of Ezra Church.
- 1864, July 30 — Confederate forces won the Battle of Brown’s Mill.
- 1864, August 5–7 — The two armies fought the Battle of Utoy Creek, which was inconclusive.
- 1864, August 15
- Joseph Wheeler approached Dalton and demanded the surrender of the Union garrison.
- Bernard Laibolt refused to surrender, and Wheeler attacked Dalton.
- Wheeler drove the Union garrison into fortifications outside town.
- Skirmishing continued into the night, but the Federals held out.
- Wheeler retired and moved his cavalry into eastern Tennessee.
AP US History
Definition
Second Battle of Dalton (1864) — The Second Battle of Dalton was fought from August 14–15, 1864, in Whitfield County, in and near Dalton, Georgia, during the Atlanta Campaign. General Joseph Wheeler led roughly 5,000 Confederate cavalrymen against a Union garrison of roughly 800 soldiers. Colonel Bernard Laibolt refused Wheeler’s demand to surrender, and Union forces withdrew into fortifications outside town. Skirmishing continued into the night. Wheeler retired the next morning, failing to cut Sherman’s railroad supply line.
Alignment
The Second Battle of Dalton is part of the following AP US History sections:
