battle of Atlanta
In 1864, General William T. Sherman was sent to seize one of the most important cities of the South. Atlanta. He bagan the Atlanta Campaign on
May 9th. Atlanta was deep in enemy territory, so there are many battles that precede the Battle of Atlanta, nine to be specific. General Sherman had three other generals with him on this campaign. They were General George Thomas, General John Schofield, and General James McPherson. Atlanta was first defended by General Johnston and later by General John Hood.
May 9th. Atlanta was deep in enemy territory, so there are many battles that precede the Battle of Atlanta, nine to be specific. General Sherman had three other generals with him on this campaign. They were General George Thomas, General John Schofield, and General James McPherson. Atlanta was first defended by General Johnston and later by General John Hood.
Map of Atlanta
Jefferson Davis ordered General Joseph Johnston to stop the campaign, but Johnston was only able to delay it. Johnston decided to retreat and defend from Atlanta, but Jefferson did not like that. General Hood was sent to replace Johnston. General Hood attacked Union forces in the north, east, and west, and 3 battles were fought and lost. The Battle of Atlanta took place on July 22, 1864. General Sherman eventually reached the railroads south of Atlanta in the middle of August, and he was able to cut the Confederate forces from their supplies.
aftermath of Atlanta
General Hood realized he lost, so he took his forces and retreated from Atlanta, but not before destroying any supplies the Union could use. General Sherman took the city of Atlanta in early September. He made all of the civilians evacuate the city, and he burned it on November 15 when he left. In just the Battle of Atlanta, around 7,500 Union soldiers were dead, injured, or missing while around the Confederacy suffered 16,500 casualties from this battle. The Battle for Atlanta was a suuuper huge victory for the Union and raised their hopes while it did the opposite for the Confederacy. It also helped increase President Lincoln's popularity and his chances in the next election.
Interesting Facts!
The first picture includes the death of General McPherson, and the picture just above this shows Union soldiers in control of a Confederate fort. The Union armies that were involved in this campaign were the Army of Ohio, the Army of Cumberland, and the Army of Tennessee. These armies were a part of the Military Division of Mississippi.