Battle of Atlanta

This article is about the battle during the American Civil War. For the 1983 professional wrestling match, see Last Battle of Atlanta.

Battle of Atlanta
Part of the American Civil War

Confederate fortifications on the southeast side
DateJuly 22, 1864 (1864-07-22)[1]
Location
Fulton and DeKalb counties, Georgia[1]
33°44′45″N 84°20′56″W / 33.7459°N 84.3488°W / 33.7459; -84.3488
Result Union victory[1]
Belligerents
 United States (Union)  Confederate States
Commanders and leaders
United States William T. Sherman[1]
United States James B. McPherson †		 Confederate States of America John Bell Hood[1]
Confederate States of America William J. Hardee[1]
Units involved

United States Military Division of the Mississippi:[1]

Confederate States of America Army of Tennessee[1]
Strength
34,863[fn 1] 40,438[fn 2]
Casualties and losses
3,722[2]

5,500[3][4]

5,000 (according to Col. Taylor Beatty of General Hood's staff)[4]
Atlanta is located in Georgia
Atlanta
Atlanta
class=notpageimage|
Location within Georgia

The Battle of Atlanta took place during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War on July 22, 1864, just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Continuing their summer campaign to seize the important rail and supply hub of Atlanta, Union forces commanded by William Tecumseh Sherman overwhelmed and defeated Confederate forces defending the city under John Bell Hood. Union Major General James B. McPherson was killed during the battle, the second-highest-ranking Union officer killed in action during the war. Despite the implication of finality in its name, the battle occurred midway through the Atlanta campaign, and the city did not fall until September 2, 1864, after a Union siege and various attempts to seize railroads and supply lines leading to Atlanta. After taking the city, Sherman's troops headed south-southeastward toward Milledgeville, the state capital, and on to Savannah with the March to the Sea.

The fall of Atlanta was especially noteworthy for its political ramifications. In the 1864 election, former Union General George B. McClellan, a Democrat, ran against President Lincoln, although he repudiated his own party's platform, calling for an armistice with the Confederacy. The capture of Atlanta and Hood's burning of military facilities as he evacuated were extensively covered by Northern newspapers, significantly boosting Northern morale, and Lincoln was re-elected by a significant margin.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Cite error: The named reference NPSAtlanta was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Davis, Stephen, All the Fighting They Want: The Atlanta Campaign from Peachtree Creek to the City's Surrender, July 18–September 2, 1864 (Emerging Civil War Series), p. 99
  3. ^ Bonds 2009, p. 172.
  4. ^ a b Castel, Albert E. (1992). Decision in the West: The Atlanta Campaign of 1864. Modern War Studies. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas. p. 412. ISBN 9780700605620. OCLC 25712831.


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