After the war, Cox applies those same attributes to his books, Sherman's Battle for Atlanta and Sherman's March to the Sea, two volumes in the landmark series Campaigns of the Civil War.In Atlanta Cox offers readers a compact, comprehensive, and balanced history of that campaign. But things didn't work out very well. Rather than attacking with his entire army, Sherman decided to flank Johnston, a move that became common place in the campaign. However, the capture of Atlanta made an enormous contribution to Union morale and was an important factor in the re-election of President Abraham Lincoln. However, by June, a steady stream of reinforcements brought Sherman's strength to 112,000. With their arrival and victory there, the last life line to Atlanta was effectively cut. On November 15, 1864, Sherman set out for Savannah, leaving much of Atlanta either in flames or charred ruins. When federal pontoons arrived on July 8, Howard crossed the river and outflanked the Pace's Ferry defenders. "Atlanta Campaign" was the name given by historians to the military operations that took place in North Georgia during the spring ans summer of 1864 in the Civil War.Johnson's group had to keep Sherman's troops from advacning to Georgia. Sherman knew that if he could take Atlanta, he would deprive the South of much-needed resources and open up a gateway for the Union to march across Georgia and meet up with Union forces in the East. Confederate President Jefferson Davis replaced Johnston with Hood on July 18, believing the latter's more aggressive tactics would be a match for Sherman. Bvt. Johnston fell back to Resaca, where on May 14 and 15, the two armies fought the first battle of the campaign. On the morning of June 27, Sherman sent his troops forward after an artillery bombardment. just create an account. study General Howard's IV corps advanced on Pace's Ferry on the river. Since his former commander had been replaced for being too defensive, Hood had no choice but to attack. Hardee's Order of Battle during Sherman's March. To learn more, visit our Earning Credit Page. The two columns engaged the enemy at Buzzard Roost (Mill Creek Gap) and at Dug Gap. Sherman was given the task of pursuing Confederate General Joseph Johnston's Army of Tennessee while simultaneously damaging Confederate war resources. The campaign began with Sherman's troops leaving the captured city of Atlanta on November 15 and ended with the capture of the port of Savannah on December 21. Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the U.S. Confederate States presidential election of 1861, Cotton States and International Exposition, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Atlanta_campaign&oldid=995769045, Military operations of the American Civil War in Georgia (U.S. state), Campaigns of the Western Theater of the American Civil War, Articles with dead external links from October 2016, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Beginning- 60,000 Infantry, 11,000 cavalry, 7,000 Artillery. By early 1864 most Confederate Southerners had probably given up hopes of winning the war by conquering Union territory. Study.com has thousands of articles about every [12], After the Union defeat at New Hope Church, Sherman ordered Howard to attack Johnston's seemingly exposed right flank. After a series of significant battles in north Georgia, Sherman’s troops began crossing the Chattahoochee River just north of […] NEW - Dallas Johnston was a conservative general with a reputation for withdrawing his army before serious contact would result; this was certainly his pattern against George B. McClellan in the Peninsula Campaign of 1862. [10], After Johnston retreated to Allatoona Pass from May 19 to 20, Sherman decided that attacking Johnston there would be too costly, so he determined to move around Johnston's left flank and steal a march toward Dallas. GPS: 34.1134, -84.7148. Schofield and McPherson had drawn away to the east, leaving Thomas on his own. This masterly campaign comprised a series of cat-and-mouse moves by the rival commanders. American Battlefield Trust’s map of the Civil War's Atlanta Campaign. Casualties for the campaign were roughly equal in absolute numbers: 31,687 Union (4,423 killed, 22,822 wounded, 4,442 missing/captured) and 34,979 Confederate (3,044 killed, 18,952 wounded, 12,983 missing/captured). 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Sandford Case, Student Resources for High School US History, Early Civilizations & The Ancient Near East, California Sexual Harassment Refresher Course: Supervisors, California Sexual Harassment Refresher Course: Employees. [22], In late August, Sherman determined that if he could cut Hood's railroad supply lines, the Confederates would have to evacuate Atlanta. to the Sea, the most destructive campaign against a civilian population during the Civil War (1861-65), began in Atlanta on November 15, 1864, and concluded in Savannah on December 21, 1864. Sherman was facing General Johnston who had a history of being very timid when it came to fighting. Skirmishes at Cass Station and Cassville. Over the next two weeks, Hood launched several fierce assaults against Sherman's forces. 52–54, Western Theater of the American Civil War, Troop engagements of the American Civil War, 1864, List of costliest American Civil War land battles, The American Battlefield Protection Program, National Park Service battle descriptions, Summary of the Principal Events, pp 52–54, Engagement at Bald (or Leggett's) Hill July 21, 1863, Georgia Constitutional Convention of 1861, List of Union Civil War monuments and memorials, List of memorials to the Grand Army of the Republic, List of Confederate monuments and memorials, Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials. Sherman's opponent in the Atlanta Campaign was a defensively minded general, characteristics that suited him well for the task at hand. Sherman commanded a brigade at the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861. 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