Battle of Atlanta facts for kids
The Battle of Atlanta was a very important fight during the American Civil War. It happened on July 22, 1864. This battle was part of a bigger plan called the Atlanta Campaign. Union Army General William Tecumseh Sherman led the Union forces.
The city of Atlanta was super important for the Confederacy. It was a major place for supplies and a huge railroad center. Losing Atlanta was a big blow to the South. Many historians believe it helped bring the Civil War to an end.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
The War So Far
The Civil War had been going on for three long years. In 1864, Ulysses S. Grant became the main general for all Union armies. Before this, the Confederate armies, though smaller, often moved quickly to fight Union armies one by one. This helped them win many battles.
Grant decided to change this. He planned for all his armies to attack the Confederate armies at the same time. This would keep the smaller Southern armies busy. Grant himself led the Army of the Potomac against Confederate General Robert E. Lee near Richmond, the Confederate capital. General Sherman was given the job of moving his armies against the Confederate Army of Tennessee. His main goal was to capture Atlanta, the second-largest city in the South. Capturing Atlanta would help the Union win the war faster.
Politics and the President
In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln was facing a tough time politically. When he was first elected in 1860, he didn't win most of the popular votes. He was not very popular when the war started in 1861. Seven Southern states had already left the Union to form the Confederacy.
The war had been difficult for the Union. Even with a much larger army, they had lost many battles. Lincoln needed some big victories if he wanted to be reelected president in November 1864. A successful Atlanta Campaign could help him win the election and stay in office.
The Atlanta Campaign Begins
The push towards Atlanta started on May 6, 1864. General Sherman had over 100,000 soldiers. He split them into three armies. The Confederate army, led by General Joseph E. Johnston, was only about half the size of Sherman's force.
Sherman used his larger army to slowly push Johnston back. He used two of his armies to face Johnston directly. His third army would try to go around the Confederate side, a move called a flanking maneuver. Johnston's plan was to "trade space for men and time." He avoided big battles. Instead, he tried to slow Sherman down and bother his army whenever he could.
It took Sherman 72 days to march only 100 miles. Johnston hoped to wear out the Union army. But Jefferson Davis, the Confederate president, was unhappy. He fired Johnston for not stopping Sherman. He gave command to John Bell Hood, who was Johnston's second-in-command.
The Battle of Atlanta
When General Hood took over, Sherman was only five miles from Atlanta. Hood was known as a very aggressive general. He was determined to defend Atlanta.
On July 20, Hood's army attacked a part of the Union army. This was General George Henry Thomas's Army of the Cumberland. The other Union armies were moving around the Confederate side and couldn't help Thomas right away. But Thomas's soldiers held their ground. The Confederates had to pull back after losing about 2,500 men.
Hood attacked again on July 22. He sent his entire army against General James B. McPherson's Army of the Tennessee. This was on Sherman's left side. The battle started around noon and lasted until midnight.
During the intense fighting, General McPherson noticed a gap in the Union lines. He rode out with an officer to try and close it. He suddenly came across Confederate soldiers who told him to surrender. McPherson turned his horse to escape, but he was shot and killed. At one point, the Union line broke. But cannon fire from another Union army and a strong counterattack pushed the Confederates back.
Hood's army suffered heavy losses, about 8,000 men. The Union lost 3,722 soldiers. After the battle, Hood pulled his troops back to defend Atlanta. His attacks had cost him many soldiers, which the Confederacy could not afford to lose.
Sherman then set up his cannons and began bombing Atlanta. This lasted for a month. Then, Sherman moved most of his armies away, leaving only a small force. Just as he planned, Hood's army followed them to Jonesboro, Georgia. Sherman's army then destroyed the railway tracks leading back to Atlanta.
The Battle of Jonesborough lasted two days, ending on September 1. After losing even more soldiers, what was left of Hood's army burned their supplies and ammunition. They then left Atlanta. Sherman finally took control of Atlanta. This was a huge loss for the Confederacy. It almost guaranteed that Lincoln would be reelected. The Battle of Atlanta marked the halfway point in the Atlanta Campaign.
Images for kids
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Palisades and chevaux de frise (defenses) in front of the Potter House, Atlanta, Georgia, 1864
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Map of the Atlanta Campaign: Atlanta and Vicinity (Summer 1864).
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A sketch of the Battle of Atlanta, July 22, 1864.
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The ruins of Atlanta's Union Depot after Sherman's troops burned it in 1864.
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A historical marker about Atlanta's surrender.
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The Potter House in Atlanta was used by Confederate sharpshooters until Union cannons targeted it.
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Map of the Atlanta Battlefield by the American Battlefield Protection Program.
