Battle of Brown's Mill facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Brown's Mill
Part of the American Civil War
Date July 30, 1864 (1864-07-30) Location Coweta County, Georgia Result Confederate victory
Belligerents
United States (Union)	CSA (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
Edward M. McCook	Joseph Wheeler
Units involved
First Cavalry Division Army of the Cumberland	Cavalry Corps Army of Tennessee
Casualties and losses
1,250	50

The Battle of Brown's Mill was a fight during the American Civil War. It happened on July 30, 1864, in Coweta County, Georgia. This battle was part of the larger Atlanta Campaign.

In this battle, Union cavalry led by Edward M. McCook was on a risky mission. They wanted to cut off important supply lines in Georgia. But they were defeated near Newnan, Georgia, by Confederate forces. These Confederate troops were led by Joseph Wheeler. Because McCook's mission failed, and another raid by George Stoneman also went wrong, General William T. Sherman had to start a siege of Atlanta.

Why the Battle Happened

During the Atlanta Campaign, General William T. Sherman wanted to avoid a long siege of Atlanta. A siege means surrounding a city to cut off supplies. To prevent this, he sent two groups of Union cavalry. Their job was to ride south of Atlanta and cut the enemy's supply and communication lines.

Maj. Gen. George Stoneman led one cavalry group. They went to the southeast. Brig. Gen. Edward M. McCook led the other group. His cavalry was to cut railroads southwest of Atlanta. McCook was also supposed to meet up with Stoneman. After that, they planned to attack the Andersonville prison camp. They hoped to free the 32,000 prisoners held there.

McCook's Risky Ride

McCook's cavalry crossed the Chattahoochee River on a special pontoon bridge. They reached Palmetto first. There, they cut the Atlanta & West Point Railroad. On July 28, they captured and burned over 1,000 Confederate supply wagons. This happened in Fayetteville. McCook's soldiers also caused a lot of damage to people's homes and farms.

Early the next morning, McCook's raiders reached Lovejoy's Station. This was twenty-three miles south of Atlanta. They began destroying the Macon & Western Railroad. However, General McCook called off the raid. He turned back across the river. This was because Stoneman did not show up as they had planned.

The Battle of Brown's Mill

As McCook's division tried to return to the main Union army, they were attacked. This happened near Brown's Mill, three miles south of Newnan. Confederate cavalry, led by Joseph Wheeler, surprised them. McCook thought about surrendering. But instead, he let his officers try to lead their groups out separately.

McCook's forces were completely defeated. He lost 1,285 men, 1,200 horses, and several ambulances. He also lost two spiked cannons. About 100 of his men were killed or wounded. Wheeler's forces also freed about 300 Confederate prisoners. McCook had captured these prisoners earlier. Wheeler's losses were very small, only 50 men.

After the Battle

Stoneman's forces also faced a disaster. General Stoneman was captured by the Confederates. He became the highest-ranking Union officer to be a prisoner of war during the Civil War. Many of his and McCook's soldiers ended up in Andersonville prison. This was ironic, as freeing those prisoners was their original goal.

The Battle of Brown's Mill changed the Atlanta Campaign. It forced General Sherman to stop trying to use cavalry to cut Atlanta's railroads. Instead, he had to begin a long siege against the city, which he had wanted to avoid.

McCook later took his remaining men north into Tennessee. This happened when Sherman sent the Army of the Cumberland to chase John Bell Hood. McCook fought well during the rest of the war. His big defeat at Brown's Mill was the main problem on his service record.