Battle of Utoy Creek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Utoy Creek |
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| Part of the American Civil War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States (Union) |
 CSA (Confederacy) |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| William T. Sherman John M. Schofield John Palmer |
John Bell Hood Stephen D. Lee William B. Bate |
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| Units involved | |||||||
| XXIII Corps XIV Corps |
Army of Tennessee | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 850 | 345 | ||||||
The Battle of Utoy Creek was a fight during the American Civil War. It happened from August 4 to 7, 1864. This battle was part of the larger Atlanta Campaign.
General William T. Sherman led the Union forces. They were trying to surround the city of Atlanta, Georgia. The city was defended by Confederate soldiers. Their leader was General John Bell Hood.
Sherman wanted to cut off supplies to Atlanta. He planned to attack the railroad lines. This battle was one of his direct attacks. A big success here could have ended the siege. It might have won Atlanta for the Union.
Contents
The Battle Begins
General Sherman had tried to attack the Confederates before. That attempt was at the Battle of Ezra Church. It did not work as he hoped. So, Sherman decided to try a new plan. He wanted to reach the railroad lines. These lines ran between East Point and Atlanta.
Sherman moved some of his troops. He sent Major General John M. Schofield and his XXIII Corps. They moved from the left side of the Union army. They went to the right side. Their goal was to cross Utoy Creek.
Schofield's troops arrived at Utoy Creek on August 2. But they did not cross right away. They waited until August 4. The XIV Corps joined them.
Fighting at Utoy Creek
The Union soldiers attacked first. They faced Confederate soldiers led by J. Patton Anderson's Division. This first attack was not successful for the Union.
The Confederates used a clever trick. They had cavalry soldiers. These soldiers got off their horses. They pretended to be infantry. This trick helped them delay the Union forces. It gave the Confederates more time.
Schofield tried another move on August 5. It started well. But then he had to stop. He needed to get his soldiers organized again. This took the rest of the day.
The delay helped the Confederates. They used the time to make their defenses stronger. They built a barrier called an abatis. This is a wall made of fallen trees. It has sharpened branches pointing out.
Union Attack and Confederate Defense
The Union attack started again on August 6. The abatis slowed them down. The Confederates fought back hard. Soldiers from William B. Bate's division pushed the Union back.
The Union suffered many losses. They failed to break through the main defenses. They could not reach the railroad.
On August 7, the Union troops moved forward again. They had small fights with the Confederates. They also dug trenches to protect themselves. Union forces stayed in this area. They were there until late August 1864.
Sherman realized Schofield's plan was not working. So, he decided to try something else. He planned to attack the Confederate supply lines directly.
Brave Actions and Awards
Even though the battle was tough, some soldiers showed great bravery.
Private Samuel Grimshaw was one of them. He was from the XIV Army Corps. He received the Medal of Honor. This was for his brave actions during the main attack. He fought against a Confederate artillery battery. This happened on August 6, 1864.
Private Benjamin Van Raalte was also very brave. He was nominated for the Medal of Honor. He helped get back his unit's flag. This flag belonged to the 25th Michigan Infantry. Confederate soldiers had captured it.
The Confederate commander, Lieutenant General Steven D. Lee, praised his soldiers. He especially mentioned Bate's Division. He said they pushed back a stronger enemy. They also captured 200 Union prisoners. And they took three of the Union's flags.
