When was atlanta captured by sherman

Although Hood came closer to victory than at any other time, the Confederates were ultimately repulsed. Sherman did not intend to assault the strong earthworks surrounding Atlanta, but planned to capture the city by cutting its railroads and starving Hood out.

Union troops had cut the line running east to Augusta, and cavalry in Alabama had damaged the line to Montgomery. Sherman's movements west of the city to cut that railroad led to battles at Ezra Church July 28 and Utoy Creek August As Hood extended his lines during August, Sherman's artillery bombarded the city and its several thousand remaining residents.

Around this time, Hood sent Maj. Joseph Wheeler and his cavalry into north Georgia and Tennessee to cut Sherman's rail lines; they also failed. Finally, on August 25, Sherman sent most of his infantry corps on a wide swing toward Jonesboro, 17 miles south of Atlanta, determined to cut the railroad.

Union troops reached it on August With their arrival and victory there, the last life line to Atlanta was effectively cut. Hood was forced to abandon Atlanta on the night of September 1, and the city surrendered to Federal forces the following morning. Battle casualties for the four-month campaign totaled approximately 34, for the North and about 35, for the South. Sherman's capture of Atlanta was a major blow to the Confederacy, all but assuring President Abraham Lincoln 's re-election two months later, and setting the stage for Sherman's March to the Sea.

Civil War Article. The Atlanta Campaign. A Strategic Overview. These earthworks--crucial to Johnston's defense at Resaca--were destroyed in 20th Century when I swept through the heart of the battlefield. National Archives. Johnston's Army of Tennessee used the hills around Dalton to create a defensive barrier. Library of Congress Sherman enjoyed numerical superiority, but he did not use it in blunt frontal attacks as Grant was doing against Lee in Virginia.

The battered landscape of Peach Tree Creek after heavy fighting between Hood and Sherman's forces National Archives Sherman did not intend to assault the strong earthworks surrounding Atlanta, but planned to capture the city by cutting its railroads and starving Hood out. Related Articles. Rev War Article. Sherman to command the fifth advance against Gen. Joseph E. Johnston was charged with defending Atlanta, the largest industrial, logistical, and administrative center outside of Richmond.

Atlanta was at the junction of four railroads that connected all remaining Confederate-held territory east of the Mississippi River. By early July, Johnston had fallen back into the defenses of Atlanta.

Hood on July Both ended in defeat and led to the fall of Atlanta in September. The capture of such a valuable Confederate stronghold boosted Northern morale, helped ensure the reelection of President Abraham Lincoln in November, and precipitated the downfall of the Confederacy. On July 21, , Maj. Major General James B. Hood plans for the corps of Lt. William J. Hardee to drop back from its lines north of the city into the main fortified perimeter on the night of July 21—22; the remaining corps of Maj.

Alexander P. Stewart and Maj. Benjamin F. Cheatham will follow. Cheatham will support Hardee from the east edge of Atlanta. July Then rough terrain adds further delay, and Confederate Maj. Walker is killed while getting his division into place. The Federals have better luck. By chance, a Union Sixteenth Corps division under Brig. Thomas W. He rides off to see how Maj.

Richard Beard of the Fifth Confederate Infantry later remembered:. I threw up my sword as a signal for him to surrender. He checked his horse, raised his hat in salute, wheeled to the right and dashed off to the rear in a gallop. Corporal Coleman, standing near me, was ordered to fire, and it was his shot that brought General McPherson down. Then the Southerners run up against infantry and artillery on a treeless hilltop occupied by Brig.

Around p. At the end of the afternoon, the Confederates retire back to their initial positions. The armies meet again at Ezra Church on July 28, which earns the Union another victory.

Worn out after that, both armies settle in for a siege of the city that lasts throughout August. McPherson, a skilled army engineer and accomplished officer, proved his mettle at Fort Donelson and Shiloh. Sherman in his efforts to capture Atlanta, in March Sherman wrote:. Confederate general Hood, who had attended West Point with McPherson, expressed heartfelt grief for an opponent who was also a friend:.

Even before the Atlanta Campaign, Davis thought Johnston was too cautious a general. He had an early victory at the First Battle of Bull Run Manassas in July , and while his performance earned him a promotion to full general, it also set off a feud with Davis, who criticized him for not pursuing the retreating Union Army.

But Johnston was equally displeased with the Confederate president. After learning that his promotion to full general still placed him below other officers, including Robert E. Although some initially speculated that the crash was the result of terrorism, as it came exactly two Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. On November 12, , Scott Peterson is convicted of murdering his wife Laci and their unborn son. A jury of six men and six women delivered the verdict 23 months after Laci Peterson, who was pregnant, disappeared on Christmas Eve from Modesto, California.

The case captivated During their stay, Grossberg gave birth to a 6 pound, 2 ounce baby. When the infant was later found dead in a trash container behind the motel, the strange and unsettling story drew national attention.

Following the death of long-time Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev two days earlier, Yuri Andropov is selected as the new general secretary of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union. It was the culmination of a long, but steady march up the Communist Party hierarchy for Andropov.

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