Yesterday, 02:12 AM
(This post was last modified: 7 hours ago by Top Row Dawg.)
July 22nd 1864
The Battle of Atlanta…………….
After Peachtree Creek, Hood decided to withdraw, enticing the Union troops to come forward. Sherman, when informed early on the morning of July 22 that the enemy seemed to have withdrawn from in front of McPherson and Schofield, at once concluded that Hood was evacuating Atlanta and so instructed Schofield to occupy the city while the rest of the army gave pursuit. Then, on discovering that strong Confederate forces still occupied a line closer to Atlanta, Sherman decided that Hood intended to hold the place after all and that therefore the time had come to execute the strategy for taking it that he had outlined to Grant back in April: cut its railroad connections to the Confederacy.
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One of these, the line between Atlanta and Montgomery, already had been severed by a recent raid out of Tennessee into Alabama by Major General Lovell Rousseau's cavalry. Hence Sherman ordered McPherson to send Dodge's XVI Corps back to the Decatur area to wreak further destruction on the Georgia Railroad to Augusta, after which the Army of the Tennessee would swing south, then west below Atlanta to strike the Macon & Western Railroad, the breaking of which would completely isolate the city.
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McPherson did not like this order and he went to Sherman up by the present day Jimmy Carter Library to tell him why: large Confederate forces had been seen moving south and he feared an attack on his vulnerable left flank. Sherman, although he thought McPherson's concern was unwarranted, agreed to postpone the implementation of the order until 1 P.M. If by then the Rebels had not attacked, they never would. McPherson's army closed in from Decatur, Georgia, to the east side of Atlanta down where Memorial Drive and I-20 run parallel today.
Meanwhile, Hood ordered Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee's corps on a march around the Union left flank (below I-20), had Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler's cavalry march near Sherman's supply line in Decatur, and had Maj. Gen. Benjamin Cheatham's corps attack the Union front back up at present Moreland Avenue at DeKalb Avenue where the train tracks are beside Inman Park.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...eR4IuA--~B Sherman watches battle from Jimmy Carter Library.
The morning passed and no attack came. At noon Sherman sent a message to McPherson instructing him to direct Dodge to send Brigadier General John Fuller's division of the XVI Corps back to Decatur to tear up tracks but to leave that corps other division, Sweeny's, where it was, namely to the rear of McPherson's flank to which point it had marched during the morning after having been posted the previous evening on the right flank of the Army of the Tennessee to plug a gap between it and the XXIII Corps. McPherson did as Sherman directed. But before his dispatch could reach Dodge, an increasingly loud sound of firing came from the southeast.
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It was Hardee, at long last launching his attack on the Union left and rear down along Memorial Drive today. It took longer than expected for Hardee to get his men in position, and during that time, McPherson had correctly deduced a possible threat to his left flank, and sent XVI Corps, his reserve, to help strengthen it. Hardee's force met this other force, and the battle began. His timing could not have been more unfavorable. Had it occurred either an hour sooner or an hour later, his two right divisions, Bate's and Walker's, would have met no opposition or only Sweeny's division. Instead, they encountered both Fuller and Sweeny. And to make matters worse, Bate's troops had to struggle across a swamp and Walker was killed by a Federal sniper before he could even deploy his division. As a result, the Confederate attack in this sector lacked cohesion and punch and soon was repulsed. Although the initial Confederate attack was repulsed, the Union left flank began to retreat.
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Back in Decatur, Brig. Gen. John W. Sprague, in command of the 2nd Brigade, 4th Division of the XVI Corps, was attacked by Wheeler's Cavalry. Wheeler had taken the Fayetteville Road while Hardee's column took the Flat Shoals Road toward McPherson's position. The Federals fled Decatur in a stampede but managed to save the ordnance and supply trains. Wheeler, although he took Decatur, failed to capture McPherson's wagon train, which escaped along with most of the Federals defending the place. With the failure of Hardee's assault, Wheeler was in no position to hold Decatur and fell back into Atlanta that night. Sprague was later awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...BXGDcw--~B Sprague's brigade at Decatur, Georgia.
Cleburne's troops under Hardee, enjoyed better luck upon going into action, for they happened to enter a wide gap between the right of XVI Corps and the left of the XVII Corps, which was at the south end of McPherson's line facing Atlanta. Furthermore, as they advanced McPherson himself, accompanied only by an orderly, came riding among them on his way to check the XVII Corps' situation after witnessing he XVI Corps beat back Bate's and Walker's attack. The Confederates yelled at him to surrender; instead he tried to escape and was shot dead from his horse. As he demonstrated on May 9 at Resaca, and two days earlier on the road to Atlanta, he was too lacking in aggressiveness to be a first-rate combat commander, but his caution served the Union cause well on July 22. He is still one of the highest ranking American officers to ever be killed in combat.
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Pushing on, Cleburne's men struck the flank and rear of the XVII Corps while part of Cheatham's Division, still under Maney, assailed its front. These attacks, however, were uncoordinated, enabling the Federals to repel them by scrambling from one side of their entrenchments to the other. Not until after nearly two hours of bloody fighting did one of Cleburne's brigades join with one of Maney's to hit the Union line simultaneously in front and rear, causing the XVII Corps to fall back to a bald hill which, because of its height, dominated the battlefield and so was the key to it.
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Hoping to help Hardee and Cleburne take the hill, Hood ordered Cheatham to use his other brigades to attack the XV Corps , which was astride the Georgia Railroad well north and to the right of the XVII Corps. Thanks to an inadequately defended railroad cut, two brigades from Brigadier General John C. Brown's Division (formerly Hindman's) penetrated the XV Corps' line and captured a four-gun battery.
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The main lines of battle now formed an "L" shape, with Hardee's attack forming the lower part of the "L" and Cheatham's attack on the Union front as the vertical member of the "L". Hood intended to attack the Union troops from both east and west. The fighting centered around the hill now located at I-20 and Moreland Avenue east of the city known as Bald (Leggett's ) Hill. The Federals had arrived two days earlier there and began to shell the city proper, killing several civilians. A savage struggle, sometimes hand-to-hand, developed around the hill.
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Hardee continued to assault the bald hill with both infantry and artillery until after it was dark, but to no avail as its defenders held on grimly. (The hill became known as Leggett's Hill after the commander of the XVII Corps division that defended it, Brigadier General Mortimer Leggett, who after the war purchased it.) The Federals held the hill while the Confederates retired to a point just south of there.
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Meanwhile, two miles to the north, Cheatham's troops had broken through the Union lines at the Georgia railroad. Their success, however, was short-lived. In response, twenty artillery pieces were positioned near Sherman's headquarters at Copen Hill and shelled the Confederates. A Union counterattack, personally led by "Black Jack" Logan, who had assumed command of the Army of the Tennessee on McPherson's death, drove the Confederates back and restored the XV Corps' front. This is the image captured in the Cyclorama painting. After all he commissioned the painting for his political campaign.
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Night ended what would be called the Battle of Atlanta, the largest engagement of the Atlanta campaign, one that cost the Confederates about 5,500 casualties and the Federals 3,641 casualties, including Maj. Gen. McPherson. A large proportion of that figure was prisoners from the XVII Corps. This was a devastating loss for the already reduced Confederate Army, but they still held the city. Again Hood failed in an attempt to smash a wing of Sherman's army, a failure he attributed to Hardee for allegedly not carrying out orders to strike the Union rear but which in truth was caused by the semifortuitous presence of the XVI Corps in position to protect that rear and the steady fortitude of the soldiers of the XVII Corps. On the other hand, Sherman deserved little credit for the Federal victory, a victory which probably would have been a defeat had not McPherson persuaded Sherman to modify his orders regarding the XVI Corps. Moreover, during Cheatham's attack on the XV Corps, Sherman rejected proposals from Schofield and Howard that their corps strike Cheatham's exposed left flank, a move that almost surely would have led to the rout of two-thirds of Hood's army.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...pWpeWQ--~B Sherman (illuminated) surveying the battlefield, in front of the Augustus Hurt House, east of Atlanta.
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Hood's report……………….
NEAR ATLANTA, July 22, 1864-10.30 p. m.
Honorable J. A. SEDDON, Richmond:
The army shifted its position last night, fronting Peach Tree Creek, and formed line of battle around the city with Stewart's and Cheatham's corps. General Hardee, with his corps, made a night march and attacked the enemy's extreme left at 1 o'clock to-day; drove him from his works, capturing 16 pieces of artillery and 5 stand of colors. Major-General Cheatham attacked the enemy at 4 p. m. with a portion of his command; drove the enemy, capturing 6 pieces of artillery. During the engagements we captured about 2,000 prisoners, but loss not fully ascertained. Major-General Walker killed; Brigadier-General Smith, Gist, and Mercer wounded. Our troops fought with great gallantry.
J. B. HOOD,General.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6041/62786...4215_z.jpg Spot where Hood watched Battle of Atlanta in present day Oakland Cemetery.
Sherman's report…………………..
NEAR ATLANTA, GA., July 23, 1864-10.30 a. m.
Major General H. W. HALLECK, Washington, D. C.:
Yesterday morning the enemy fell back to the entrenchments proper of the city of Atlanta, which are in a general circle of a radius of one mile and a half we closed in. While we were forming our lines and selecting positions for batteries, the enemy appeared suddenly out of the dense woods in heavy masses on our extreme left, and struck the Seventeenth Corps (General Blair's) in flank, and was forcing it back, when the Sixteenth (General Dodge's) came up and checked the movement, but the enemy's cavalry got well to our rear and into Decatur, and for some hours our left was completely enveloped. The fighting that resulted was continuous until night, with heavy loss on both sides. The enemy took one of our batteries (Murray's, of the Regular Army) that was marching in its placing in column on the road unconscious of danger. About 4 p. m. the enemy sallied against the division of General Morgan L. Smith, which occupied an abandoned line of rifle-trenches near the railroad, east of the city, and forced it back some 400 yards, leaving in his hands for the time two batteries, but the ground and batteries were immediately after recovered by the same troops, re-enforced.
I cannot well approximate our loss, which fell heaviest on the Fifteenth and Seventeenth Corps, but count it 3,000; but I know that, being on the defensive, we have inflicted equally heavy loss on the enemy. General McPherson, when arranging his troops, about 11 a. m., and passing from one column to another, unconsciously rode upon an ambuscade without apprehension and at some distance ahead of his staff and ordered and was shot dead. His body was sent in charge of his personal staff back to Marietta and Chattanooga. His loss at that moment was most serious, but General Logan at once arranged the troops, and had immediate direction of them during the rest of the day. Our left, though refused somewhat, is still within easy cannon-range of Atlanta. The enemy seems to man his extensive parapets and, at the same time, has to spare heavy assaulting columns; but to-day we will intrench our front lines, which will give me troops to spare to meet these assault. I cannot of the loss of more than a few wagons, taken by the enemy's cavalry his temporary pause in Decatur, whence all the trains had been securely removed to the rear of the main army, under of a brigade of infantry, commanded by Colonel Sprague. During the heavy attack on the left, the remainder of the line was not engaged.
W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...lVTeJQ--~B Painting the Cyclorama.
Here is my driving tour of the Battle of Atlanta. As with the Peachtree Creek battle, I have pasted what each Historical marker says.
You take I-20 from downtown toward Augusta. You get off at Glenwood Avenue. You go left or east on Glenwood. Take left to three marker's.
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Bate's Div. at Terry's Mill Pond Marker is at the intersection of Glenwood Avenue (Georgia Route 260) and Interstate 20, on the right when traveling east on Glenwood Avenue.
July 22, 1864. Bate's, together with Walker's div., Hardee's A.C., (CS) having moved up Sugar Cr. valley W. of Terry's mill pond, were deployed in this area for a surprise attack on Federal troops posted N.W. of here on Flat Shoals Rd. While Bate's div. was being hastily shifted E. of the creek, Lewis' "Orphan Brigade" and part of Tyler's were subjected to random artillery fire from Federal batteries northward, when crossing the upper end of the mill pond and its swampy margin. Bate aligned his forces E. of the creek and moved N. in the wooded area to be confronted by the Federal 16th A.C.
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https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...26VG7w--~B View of Old Terry's Mill Pond. View towards north end of what is now Memorial Park. Terry's Mill Pond Marker is at the intersection of Glenwood Avenue SE (County Route 260) and across fromWilkinson Drive SE on Glenwood Avenue SE. Near the overpass of Interstate 20, at the south end of DeKalb Memorial Park.
The flat area S. was the bed of Terry's mill pond - the impounded waters of Sugar Cr. Tom Terry (1823-1861) operated the grist mill that stood 800 yds. downstream. It was burned by Federal troops July 29, 1864 & was rebuilt and operated some years after the war.The considerable area of the pond made it a notable landmark in the 1850's-1860's, & further prominence attached because it is cited in military annals recording the movements of Walker's & Bate's divs., Hardee's corps, (CS) to the battlefield of July 22, 1864, which indicate that Gen. Walker was killed near the upper end of the mill pond.
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Death of General Walker Marker is at the intersection of Glenwood Avenue (Georgia Route 260) and Wilkenson Dr SE, on the left when traveling east on Glenwood Avenue.
Can see cannon in grassy island. July 22, 1864. Maj. Gen. W.H.T. Walker, commanding a div. of Hardee's A.C., (CS) while directing his troops toward the battlefield, reached a close proximity to this spot at noon where, pausing to reconnoiter the area, he was shot from horse by a Federal picket. Gen. Walker was succeeded by Gen. Hugh Mercer, who deployed the div. in Sugar Cr. valley just W. of this marker. Bate's div. advanced on this side of the creek. The northward movement of these troops, far from being a rear attack on the Federals, as contemplated, struck 2 divs. of the Federal 16th A.C. which happened to be in their front (at Clay St. & Memorial Dr.)
We have done a tangent of General Walker as a separate document along with death of General McPherson later today.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...fQFTBw--~B Statue of Gen. Walker on the Augusta Georgia Confederate Monument.
Left Wilkenson Back up Wilkenson left Memorial Drive to Clay Street only 100 yards on right. Take right Clay marker right there on left.
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Battle Atlanta starts here Marker is at the intersection of Clay Street SE and Memorial Drive SE (Georgia Route 154), on the left when traveling north on Clay Street SE.
July 22, 1864. Sweeny's 2nd. div., Dodge's 16th A.C. (US), having been held in reserve N. of the Ga. R.R. (Candler Park), was ordered to support the left wing of Blair's 17th Corps in East Atlanta. Marching via Clay Rd., Sweeny's column halted here at noon to await further orders. Mersy's brigade led the advance, followed by Rice's. Thus, by mere accident, the two brigades were posted where they intercepted the surprise attach by Walker's and Bate's divs. (Hardee's A.C.) (CS), aimed at the rear of Blair's 17th A.C. entrenched along Flat Shoals Rd., 1 mile W. of this point, thereby precipitating the battle.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...pLtsKg--~B View of Confederate Lieutenant General William J. Hardee's Corps attacking the Sixteenth Army Corps in the rear of the Army of the Tennessee, during the Battle of Atlanta, southeast of Atlanta, Georgia.
Go up Clay Street to two markers. Notice Kirkwood Urban Forest on right.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...~BSweeny's March South Marker is at the intersection of Clay Street NE and Hosea L. Williams Drive NE, on the right when traveling north on Clay Street NE.
July 22, 1864. Sweeny's 16th A.C. div., ordered to support the left of the Federal line in E. Atlanta, was shifted from its camp of the previous night, N. of the Georgia Railroad. It marched S. on the Clay Road (now Clay St). These troops had been ordered to destroy the R.R. back to Decatur but McPherson requested them as reinforcement to his left, since his cavalry (Garrard's) had been sent eastward. Passing the Jesse Clay plantation, near this point, Sweeny's troops moved S. to the present intersection of Memorial Drive where they halted for further instructions - at the fateful moment of Hardee's surprise attack.
Go Right Hosea Williams to Warren Street take a right. Go back to Memorial and take a right to go west. Next marker seems to be missing on left across from Dearborn.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...--~BBate's Battle Line Marker is on Memorial Drive SE (County Route 154) 0.2 miles east of Wilkinson Drive SE, on the left when traveling west. July 22, 1864.
Gen. Bate's div., Hardee's A.C. (CS) was deployed on the rt. of Walker's div. when they advanced N. from Terry's Mill pond. Being on the extreme rt. of the corps, Bate's troops moved up the east side of Sugar Cr., valley and swung westward to face Rice's 16th A.C. (US) brigade posted on the hill (Murphy High School) and northward along the old Clay Rd. (Clay St.). This attack failed to dislodge Rice's brigade. Bate's command consisted of three brigades - composed of Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky troops - the 5 regiments of the latter being the celebrated "Orphan Brigade" (CS) commanded by Brig. Gen. Joseph H. Lewis.
Keep going west Memorial Drive past Clay Street and The Battle of Atlanta Starts Here marker. Go to Red Light with Clifton and Marker on left in Crim High School parking lot. Turn into parking lot and circle around.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...Unexpected clash Marker is located on Alonzo Crim High School grounds. Note this use to be Murphy High School. Note Richard Dent (Chicago Bears)went to school here.
July 22, 1864. The attack by Walker's & Bate's divs. (Hardee's A.C.) (C.S) struck the two brigades Mersy's & Rices's, of Sweeny's 16th A.C. div. (U.S.) enroute to support the 17th in E. Atlanta. Walker's troops came up Sugar Cr. valley from the S.; Bates's from the high ground eastward. Sweeny's men hastily formed defensively-Rice facing E., Mersy S., the apex of the lines atop the hill where Laird's 14th Ohio Battery was posted & where Murphy High School stands. Blodgett's Missouri Battery H was at Rice's center, facing E. Though greatly outnumbered, Sweeny managed to hold the position, thereby foiling Hardee's thrust at the Federal rear. Marker is at the intersection of Clifton Street SE and Memorial Drive SE (Georgia Route 154), on the left when traveling east on Memorial Drive.
Back to Memorial drive and take a left to keep going west Memorial Drive. Next Marker on Right. Pull in Car Wash parking lot.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...UO9B9g--~B Mersy's Brigade Marker is at the intersection of Memorial Drive SE (County Route 154) and Dixie St. SE on Memorial Drive SE.
July 22, 1864. Col. August Mersy's brigade of Sweeny's div., 16th A.C. (US) was aligned on the rt. of the div. when it went into action to meet the assault of Walker's div. (CS) advancing up Sugar Creek valley (from Glenwood Ave.).The left of Mersy's line rested on the hill where Murphy High School stands. The rt. of the line extended S.W. to join Fuller's 4th div., 16th A.C. on the high ground beyond the valley (near McPherson's monument).Gen. McPherson saw this part of the battlefield from the hill 3/8 mile due W. of this marker (at Memorial Dr. & East Side Ave.) enroute to his rendezvous with death.
Go right or still east Memorial Drive, next two marker's on left. Pull into Eastside Avenue and turn around.
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McPherson's last ride July 22, 1864. When Gen. McPherson heard the firing to the S.E. while at lunchen (Whiteford Ave. at R.R.), he mounted his horse & sending away most of his staff on various missions, galloped south to this hill.Here he observed Dodge's 16th A.C. troops in desperate combat with Bates's & Walker's divs.(CS) in Sugar Cr. valley. Anxious about the left of the 17th A.C. (at Glenwood & Flat Shoals), he proceeded on a road through the pines in that direction, accompanied by an orderly, & Signal Officer, Wm. Sherfy, who reluctantly followed after vainly warning the general that Confederate troops had seized the road. July 20, 1864.
Gresham's Division - Now this one marks a skirmish that took place on July 20th - Brig. Gen. Walter Q. Gresham's 4th div., leading the advance of the 17th A.C. (US) against Wheeler's Cav. (CS) & forcing it W. to Leggett's Hill, halted here at sundown. Leggett's 3d div. was brought forward & would have moved against Wheeler's position on-half mile W. but for failure to get orders.While making a personal reconnaissance of Wheeler's position in his front, Gresham received a wound that ended his military service. In 1893-1895 he was Secretary of State in President Grover Cleveland's Cabinet.
Take right to go back east Memorial right Maynard Terrence cross I-20 Right McPherson. Missing Marker at Eastside.
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Fuller's 16th AC July 22, 1864. Gen. John Fuller's only brigade -- Morrill's, which was in reserve near Leggett's Hill, was deployed S.E. of here to meet the advance of Walker's div. (CS) up Sugar Cr. valley. While so engaged, Cleburne's 2 brigades -- Govan's & Smith's, (CS) having penetrated the rear of the Federal line on Flat Shoals Rd., assailed the right flank of Morrill's four regiments, not only forcing repeated changes of front but entire withdrawal to a line extending eastward from Leggett's Hill. During this action, the 64th Ill. reg't. drove back Cleburne's troops long enough to remove McPherson's body in the forest where he fell.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...ctZAKg--~B Fuller's Division rallies.
Then we see death McPherson two Markers at the intersection of McPherson Avenue and Monument Avenue SE, on the left when traveling west on McPherson Avenue.
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Historic Ground - In an area bound by Memorial Dr., Clifton, Glenwood & Moreland, was where the major part of the Battle of Atlanta was fought, July 22d.In terms of present landmarks, the battle began at Memorial Dr. & Clifton where Hardee's right wing (CS) was repulsed in an unexpected clash with Sweeny's 16th A.C. div. (US) This was followed by an assault of Hardee's left wing which crushed the left of the 17th A.C. at Flat Shoals Road & Glenwood & dislodged the right of the 16th A.C., forcing them north to a second line at & east of Leggett's Hill - eight hours of battle in which two major generals, Walker and McPherson, were killed.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...2erV7g--~B https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...RJYHcg--~B
Death of McPherson - The monument in the enclosure was erected by U.S. Army Engineers to mark the site where Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson was killed during the Battle of Atlanta, July 22, 1864.McPherson rode S. from the Ga. R.R. when he heard firing in Sugar Cr. valley, where the rear attack by Walker's & Bate's divs. (CS) fell upon Dodge's 16th A.C. After pausing to observe this part of the battle, he galloped towards the left of the 17th A.C. (Flat Shoals & Glenwood), on a road through the pines.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...ksDsLg--~B
At this point he was assailed by skirmishers of Cleburne's Div.; (CS) refusing to surrender he was shot while attempting to escape.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...7.6alA--~B Spot McPherson killed.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...6W2CUQ--~B Another view years later.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c...herson.jpg
We have done a tangent of General McPherson as a separate document along with death of General Walker earlier today.
Left Patterson to next marker, just past Metropolitan.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...Cleburne's Div. in the Federal Rear Marker is at the intersection of Patterson Avenue and Metropolitan Avenue, on the right when traveling south on Patterson Avenue.
July 22, 1864. Cleburne's 3 brigades, (CS) after over-running the Federal left (at Glenwood), moved on the rear of its line facing W. on Flat Shoals Rd., at the same time Maney's div. (CS) attached its front. Beset on both sides Giles Smith's 17th A.C. div (US) was swept N. to Leggett's Hill. Cleburne not only outflanked Smith's div., but forced Fuller's troops, on the rt. To withdraw to a line E. of Leggett's Hill. In the move towards Leggett's Hill, Cleburne's troops captured 8 Federal guns of the 2d Ill. & 2d U.S. Artillery. Gen. McPherson (US) was killed in front of Cleburne's skirmish line.
Right or west on Metropolitan then take left Haas go down and next marker on left.
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Cleburne Outflanked Left Wing, 17th A.C. Marker is on Haas Avenue 0.1 miles north of Glenwood Road (Georgia Route 260). July 22, 1864. The left wing (Giles Smith's div., 17th A.C.) of McPherson's Army of the Tenn. (US) occupied an intrenched line on Flat Shoals Rd. between Leggett's Hill & Glenwood, where it hooked eastward, facing to the south. Gen. P.R. Cleburne's three brigades, (CS) Lowrey's, Govan's & Smith's (Granbury's), struck the Federal flank at the hook, sweeping it aside by front & rear attacks, that with Maney's div. in support finally drove the entire Federal division north to Leggett's Hill. During this rear attack Gen. McPherson was killed by skirmishers of Smith's Texas brigade.
Right Glenwood right Flat Shoals past round about right Moreland cross I - 20 to Leggett's Hill.
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Leggett's Hill - July 22, 1864. Blair's 17th A.C., McPherson's Army of the Tenn. (US) was aligned S. of Logan's 15th astride the Ga. R.R. Leggett's div. of the 17th held the line from Logan's left, to & including the hill. An extension S.E. on Flat Shoals Rd. to Glenwood was occupied by the other division of the 17th A.C., under Giles Smith. Smith's div., outflanked by Cleburne's troops, was driven to the S. slope of Leggett's Hill. This was followed by concerted attacks on front, flank & rear by Cleburne's & Maney's div. (Hardee's A.C.), together with Stevenson's (Cheatham's A.C.) (CS) - a battle regarded as the major engagement of the Atlanta Campaign.
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We have done a tangent of this battle as a separate document.
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Cleburne's men had spent the night reinforcing the hilltop position, but are unable to stop the Union assault. The Confederates withdraw slightly, then spend most of the rest of the day unsuccessfully attempting to retake the hill.
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From Confederate defense looking across way to Leggett's Hill.
Proceed north on Moreland Avenue then take left Memorial and then right Stovall.
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Attack from the West Marker is at the intersection of Memorial Drive (Georgia Route 154) and Stovall Street, on the right when traveling east on Memorial Drive. July 22, 1864. Gen. George Maney's div. (Hardee's A.C.) (CS) attacked the front of Giles Smith's div., 17th A.C. (US) posted on Flat Shoals Road (Leggett's Hill to Glenwood), while Cleburne's div. attacked it from the rear. This forced the withdrawal of Smith to the S. Slope of Leggett's Hill where he occupied a 2nd line extending eastward from Leggett's position. Cleburne & Maney, following up their advantage, were aided by Stevenson's div. (Cheatham's A.C.) (CS) from the city fortifications. Repeated attacks, front, flank & rear, by the three Confederate divisions failed to dislodge the 2 divs. of the 17th A.C. ? Leggett's & Smith's.
Keep going Stovall, right at dead end on Kirkwood. Left Walthall.
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Benton's & Coltart's Brigades Marker is at the intersection of Boulevard Street and Walthall Street on Boulevard Street. July 22, 1864. When Brown's (formerly Hindman's) div., Cheatham's A.C. (CS) attacked the Fed. Line E. of here, Benton's Mississippi & Coltart's Alabama brigades struck Harrow's div. of the 15th A.C. (US), dislodging Williams' & Oliver's brigades. Simultaneously, Manigault seized Martin's & Lightburn's line astride the Ga. R.R. northward ? a combined action that displaced four Federal brigades on a half-mile front which they later recovered by reinforced counter-assaults. Col. Samuel Benton, wounded in the battle, was carried to the rear and later removed to a hospital at Griffin, Ga., where he died.
Right on Boulevard.
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Harrow's Div., 15th A.C. Marker is on Boulevard Drive 0 miles west of Moreland Avenue (U.S. 23), on the right when traveling west. July 22, 1864. Harrow's 4th div. (composed of Walcutt's, Oliver's & Williams' brigades), 15th A.C. [US] occupied this sector between Leggett's Hill & the Ga. R.R., which was the outer Confederate line until abandoned that morning.When Coltart's & Benton's brigades of Brown's div., Cheatham's A.C. [CS] assaulted this sector, Oliver's & Williams' troops gave way under a like pressure that broke Morgan Smith's line at the railroad, only to return at Harrow's command & re-possess it in a resurgent wave that restored it & the broke section northward. This action is pictured in the Cyclorama of the Battle of Atlanta in Grant Park.
Left or north on Moreland, then I think it's a good time for lunch in Little Five Points. My tour usually starts at Peachtree Creek and ends up in afternoon at Ezra Church and Utoy Creek. Get in all four battlefields. After Lunch go north Moreland and left Freedom Parkway to Jimmy Carter Library. Left into Library through circle out to south side then several markers on southside parking lot.
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Augustus Hurt House - 200 yds. N.E. stood the plantation residence of Augustus F. Hurt (1830-1921), built 1858 and razed by Federal forces, 1864; erroneously cited in Official Records as the Howard house. July 22, 1864. 4th & 23d A.C. troops, in line with Federal advances on Atlanta, occupied this hill, having marched via old Williams Mill Rd. Sherman, together with Howard & Schofield, maintained command posts here during the afternoon while McPherson's Army of the Tennessee fought defensively at & S. of the Ga. R.R. where two of Hood's corps (CS) attacked it. Here, McPherson's body was brought from the battlefield enroute to burial at Clyde, Ohio.
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The Battles for Atlanta - Between July and Sept. 1864, during the American Civil War, U.S. and Confederate armies struggled for control of Atlanta, the major manufacturing center and railroad hub of the Deep South. Four inconclusive battles occurred inside the present day I-285 Perimeter: Peachtree Creek (July 20), Atlanta (July 22, fought in part in the area of this marker), Ezra Church (July 28); and Utoy Creek (August 6). Unwilling to attack the city's strong defenses, U.S. forces swept west and then south and at Jonesboro (August 31 ? Sept. 1) cut the last railroad supplying Atlanta, forcing the Confederates to abandon the city. The fall of Atlanta on Sept. 2, 1864, assured the re-election of Abraham Lincoln and the final defeat of the Confederacy.
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Augustus Hurt Plantation - The outer Confederate defense line of Atlanta, located on E. slope of this hill, July 18, was evacuated the night of the 21st, 1864. July 22. The Federal 23d A.C., under Schofield, marching from the N.E. via Williams Mill Rd. intrenched a line W. & S. of Augustus Hurt's house, where it supported the rt. wing of the Army of the Tenn. in the Battle of Atlanta. July 26. With the shift of that army to the W. side of Atlanta, the 23d A.C. became the extreme right S.W. of the city. The 4th A.C., its left resting at the Augustus Hurt house, became the left of the line until Aug. 25.
Back left or east Freedom Parkway. Right North Highland Avenue. Left Colquitt. Left Euclid, cross over Moreland, turns into McLendan. Right Oakdale. In parking lot of MARTA Station there off DeKalb Avenue on left.
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Noon Under the Trees Marker is at the intersection of Dekalb Avenue NE and Oakdale Road NE, on the left when traveling east on Dekalb Avenue NE. Located near a parking area for Iverson Park, near the Edgwood/Center Park Station for MARTA. July 22, 1864. Gen. McPerson & staff spent the forenoon in conference at Sherman's headquarters & inspecting Army of the Tenn. lines. Noon found them in an oak grove just S. of the R.R. where they were joined at luncheon by Logan & Blair, each with his staff. While here, McPherson wrote & dispatched an order to Dodge regarding the destruction of the Ga. R.R. This pleasant respite of discussion & cigars was broken by volley firing to the S.E. The battle of Atlanta had begun.All mounted & rode away. McPherson, sending most of his staff on various missions, galloped towards the sound of the guns.
Then turn right back west on DeKalb Avenue. The next three marker's on the right.
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Logan's 15th A.C. Line Marker is on DeKalb Avenue 0.1 miles east of Candler Street, on the right. This marker is located in front of the Atlanta Fire Department Station. Inscription. July 20, 1864. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan's A.C. having camped at Decatur, moved toward Atlanta on this rd. M.L. Smith's (2d) div. was in advance; Woods' (1st) & Harrow's (4th), in reserve. At this point, 2.75 mi. from center of Atlanta, Smith's intrenched line crossed both highway & R.R. July 21. Harrow extended the line S. to connect with the 17th A.C.; Woods prolonged it N. to join the 16th A.C. That night the outer Confederate line which crossed this Rd. at DeGress Ave. (0.5 mi. W.), was evacuated.July 22. Logan's troops moved up & reversed the abandoned line where they were attacked that afternoon by Cheatham's corps (CS)
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Restoring the Line Marker is at the intersection of DeKalb Avenue and Elmira Place, on the right when traveling west on DeKalb Avenue. July 22, 1864. After Cheatham's troops (CS) broke the Federal 15th A.C. line at the R.R. cut and the Hurt house (DeGress Ave.), Mersy's 16th A.C. brigade was brought up from the battlefield 1 mile S. of the R.R. to assist in restoring it.Lightburn and Martin were deployed on and south of the R.R.; Mersy's brigade north of it (near this point), with Wood's two brigades aligned on his right, facing the left flank of the Confederate forces in the captured sector.In a concerted assault, the five brigades (US) advanced and recovered the line, together with the four guns of the DeGress battery. This stirring action is pictured in the Cyclorama.
Cross over Moreland.
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Federal Signal Station Marker is on DeKalb Avenue where it crosses Moreland Avenue and cannot be seen from Moreland Avenue. Marker is at the intersection of Dekalb Avenue and Moreland Avenue, on the right when traveling west on Dekalb Avenue. July 22, 1864. When 15th A.C. troops moved W. from line (at Candler St.) to the vacated Confederate line at the Troup Hurt house (at DeGress Ave.), a signal station was established by Lt. Samuel Edge in a tall pine near this site commanding a view of fortified Atlanta. Lt. Edge reported the advance of Confederate forces astride the R.R. and when the 15th A.C. line was broken, he abandoned the station- returning to it after the line was restored. Near this site, in 1885, the battlefield was studied from a tower erected by the artists who created the Cyclorama; this established the viewing point of the big picture.
Now take a right Degress Ave.
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Troup House Marker is on Degress Avenue NE 0.1 miles north of Dekalb Avenue NE, on the right when traveling north. The Plantation house of Geo. M.T. Hurt, begun the Summer of 1862, never completed & never occupied as a residence, stood on the site of the stone church. It faced the Decatur Rd. July 18, 1864. A sector of the outer line of Atlanta's defense works was located just E. of the house, which was used as h'dq'rs by the 10th S. Carolina regt., (CS) of Manigault's brigade. July 22. The same troops, having withdrawn to the city the night before, returned late afternoon & attacked the Federal forces occupying the position, capturing & holding it until driven out. This is the moment shown in the Cyclorama of the Battle of Atlanta.
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The DeGress Battery Marker is in the yard of the last house on DeGress Avenue on the left when traveling north on DeGress Avenue. Inscription. July 22, 1864. Light Battery H, 1st Ill. (four 20-pounders), Capth. Francis DeGress, was posted here on right of M.L.Smith's div., Logan's 15th A.C. Shells from these guns are said to have been the first to fall in Atlanta.Late afternoon, Manigault's brigade (CS) broke the Federal line at the R.R., forcing Martin's brigade, S. of it & Lightburn's N. of it, to withdraw. DeGress' gunners spiked the pieces & the horses were shot to prevent the removal of the guns by their Confederate captors.The line was retaken in a counter-charge by Martin & Lightburn, aided by Mersy's 16th A.C. brigade; Capt. DeGress re-possessed his guns.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...-~BDeGress Battery and Troup Hurt House.
Back to Dekalb Avenue right then right at MARTA Station 4 Markers on right.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...dedUtw--~B All four of these next 4 markers are now right here next to the Pope House Marker.
Manigault's Brigade - July 22, 1864. Manigault's brigade, Brown's div., Cheatham's A.C. (CS) attacked this sector where Martin's & Lightburn's brigades were posted astride the Decatur rd. & the Ga. R.R. cut. Manigault's troops broke the Federal line at the cut, thereby forcing the withdrawal of Lightburn & Martin from this sector of the entrenched line of Logan's 15th corps.A counter assault by Lightburn & Martin, together with Manny's 16th A.C. brigade (brought up from the battlefield area S. of the R.R.), recovered the Federal line & the DeGress battery which Manigault's men had seized but had not be able to remove.
The 15th Corps Sector p- July 20, 1864. Posted on this ridge, astride the Georgia R.R. was the right flank of Hood's old corps, (CS) Gen. B.F. Cheatham commanding. July 22. These troops were withdrawn, before daylight, to the city fortifications. The vacated line was occupied by Logan's corps, (US) which was reversed to face westward.Gen. Morgan L. Smith's div. centered at the R.R., Lightburn's brigade posted (between DeGress Ave. & Battery Place) west of the Hurt house; Martin's, S. of it - the R.R. cut separating them. The Confederate assault, afternoon July 22d, broke the lines of Lightburn & Martin's brigades at the Decatur Rd. & the railroad cut.
The Railroad Cut - In 1864 the single track of the Ga. R.R. ran through a deep cut opposite this point. Crossing it & the Decatur rd. was the entrenched line of the Federal 15th A.C. as of July 22. This was a sector of McPherson's Army of the Tenn. which occupied trenches vacated by Gen. Cheatham's A.C. (CS) the previous night. Cheatham's troops temporarily recovered the line here - late afternoon of the 22d - mostly by frontal assault, partly by penetrating it at the unguarded cut - an episode portrayed in the Cyclorama at Grant Park. The ground was greatly altered after the war; the R.R. cut was still visible as late as 1903.
Site: The Pope House - Opposite to & N. of here was a 2-story white house (said to have been the residence of the Widow Pope) which figured prominently in this sector of the Battle of Atlanta, July 22, 1864. As Manigault's brigade moved to the assault on the Federal line at the Hurt house, its alignment was broken by the Pope house & out-buildings. While reforming, some of the 19th S.C. ascended to the 2d floor & fired into the Federal batteries at the R.R. cut.Pressing forward, the 10th & 19th S.C., aided by the 28th Ala., penetrated the Federal line at the R.R. cut, seizing the batteries there & in a leftward drive, the DeGress battery.
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View toward Atlanta. The Railroad Cut and the Pope House.
Right Hurt Left Euclid right Elizabeth left Waverly.
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Baker's Brigade Marker is on Waverly Way 0.1 miles north of Edgewood Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
July 22, 1864. Baker`s Alabama brigade (Col. J.H. Higley comdg.), Clayton`s div., Cheatham`s A.C., [CSA} was diverted N.E. in Clayton`s attack on the 15th A.C. eastward, thus forming the extreme left of the line extending S. to Glenwood Ave. Higley`s troops faced the right sector of the 15th A.C. held by 2 brigades of Woods` div. on the S. slope of Copenhill. A gap of 250 yds. in the swampy area of Clear Creek valley, separated Woods from the right of Morgan Smith`s div. where the DeGress battery was posted. Woods' flank attack on Manigault's line at the Troup Hurt house not only retrieved the battery, but forced Baker`s brigade to withdraw.
Cross Euclid
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Springvale Park Marker is at the intersection of Waverly Way and Edgewood Avenue, on the right when traveling north on Waverly Way. The marker is below street level in the park, and can be difficult to see from the street. Steps lead from the Edgewoood Avenue/Waverly Way intersection to the marker. July 22, 1864. Brig. Gen. John C. Brown's div. of Chatham's A.C. [CS] moved astride the Georgia R.R., E. from the Atlanta fortifications to attack the Federals at the Troup Hurt house. Manigault's brigade, followed by Sharp's, were north of the R.R.; Coltart's & Benton's S. of it. Manigault's brigade halted in a ravine to reform its line while Coltart's brigade, S. of the R.R. came up abreast. Resuming the charge, Manigault's men ascended the slope to & beyond the Pope house, penetrating the Federal line at the railroad cut & seizing the Illinois batteries. A remnant of the ravine is still visible in Springvale Park
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Brig. Gen. A. M. Manigault's Brigade (Rock) - On July 22, 1864, Brig. Gen. A. M. Manigault's Brigade, Hindman's Div., Cheatham's Corps, advancing eastward from the Atlanta fortifications against the Federal 15th Corps posted at DeGress Ave., halted in this ravine to reform their line, preparatory to the assault that resulted in breaking the Federal line and capturing DeGress Battery. Erected by the Old Guard of Atlanta -- 1934 Dedicated by Camp Gordon S.C.V.
Right Edgewood left Delta.
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Brown's & Clayton's Divs. Marker is at the intersection of Delta Place and Edgewood Avenue, on the left when traveling north on Delta Place. July 22, 1864: 3:30 P.M. Gen Hood (CS) launched an attack from the east line of the city fortifications, on the 15th A.C. astride the Ga. R.R. (at DeGress Ave.) - a mass assault by two divs. of Cheatham's A.C.: Brown's & Clayton's. Brown's brigades were: Manigualt's, Sharp's, Coltart's, & Benton's; Clayton's brigades were: Stovall's, Baker's, Gibson's, & Holtzclaw's. The impact of these eight small brigades dislodged four Federal brigades from their intrenched line at and each side of the R.R. ? where the spear-head of the attack was aimed. This, the critical moment of the battle is pictured in the Cyclorama at Grant Park.
From here you proceed back down Edgewood west toward downtown to Krog, take a left go under the 100 year old underpass, and take a right Wyllie, Right Tennelle, left Carroll, merge left onto Boulevard. Take right on Memorial and Oakland Cemetery is on your right. I have done a separate document on Oakland.
For this tour just take a left off Memorial onto Cherokee right at the Six Feet Under Bar. Cross over I-20 and Grant Park comes up on left . Grant Park was established in 1882 when Colonel Lemuel P. Grant (The "Father of Atlanta"), a successful engineer and businessman, gave the city of Atlanta 100 acres in the newly developed "suburb" where he lived.
Grant Park is the oldest surviving park in the city. Its landscape was part of the defensive line against Union forces in the Civil War, and the breastworks of Fort Walker remain as evidence of the Confederacy's defeat at the southern most point of those trenches. There was no action here. In 1890, the city acquired another 44 acres for the park. In 1903, the Olmsted Brothers (sons of Frederick Law Olmsted) were hired to create a plan for the park. Grant Park has preserved the southern end of that battlefield and also houses Zoo Atlanta.
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Battlefield of Atlanta 7/22/1864.
The Battle of Atlanta…………….
After Peachtree Creek, Hood decided to withdraw, enticing the Union troops to come forward. Sherman, when informed early on the morning of July 22 that the enemy seemed to have withdrawn from in front of McPherson and Schofield, at once concluded that Hood was evacuating Atlanta and so instructed Schofield to occupy the city while the rest of the army gave pursuit. Then, on discovering that strong Confederate forces still occupied a line closer to Atlanta, Sherman decided that Hood intended to hold the place after all and that therefore the time had come to execute the strategy for taking it that he had outlined to Grant back in April: cut its railroad connections to the Confederacy.
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One of these, the line between Atlanta and Montgomery, already had been severed by a recent raid out of Tennessee into Alabama by Major General Lovell Rousseau's cavalry. Hence Sherman ordered McPherson to send Dodge's XVI Corps back to the Decatur area to wreak further destruction on the Georgia Railroad to Augusta, after which the Army of the Tennessee would swing south, then west below Atlanta to strike the Macon & Western Railroad, the breaking of which would completely isolate the city.
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McPherson did not like this order and he went to Sherman up by the present day Jimmy Carter Library to tell him why: large Confederate forces had been seen moving south and he feared an attack on his vulnerable left flank. Sherman, although he thought McPherson's concern was unwarranted, agreed to postpone the implementation of the order until 1 P.M. If by then the Rebels had not attacked, they never would. McPherson's army closed in from Decatur, Georgia, to the east side of Atlanta down where Memorial Drive and I-20 run parallel today.
Meanwhile, Hood ordered Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee's corps on a march around the Union left flank (below I-20), had Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler's cavalry march near Sherman's supply line in Decatur, and had Maj. Gen. Benjamin Cheatham's corps attack the Union front back up at present Moreland Avenue at DeKalb Avenue where the train tracks are beside Inman Park.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...eR4IuA--~B Sherman watches battle from Jimmy Carter Library.
The morning passed and no attack came. At noon Sherman sent a message to McPherson instructing him to direct Dodge to send Brigadier General John Fuller's division of the XVI Corps back to Decatur to tear up tracks but to leave that corps other division, Sweeny's, where it was, namely to the rear of McPherson's flank to which point it had marched during the morning after having been posted the previous evening on the right flank of the Army of the Tennessee to plug a gap between it and the XXIII Corps. McPherson did as Sherman directed. But before his dispatch could reach Dodge, an increasingly loud sound of firing came from the southeast.
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It was Hardee, at long last launching his attack on the Union left and rear down along Memorial Drive today. It took longer than expected for Hardee to get his men in position, and during that time, McPherson had correctly deduced a possible threat to his left flank, and sent XVI Corps, his reserve, to help strengthen it. Hardee's force met this other force, and the battle began. His timing could not have been more unfavorable. Had it occurred either an hour sooner or an hour later, his two right divisions, Bate's and Walker's, would have met no opposition or only Sweeny's division. Instead, they encountered both Fuller and Sweeny. And to make matters worse, Bate's troops had to struggle across a swamp and Walker was killed by a Federal sniper before he could even deploy his division. As a result, the Confederate attack in this sector lacked cohesion and punch and soon was repulsed. Although the initial Confederate attack was repulsed, the Union left flank began to retreat.
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Back in Decatur, Brig. Gen. John W. Sprague, in command of the 2nd Brigade, 4th Division of the XVI Corps, was attacked by Wheeler's Cavalry. Wheeler had taken the Fayetteville Road while Hardee's column took the Flat Shoals Road toward McPherson's position. The Federals fled Decatur in a stampede but managed to save the ordnance and supply trains. Wheeler, although he took Decatur, failed to capture McPherson's wagon train, which escaped along with most of the Federals defending the place. With the failure of Hardee's assault, Wheeler was in no position to hold Decatur and fell back into Atlanta that night. Sprague was later awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...BXGDcw--~B Sprague's brigade at Decatur, Georgia.
Cleburne's troops under Hardee, enjoyed better luck upon going into action, for they happened to enter a wide gap between the right of XVI Corps and the left of the XVII Corps, which was at the south end of McPherson's line facing Atlanta. Furthermore, as they advanced McPherson himself, accompanied only by an orderly, came riding among them on his way to check the XVII Corps' situation after witnessing he XVI Corps beat back Bate's and Walker's attack. The Confederates yelled at him to surrender; instead he tried to escape and was shot dead from his horse. As he demonstrated on May 9 at Resaca, and two days earlier on the road to Atlanta, he was too lacking in aggressiveness to be a first-rate combat commander, but his caution served the Union cause well on July 22. He is still one of the highest ranking American officers to ever be killed in combat.
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Pushing on, Cleburne's men struck the flank and rear of the XVII Corps while part of Cheatham's Division, still under Maney, assailed its front. These attacks, however, were uncoordinated, enabling the Federals to repel them by scrambling from one side of their entrenchments to the other. Not until after nearly two hours of bloody fighting did one of Cleburne's brigades join with one of Maney's to hit the Union line simultaneously in front and rear, causing the XVII Corps to fall back to a bald hill which, because of its height, dominated the battlefield and so was the key to it.
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Hoping to help Hardee and Cleburne take the hill, Hood ordered Cheatham to use his other brigades to attack the XV Corps , which was astride the Georgia Railroad well north and to the right of the XVII Corps. Thanks to an inadequately defended railroad cut, two brigades from Brigadier General John C. Brown's Division (formerly Hindman's) penetrated the XV Corps' line and captured a four-gun battery.
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The main lines of battle now formed an "L" shape, with Hardee's attack forming the lower part of the "L" and Cheatham's attack on the Union front as the vertical member of the "L". Hood intended to attack the Union troops from both east and west. The fighting centered around the hill now located at I-20 and Moreland Avenue east of the city known as Bald (Leggett's ) Hill. The Federals had arrived two days earlier there and began to shell the city proper, killing several civilians. A savage struggle, sometimes hand-to-hand, developed around the hill.
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Hardee continued to assault the bald hill with both infantry and artillery until after it was dark, but to no avail as its defenders held on grimly. (The hill became known as Leggett's Hill after the commander of the XVII Corps division that defended it, Brigadier General Mortimer Leggett, who after the war purchased it.) The Federals held the hill while the Confederates retired to a point just south of there.
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Meanwhile, two miles to the north, Cheatham's troops had broken through the Union lines at the Georgia railroad. Their success, however, was short-lived. In response, twenty artillery pieces were positioned near Sherman's headquarters at Copen Hill and shelled the Confederates. A Union counterattack, personally led by "Black Jack" Logan, who had assumed command of the Army of the Tennessee on McPherson's death, drove the Confederates back and restored the XV Corps' front. This is the image captured in the Cyclorama painting. After all he commissioned the painting for his political campaign.
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Night ended what would be called the Battle of Atlanta, the largest engagement of the Atlanta campaign, one that cost the Confederates about 5,500 casualties and the Federals 3,641 casualties, including Maj. Gen. McPherson. A large proportion of that figure was prisoners from the XVII Corps. This was a devastating loss for the already reduced Confederate Army, but they still held the city. Again Hood failed in an attempt to smash a wing of Sherman's army, a failure he attributed to Hardee for allegedly not carrying out orders to strike the Union rear but which in truth was caused by the semifortuitous presence of the XVI Corps in position to protect that rear and the steady fortitude of the soldiers of the XVII Corps. On the other hand, Sherman deserved little credit for the Federal victory, a victory which probably would have been a defeat had not McPherson persuaded Sherman to modify his orders regarding the XVI Corps. Moreover, during Cheatham's attack on the XV Corps, Sherman rejected proposals from Schofield and Howard that their corps strike Cheatham's exposed left flank, a move that almost surely would have led to the rout of two-thirds of Hood's army.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...pWpeWQ--~B Sherman (illuminated) surveying the battlefield, in front of the Augustus Hurt House, east of Atlanta.
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Hood's report……………….
NEAR ATLANTA, July 22, 1864-10.30 p. m.
Honorable J. A. SEDDON, Richmond:
The army shifted its position last night, fronting Peach Tree Creek, and formed line of battle around the city with Stewart's and Cheatham's corps. General Hardee, with his corps, made a night march and attacked the enemy's extreme left at 1 o'clock to-day; drove him from his works, capturing 16 pieces of artillery and 5 stand of colors. Major-General Cheatham attacked the enemy at 4 p. m. with a portion of his command; drove the enemy, capturing 6 pieces of artillery. During the engagements we captured about 2,000 prisoners, but loss not fully ascertained. Major-General Walker killed; Brigadier-General Smith, Gist, and Mercer wounded. Our troops fought with great gallantry.
J. B. HOOD,General.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6041/62786...4215_z.jpg Spot where Hood watched Battle of Atlanta in present day Oakland Cemetery.
Sherman's report…………………..
NEAR ATLANTA, GA., July 23, 1864-10.30 a. m.
Major General H. W. HALLECK, Washington, D. C.:
Yesterday morning the enemy fell back to the entrenchments proper of the city of Atlanta, which are in a general circle of a radius of one mile and a half we closed in. While we were forming our lines and selecting positions for batteries, the enemy appeared suddenly out of the dense woods in heavy masses on our extreme left, and struck the Seventeenth Corps (General Blair's) in flank, and was forcing it back, when the Sixteenth (General Dodge's) came up and checked the movement, but the enemy's cavalry got well to our rear and into Decatur, and for some hours our left was completely enveloped. The fighting that resulted was continuous until night, with heavy loss on both sides. The enemy took one of our batteries (Murray's, of the Regular Army) that was marching in its placing in column on the road unconscious of danger. About 4 p. m. the enemy sallied against the division of General Morgan L. Smith, which occupied an abandoned line of rifle-trenches near the railroad, east of the city, and forced it back some 400 yards, leaving in his hands for the time two batteries, but the ground and batteries were immediately after recovered by the same troops, re-enforced.
I cannot well approximate our loss, which fell heaviest on the Fifteenth and Seventeenth Corps, but count it 3,000; but I know that, being on the defensive, we have inflicted equally heavy loss on the enemy. General McPherson, when arranging his troops, about 11 a. m., and passing from one column to another, unconsciously rode upon an ambuscade without apprehension and at some distance ahead of his staff and ordered and was shot dead. His body was sent in charge of his personal staff back to Marietta and Chattanooga. His loss at that moment was most serious, but General Logan at once arranged the troops, and had immediate direction of them during the rest of the day. Our left, though refused somewhat, is still within easy cannon-range of Atlanta. The enemy seems to man his extensive parapets and, at the same time, has to spare heavy assaulting columns; but to-day we will intrench our front lines, which will give me troops to spare to meet these assault. I cannot of the loss of more than a few wagons, taken by the enemy's cavalry his temporary pause in Decatur, whence all the trains had been securely removed to the rear of the main army, under of a brigade of infantry, commanded by Colonel Sprague. During the heavy attack on the left, the remainder of the line was not engaged.
W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...lVTeJQ--~B Painting the Cyclorama.
Here is my driving tour of the Battle of Atlanta. As with the Peachtree Creek battle, I have pasted what each Historical marker says.
You take I-20 from downtown toward Augusta. You get off at Glenwood Avenue. You go left or east on Glenwood. Take left to three marker's.
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Bate's Div. at Terry's Mill Pond Marker is at the intersection of Glenwood Avenue (Georgia Route 260) and Interstate 20, on the right when traveling east on Glenwood Avenue.
July 22, 1864. Bate's, together with Walker's div., Hardee's A.C., (CS) having moved up Sugar Cr. valley W. of Terry's mill pond, were deployed in this area for a surprise attack on Federal troops posted N.W. of here on Flat Shoals Rd. While Bate's div. was being hastily shifted E. of the creek, Lewis' "Orphan Brigade" and part of Tyler's were subjected to random artillery fire from Federal batteries northward, when crossing the upper end of the mill pond and its swampy margin. Bate aligned his forces E. of the creek and moved N. in the wooded area to be confronted by the Federal 16th A.C.
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https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...26VG7w--~B View of Old Terry's Mill Pond. View towards north end of what is now Memorial Park. Terry's Mill Pond Marker is at the intersection of Glenwood Avenue SE (County Route 260) and across fromWilkinson Drive SE on Glenwood Avenue SE. Near the overpass of Interstate 20, at the south end of DeKalb Memorial Park.
The flat area S. was the bed of Terry's mill pond - the impounded waters of Sugar Cr. Tom Terry (1823-1861) operated the grist mill that stood 800 yds. downstream. It was burned by Federal troops July 29, 1864 & was rebuilt and operated some years after the war.The considerable area of the pond made it a notable landmark in the 1850's-1860's, & further prominence attached because it is cited in military annals recording the movements of Walker's & Bate's divs., Hardee's corps, (CS) to the battlefield of July 22, 1864, which indicate that Gen. Walker was killed near the upper end of the mill pond.
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Death of General Walker Marker is at the intersection of Glenwood Avenue (Georgia Route 260) and Wilkenson Dr SE, on the left when traveling east on Glenwood Avenue.
Can see cannon in grassy island. July 22, 1864. Maj. Gen. W.H.T. Walker, commanding a div. of Hardee's A.C., (CS) while directing his troops toward the battlefield, reached a close proximity to this spot at noon where, pausing to reconnoiter the area, he was shot from horse by a Federal picket. Gen. Walker was succeeded by Gen. Hugh Mercer, who deployed the div. in Sugar Cr. valley just W. of this marker. Bate's div. advanced on this side of the creek. The northward movement of these troops, far from being a rear attack on the Federals, as contemplated, struck 2 divs. of the Federal 16th A.C. which happened to be in their front (at Clay St. & Memorial Dr.)
We have done a tangent of General Walker as a separate document along with death of General McPherson later today.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...fQFTBw--~B Statue of Gen. Walker on the Augusta Georgia Confederate Monument.
Left Wilkenson Back up Wilkenson left Memorial Drive to Clay Street only 100 yards on right. Take right Clay marker right there on left.
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Battle Atlanta starts here Marker is at the intersection of Clay Street SE and Memorial Drive SE (Georgia Route 154), on the left when traveling north on Clay Street SE.
July 22, 1864. Sweeny's 2nd. div., Dodge's 16th A.C. (US), having been held in reserve N. of the Ga. R.R. (Candler Park), was ordered to support the left wing of Blair's 17th Corps in East Atlanta. Marching via Clay Rd., Sweeny's column halted here at noon to await further orders. Mersy's brigade led the advance, followed by Rice's. Thus, by mere accident, the two brigades were posted where they intercepted the surprise attach by Walker's and Bate's divs. (Hardee's A.C.) (CS), aimed at the rear of Blair's 17th A.C. entrenched along Flat Shoals Rd., 1 mile W. of this point, thereby precipitating the battle.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...pLtsKg--~B View of Confederate Lieutenant General William J. Hardee's Corps attacking the Sixteenth Army Corps in the rear of the Army of the Tennessee, during the Battle of Atlanta, southeast of Atlanta, Georgia.
Go up Clay Street to two markers. Notice Kirkwood Urban Forest on right.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...~BSweeny's March South Marker is at the intersection of Clay Street NE and Hosea L. Williams Drive NE, on the right when traveling north on Clay Street NE.
July 22, 1864. Sweeny's 16th A.C. div., ordered to support the left of the Federal line in E. Atlanta, was shifted from its camp of the previous night, N. of the Georgia Railroad. It marched S. on the Clay Road (now Clay St). These troops had been ordered to destroy the R.R. back to Decatur but McPherson requested them as reinforcement to his left, since his cavalry (Garrard's) had been sent eastward. Passing the Jesse Clay plantation, near this point, Sweeny's troops moved S. to the present intersection of Memorial Drive where they halted for further instructions - at the fateful moment of Hardee's surprise attack.
Go Right Hosea Williams to Warren Street take a right. Go back to Memorial and take a right to go west. Next marker seems to be missing on left across from Dearborn.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...--~BBate's Battle Line Marker is on Memorial Drive SE (County Route 154) 0.2 miles east of Wilkinson Drive SE, on the left when traveling west. July 22, 1864.
Gen. Bate's div., Hardee's A.C. (CS) was deployed on the rt. of Walker's div. when they advanced N. from Terry's Mill pond. Being on the extreme rt. of the corps, Bate's troops moved up the east side of Sugar Cr., valley and swung westward to face Rice's 16th A.C. (US) brigade posted on the hill (Murphy High School) and northward along the old Clay Rd. (Clay St.). This attack failed to dislodge Rice's brigade. Bate's command consisted of three brigades - composed of Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky troops - the 5 regiments of the latter being the celebrated "Orphan Brigade" (CS) commanded by Brig. Gen. Joseph H. Lewis.
Keep going west Memorial Drive past Clay Street and The Battle of Atlanta Starts Here marker. Go to Red Light with Clifton and Marker on left in Crim High School parking lot. Turn into parking lot and circle around.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...Unexpected clash Marker is located on Alonzo Crim High School grounds. Note this use to be Murphy High School. Note Richard Dent (Chicago Bears)went to school here.
July 22, 1864. The attack by Walker's & Bate's divs. (Hardee's A.C.) (C.S) struck the two brigades Mersy's & Rices's, of Sweeny's 16th A.C. div. (U.S.) enroute to support the 17th in E. Atlanta. Walker's troops came up Sugar Cr. valley from the S.; Bates's from the high ground eastward. Sweeny's men hastily formed defensively-Rice facing E., Mersy S., the apex of the lines atop the hill where Laird's 14th Ohio Battery was posted & where Murphy High School stands. Blodgett's Missouri Battery H was at Rice's center, facing E. Though greatly outnumbered, Sweeny managed to hold the position, thereby foiling Hardee's thrust at the Federal rear. Marker is at the intersection of Clifton Street SE and Memorial Drive SE (Georgia Route 154), on the left when traveling east on Memorial Drive.
Back to Memorial drive and take a left to keep going west Memorial Drive. Next Marker on Right. Pull in Car Wash parking lot.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...UO9B9g--~B Mersy's Brigade Marker is at the intersection of Memorial Drive SE (County Route 154) and Dixie St. SE on Memorial Drive SE.
July 22, 1864. Col. August Mersy's brigade of Sweeny's div., 16th A.C. (US) was aligned on the rt. of the div. when it went into action to meet the assault of Walker's div. (CS) advancing up Sugar Creek valley (from Glenwood Ave.).The left of Mersy's line rested on the hill where Murphy High School stands. The rt. of the line extended S.W. to join Fuller's 4th div., 16th A.C. on the high ground beyond the valley (near McPherson's monument).Gen. McPherson saw this part of the battlefield from the hill 3/8 mile due W. of this marker (at Memorial Dr. & East Side Ave.) enroute to his rendezvous with death.
Go right or still east Memorial Drive, next two marker's on left. Pull into Eastside Avenue and turn around.
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McPherson's last ride July 22, 1864. When Gen. McPherson heard the firing to the S.E. while at lunchen (Whiteford Ave. at R.R.), he mounted his horse & sending away most of his staff on various missions, galloped south to this hill.Here he observed Dodge's 16th A.C. troops in desperate combat with Bates's & Walker's divs.(CS) in Sugar Cr. valley. Anxious about the left of the 17th A.C. (at Glenwood & Flat Shoals), he proceeded on a road through the pines in that direction, accompanied by an orderly, & Signal Officer, Wm. Sherfy, who reluctantly followed after vainly warning the general that Confederate troops had seized the road. July 20, 1864.
Gresham's Division - Now this one marks a skirmish that took place on July 20th - Brig. Gen. Walter Q. Gresham's 4th div., leading the advance of the 17th A.C. (US) against Wheeler's Cav. (CS) & forcing it W. to Leggett's Hill, halted here at sundown. Leggett's 3d div. was brought forward & would have moved against Wheeler's position on-half mile W. but for failure to get orders.While making a personal reconnaissance of Wheeler's position in his front, Gresham received a wound that ended his military service. In 1893-1895 he was Secretary of State in President Grover Cleveland's Cabinet.
Take right to go back east Memorial right Maynard Terrence cross I-20 Right McPherson. Missing Marker at Eastside.
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Fuller's 16th AC July 22, 1864. Gen. John Fuller's only brigade -- Morrill's, which was in reserve near Leggett's Hill, was deployed S.E. of here to meet the advance of Walker's div. (CS) up Sugar Cr. valley. While so engaged, Cleburne's 2 brigades -- Govan's & Smith's, (CS) having penetrated the rear of the Federal line on Flat Shoals Rd., assailed the right flank of Morrill's four regiments, not only forcing repeated changes of front but entire withdrawal to a line extending eastward from Leggett's Hill. During this action, the 64th Ill. reg't. drove back Cleburne's troops long enough to remove McPherson's body in the forest where he fell.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...ctZAKg--~B Fuller's Division rallies.
Then we see death McPherson two Markers at the intersection of McPherson Avenue and Monument Avenue SE, on the left when traveling west on McPherson Avenue.
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Historic Ground - In an area bound by Memorial Dr., Clifton, Glenwood & Moreland, was where the major part of the Battle of Atlanta was fought, July 22d.In terms of present landmarks, the battle began at Memorial Dr. & Clifton where Hardee's right wing (CS) was repulsed in an unexpected clash with Sweeny's 16th A.C. div. (US) This was followed by an assault of Hardee's left wing which crushed the left of the 17th A.C. at Flat Shoals Road & Glenwood & dislodged the right of the 16th A.C., forcing them north to a second line at & east of Leggett's Hill - eight hours of battle in which two major generals, Walker and McPherson, were killed.
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Death of McPherson - The monument in the enclosure was erected by U.S. Army Engineers to mark the site where Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson was killed during the Battle of Atlanta, July 22, 1864.McPherson rode S. from the Ga. R.R. when he heard firing in Sugar Cr. valley, where the rear attack by Walker's & Bate's divs. (CS) fell upon Dodge's 16th A.C. After pausing to observe this part of the battle, he galloped towards the left of the 17th A.C. (Flat Shoals & Glenwood), on a road through the pines.
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At this point he was assailed by skirmishers of Cleburne's Div.; (CS) refusing to surrender he was shot while attempting to escape.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...7.6alA--~B Spot McPherson killed.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...6W2CUQ--~B Another view years later.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c...herson.jpg
We have done a tangent of General McPherson as a separate document along with death of General Walker earlier today.
Left Patterson to next marker, just past Metropolitan.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...Cleburne's Div. in the Federal Rear Marker is at the intersection of Patterson Avenue and Metropolitan Avenue, on the right when traveling south on Patterson Avenue.
July 22, 1864. Cleburne's 3 brigades, (CS) after over-running the Federal left (at Glenwood), moved on the rear of its line facing W. on Flat Shoals Rd., at the same time Maney's div. (CS) attached its front. Beset on both sides Giles Smith's 17th A.C. div (US) was swept N. to Leggett's Hill. Cleburne not only outflanked Smith's div., but forced Fuller's troops, on the rt. To withdraw to a line E. of Leggett's Hill. In the move towards Leggett's Hill, Cleburne's troops captured 8 Federal guns of the 2d Ill. & 2d U.S. Artillery. Gen. McPherson (US) was killed in front of Cleburne's skirmish line.
Right or west on Metropolitan then take left Haas go down and next marker on left.
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Cleburne Outflanked Left Wing, 17th A.C. Marker is on Haas Avenue 0.1 miles north of Glenwood Road (Georgia Route 260). July 22, 1864. The left wing (Giles Smith's div., 17th A.C.) of McPherson's Army of the Tenn. (US) occupied an intrenched line on Flat Shoals Rd. between Leggett's Hill & Glenwood, where it hooked eastward, facing to the south. Gen. P.R. Cleburne's three brigades, (CS) Lowrey's, Govan's & Smith's (Granbury's), struck the Federal flank at the hook, sweeping it aside by front & rear attacks, that with Maney's div. in support finally drove the entire Federal division north to Leggett's Hill. During this rear attack Gen. McPherson was killed by skirmishers of Smith's Texas brigade.
Right Glenwood right Flat Shoals past round about right Moreland cross I - 20 to Leggett's Hill.
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Leggett's Hill - July 22, 1864. Blair's 17th A.C., McPherson's Army of the Tenn. (US) was aligned S. of Logan's 15th astride the Ga. R.R. Leggett's div. of the 17th held the line from Logan's left, to & including the hill. An extension S.E. on Flat Shoals Rd. to Glenwood was occupied by the other division of the 17th A.C., under Giles Smith. Smith's div., outflanked by Cleburne's troops, was driven to the S. slope of Leggett's Hill. This was followed by concerted attacks on front, flank & rear by Cleburne's & Maney's div. (Hardee's A.C.), together with Stevenson's (Cheatham's A.C.) (CS) - a battle regarded as the major engagement of the Atlanta Campaign.
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We have done a tangent of this battle as a separate document.
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Cleburne's men had spent the night reinforcing the hilltop position, but are unable to stop the Union assault. The Confederates withdraw slightly, then spend most of the rest of the day unsuccessfully attempting to retake the hill.
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From Confederate defense looking across way to Leggett's Hill.
Proceed north on Moreland Avenue then take left Memorial and then right Stovall.
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Attack from the West Marker is at the intersection of Memorial Drive (Georgia Route 154) and Stovall Street, on the right when traveling east on Memorial Drive. July 22, 1864. Gen. George Maney's div. (Hardee's A.C.) (CS) attacked the front of Giles Smith's div., 17th A.C. (US) posted on Flat Shoals Road (Leggett's Hill to Glenwood), while Cleburne's div. attacked it from the rear. This forced the withdrawal of Smith to the S. Slope of Leggett's Hill where he occupied a 2nd line extending eastward from Leggett's position. Cleburne & Maney, following up their advantage, were aided by Stevenson's div. (Cheatham's A.C.) (CS) from the city fortifications. Repeated attacks, front, flank & rear, by the three Confederate divisions failed to dislodge the 2 divs. of the 17th A.C. ? Leggett's & Smith's.
Keep going Stovall, right at dead end on Kirkwood. Left Walthall.
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Benton's & Coltart's Brigades Marker is at the intersection of Boulevard Street and Walthall Street on Boulevard Street. July 22, 1864. When Brown's (formerly Hindman's) div., Cheatham's A.C. (CS) attacked the Fed. Line E. of here, Benton's Mississippi & Coltart's Alabama brigades struck Harrow's div. of the 15th A.C. (US), dislodging Williams' & Oliver's brigades. Simultaneously, Manigault seized Martin's & Lightburn's line astride the Ga. R.R. northward ? a combined action that displaced four Federal brigades on a half-mile front which they later recovered by reinforced counter-assaults. Col. Samuel Benton, wounded in the battle, was carried to the rear and later removed to a hospital at Griffin, Ga., where he died.
Right on Boulevard.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...CGax4A--~B
Harrow's Div., 15th A.C. Marker is on Boulevard Drive 0 miles west of Moreland Avenue (U.S. 23), on the right when traveling west. July 22, 1864. Harrow's 4th div. (composed of Walcutt's, Oliver's & Williams' brigades), 15th A.C. [US] occupied this sector between Leggett's Hill & the Ga. R.R., which was the outer Confederate line until abandoned that morning.When Coltart's & Benton's brigades of Brown's div., Cheatham's A.C. [CS] assaulted this sector, Oliver's & Williams' troops gave way under a like pressure that broke Morgan Smith's line at the railroad, only to return at Harrow's command & re-possess it in a resurgent wave that restored it & the broke section northward. This action is pictured in the Cyclorama of the Battle of Atlanta in Grant Park.
Left or north on Moreland, then I think it's a good time for lunch in Little Five Points. My tour usually starts at Peachtree Creek and ends up in afternoon at Ezra Church and Utoy Creek. Get in all four battlefields. After Lunch go north Moreland and left Freedom Parkway to Jimmy Carter Library. Left into Library through circle out to south side then several markers on southside parking lot.
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Augustus Hurt House - 200 yds. N.E. stood the plantation residence of Augustus F. Hurt (1830-1921), built 1858 and razed by Federal forces, 1864; erroneously cited in Official Records as the Howard house. July 22, 1864. 4th & 23d A.C. troops, in line with Federal advances on Atlanta, occupied this hill, having marched via old Williams Mill Rd. Sherman, together with Howard & Schofield, maintained command posts here during the afternoon while McPherson's Army of the Tennessee fought defensively at & S. of the Ga. R.R. where two of Hood's corps (CS) attacked it. Here, McPherson's body was brought from the battlefield enroute to burial at Clyde, Ohio.
https://battleofatlanta.digitalscholarsh..._300x0.jpg
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The Battles for Atlanta - Between July and Sept. 1864, during the American Civil War, U.S. and Confederate armies struggled for control of Atlanta, the major manufacturing center and railroad hub of the Deep South. Four inconclusive battles occurred inside the present day I-285 Perimeter: Peachtree Creek (July 20), Atlanta (July 22, fought in part in the area of this marker), Ezra Church (July 28); and Utoy Creek (August 6). Unwilling to attack the city's strong defenses, U.S. forces swept west and then south and at Jonesboro (August 31 ? Sept. 1) cut the last railroad supplying Atlanta, forcing the Confederates to abandon the city. The fall of Atlanta on Sept. 2, 1864, assured the re-election of Abraham Lincoln and the final defeat of the Confederacy.
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Augustus Hurt Plantation - The outer Confederate defense line of Atlanta, located on E. slope of this hill, July 18, was evacuated the night of the 21st, 1864. July 22. The Federal 23d A.C., under Schofield, marching from the N.E. via Williams Mill Rd. intrenched a line W. & S. of Augustus Hurt's house, where it supported the rt. wing of the Army of the Tenn. in the Battle of Atlanta. July 26. With the shift of that army to the W. side of Atlanta, the 23d A.C. became the extreme right S.W. of the city. The 4th A.C., its left resting at the Augustus Hurt house, became the left of the line until Aug. 25.
Back left or east Freedom Parkway. Right North Highland Avenue. Left Colquitt. Left Euclid, cross over Moreland, turns into McLendan. Right Oakdale. In parking lot of MARTA Station there off DeKalb Avenue on left.
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Noon Under the Trees Marker is at the intersection of Dekalb Avenue NE and Oakdale Road NE, on the left when traveling east on Dekalb Avenue NE. Located near a parking area for Iverson Park, near the Edgwood/Center Park Station for MARTA. July 22, 1864. Gen. McPerson & staff spent the forenoon in conference at Sherman's headquarters & inspecting Army of the Tenn. lines. Noon found them in an oak grove just S. of the R.R. where they were joined at luncheon by Logan & Blair, each with his staff. While here, McPherson wrote & dispatched an order to Dodge regarding the destruction of the Ga. R.R. This pleasant respite of discussion & cigars was broken by volley firing to the S.E. The battle of Atlanta had begun.All mounted & rode away. McPherson, sending most of his staff on various missions, galloped towards the sound of the guns.
Then turn right back west on DeKalb Avenue. The next three marker's on the right.
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Logan's 15th A.C. Line Marker is on DeKalb Avenue 0.1 miles east of Candler Street, on the right. This marker is located in front of the Atlanta Fire Department Station. Inscription. July 20, 1864. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan's A.C. having camped at Decatur, moved toward Atlanta on this rd. M.L. Smith's (2d) div. was in advance; Woods' (1st) & Harrow's (4th), in reserve. At this point, 2.75 mi. from center of Atlanta, Smith's intrenched line crossed both highway & R.R. July 21. Harrow extended the line S. to connect with the 17th A.C.; Woods prolonged it N. to join the 16th A.C. That night the outer Confederate line which crossed this Rd. at DeGress Ave. (0.5 mi. W.), was evacuated.July 22. Logan's troops moved up & reversed the abandoned line where they were attacked that afternoon by Cheatham's corps (CS)
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Restoring the Line Marker is at the intersection of DeKalb Avenue and Elmira Place, on the right when traveling west on DeKalb Avenue. July 22, 1864. After Cheatham's troops (CS) broke the Federal 15th A.C. line at the R.R. cut and the Hurt house (DeGress Ave.), Mersy's 16th A.C. brigade was brought up from the battlefield 1 mile S. of the R.R. to assist in restoring it.Lightburn and Martin were deployed on and south of the R.R.; Mersy's brigade north of it (near this point), with Wood's two brigades aligned on his right, facing the left flank of the Confederate forces in the captured sector.In a concerted assault, the five brigades (US) advanced and recovered the line, together with the four guns of the DeGress battery. This stirring action is pictured in the Cyclorama.
Cross over Moreland.
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Federal Signal Station Marker is on DeKalb Avenue where it crosses Moreland Avenue and cannot be seen from Moreland Avenue. Marker is at the intersection of Dekalb Avenue and Moreland Avenue, on the right when traveling west on Dekalb Avenue. July 22, 1864. When 15th A.C. troops moved W. from line (at Candler St.) to the vacated Confederate line at the Troup Hurt house (at DeGress Ave.), a signal station was established by Lt. Samuel Edge in a tall pine near this site commanding a view of fortified Atlanta. Lt. Edge reported the advance of Confederate forces astride the R.R. and when the 15th A.C. line was broken, he abandoned the station- returning to it after the line was restored. Near this site, in 1885, the battlefield was studied from a tower erected by the artists who created the Cyclorama; this established the viewing point of the big picture.
Now take a right Degress Ave.
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Troup House Marker is on Degress Avenue NE 0.1 miles north of Dekalb Avenue NE, on the right when traveling north. The Plantation house of Geo. M.T. Hurt, begun the Summer of 1862, never completed & never occupied as a residence, stood on the site of the stone church. It faced the Decatur Rd. July 18, 1864. A sector of the outer line of Atlanta's defense works was located just E. of the house, which was used as h'dq'rs by the 10th S. Carolina regt., (CS) of Manigault's brigade. July 22. The same troops, having withdrawn to the city the night before, returned late afternoon & attacked the Federal forces occupying the position, capturing & holding it until driven out. This is the moment shown in the Cyclorama of the Battle of Atlanta.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...eP2g--~BGo to end of road turn around.
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The DeGress Battery Marker is in the yard of the last house on DeGress Avenue on the left when traveling north on DeGress Avenue. Inscription. July 22, 1864. Light Battery H, 1st Ill. (four 20-pounders), Capth. Francis DeGress, was posted here on right of M.L.Smith's div., Logan's 15th A.C. Shells from these guns are said to have been the first to fall in Atlanta.Late afternoon, Manigault's brigade (CS) broke the Federal line at the R.R., forcing Martin's brigade, S. of it & Lightburn's N. of it, to withdraw. DeGress' gunners spiked the pieces & the horses were shot to prevent the removal of the guns by their Confederate captors.The line was retaken in a counter-charge by Martin & Lightburn, aided by Mersy's 16th A.C. brigade; Capt. DeGress re-possessed his guns.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...-~BDeGress Battery and Troup Hurt House.
Back to Dekalb Avenue right then right at MARTA Station 4 Markers on right.
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...dedUtw--~B All four of these next 4 markers are now right here next to the Pope House Marker.
Manigault's Brigade - July 22, 1864. Manigault's brigade, Brown's div., Cheatham's A.C. (CS) attacked this sector where Martin's & Lightburn's brigades were posted astride the Decatur rd. & the Ga. R.R. cut. Manigault's troops broke the Federal line at the cut, thereby forcing the withdrawal of Lightburn & Martin from this sector of the entrenched line of Logan's 15th corps.A counter assault by Lightburn & Martin, together with Manny's 16th A.C. brigade (brought up from the battlefield area S. of the R.R.), recovered the Federal line & the DeGress battery which Manigault's men had seized but had not be able to remove.
The 15th Corps Sector p- July 20, 1864. Posted on this ridge, astride the Georgia R.R. was the right flank of Hood's old corps, (CS) Gen. B.F. Cheatham commanding. July 22. These troops were withdrawn, before daylight, to the city fortifications. The vacated line was occupied by Logan's corps, (US) which was reversed to face westward.Gen. Morgan L. Smith's div. centered at the R.R., Lightburn's brigade posted (between DeGress Ave. & Battery Place) west of the Hurt house; Martin's, S. of it - the R.R. cut separating them. The Confederate assault, afternoon July 22d, broke the lines of Lightburn & Martin's brigades at the Decatur Rd. & the railroad cut.
The Railroad Cut - In 1864 the single track of the Ga. R.R. ran through a deep cut opposite this point. Crossing it & the Decatur rd. was the entrenched line of the Federal 15th A.C. as of July 22. This was a sector of McPherson's Army of the Tenn. which occupied trenches vacated by Gen. Cheatham's A.C. (CS) the previous night. Cheatham's troops temporarily recovered the line here - late afternoon of the 22d - mostly by frontal assault, partly by penetrating it at the unguarded cut - an episode portrayed in the Cyclorama at Grant Park. The ground was greatly altered after the war; the R.R. cut was still visible as late as 1903.
Site: The Pope House - Opposite to & N. of here was a 2-story white house (said to have been the residence of the Widow Pope) which figured prominently in this sector of the Battle of Atlanta, July 22, 1864. As Manigault's brigade moved to the assault on the Federal line at the Hurt house, its alignment was broken by the Pope house & out-buildings. While reforming, some of the 19th S.C. ascended to the 2d floor & fired into the Federal batteries at the R.R. cut.Pressing forward, the 10th & 19th S.C., aided by the 28th Ala., penetrated the Federal line at the R.R. cut, seizing the batteries there & in a leftward drive, the DeGress battery.
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View toward Atlanta. The Railroad Cut and the Pope House.
Right Hurt Left Euclid right Elizabeth left Waverly.
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Baker's Brigade Marker is on Waverly Way 0.1 miles north of Edgewood Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
July 22, 1864. Baker`s Alabama brigade (Col. J.H. Higley comdg.), Clayton`s div., Cheatham`s A.C., [CSA} was diverted N.E. in Clayton`s attack on the 15th A.C. eastward, thus forming the extreme left of the line extending S. to Glenwood Ave. Higley`s troops faced the right sector of the 15th A.C. held by 2 brigades of Woods` div. on the S. slope of Copenhill. A gap of 250 yds. in the swampy area of Clear Creek valley, separated Woods from the right of Morgan Smith`s div. where the DeGress battery was posted. Woods' flank attack on Manigault's line at the Troup Hurt house not only retrieved the battery, but forced Baker`s brigade to withdraw.
Cross Euclid
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...9xSf5Q--~B
Springvale Park Marker is at the intersection of Waverly Way and Edgewood Avenue, on the right when traveling north on Waverly Way. The marker is below street level in the park, and can be difficult to see from the street. Steps lead from the Edgewoood Avenue/Waverly Way intersection to the marker. July 22, 1864. Brig. Gen. John C. Brown's div. of Chatham's A.C. [CS] moved astride the Georgia R.R., E. from the Atlanta fortifications to attack the Federals at the Troup Hurt house. Manigault's brigade, followed by Sharp's, were north of the R.R.; Coltart's & Benton's S. of it. Manigault's brigade halted in a ravine to reform its line while Coltart's brigade, S. of the R.R. came up abreast. Resuming the charge, Manigault's men ascended the slope to & beyond the Pope house, penetrating the Federal line at the railroad cut & seizing the Illinois batteries. A remnant of the ravine is still visible in Springvale Park
https://ec.yimg.com/ec?url=http%3a%2f%2f...yT7hNg--~B
Brig. Gen. A. M. Manigault's Brigade (Rock) - On July 22, 1864, Brig. Gen. A. M. Manigault's Brigade, Hindman's Div., Cheatham's Corps, advancing eastward from the Atlanta fortifications against the Federal 15th Corps posted at DeGress Ave., halted in this ravine to reform their line, preparatory to the assault that resulted in breaking the Federal line and capturing DeGress Battery. Erected by the Old Guard of Atlanta -- 1934 Dedicated by Camp Gordon S.C.V.
Right Edgewood left Delta.
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Brown's & Clayton's Divs. Marker is at the intersection of Delta Place and Edgewood Avenue, on the left when traveling north on Delta Place. July 22, 1864: 3:30 P.M. Gen Hood (CS) launched an attack from the east line of the city fortifications, on the 15th A.C. astride the Ga. R.R. (at DeGress Ave.) - a mass assault by two divs. of Cheatham's A.C.: Brown's & Clayton's. Brown's brigades were: Manigualt's, Sharp's, Coltart's, & Benton's; Clayton's brigades were: Stovall's, Baker's, Gibson's, & Holtzclaw's. The impact of these eight small brigades dislodged four Federal brigades from their intrenched line at and each side of the R.R. ? where the spear-head of the attack was aimed. This, the critical moment of the battle is pictured in the Cyclorama at Grant Park.
From here you proceed back down Edgewood west toward downtown to Krog, take a left go under the 100 year old underpass, and take a right Wyllie, Right Tennelle, left Carroll, merge left onto Boulevard. Take right on Memorial and Oakland Cemetery is on your right. I have done a separate document on Oakland.
For this tour just take a left off Memorial onto Cherokee right at the Six Feet Under Bar. Cross over I-20 and Grant Park comes up on left . Grant Park was established in 1882 when Colonel Lemuel P. Grant (The "Father of Atlanta"), a successful engineer and businessman, gave the city of Atlanta 100 acres in the newly developed "suburb" where he lived.
Grant Park is the oldest surviving park in the city. Its landscape was part of the defensive line against Union forces in the Civil War, and the breastworks of Fort Walker remain as evidence of the Confederacy's defeat at the southern most point of those trenches. There was no action here. In 1890, the city acquired another 44 acres for the park. In 1903, the Olmsted Brothers (sons of Frederick Law Olmsted) were hired to create a plan for the park. Grant Park has preserved the southern end of that battlefield and also houses Zoo Atlanta.
http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/cit...357229.jpg
Battlefield of Atlanta 7/22/1864.
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