Georgia Natural Wonder #265 - Battle Atlanta - Fulton County (7/22) - 1864***

[Top Row Dawg]

Battle of Atlanta - Fulton County




Leaving Leggett's Hill in DeKalb County, proceed north on Moreland Avenue then take left Memorial and then right Stovall. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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)  

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. Now you are back in Fulton County, but I continue the Battle of Atlanta narrative.

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.  

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.  

Go to end of road turn around. 

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.  

DeGress Battery and Troup Hurt House. 

Back to Dekalb Avenue right then right at MARTA Station 4 Markers on right. 

 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. 

View toward Atlanta. The Railroad Cut and the Pope House. 

Right Hurt Left Euclid right Elizabeth left Waverly. 

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  

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 

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.

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. 

Battlefield of Atlanta 7/22/1864.

Confederate Works Southeast 

Palisades and chevaux de frise in front of the Potter (or Pondor) House, Atlanta, Georgia, 1864

The Potter (or Ponder) House in Atlanta housed Confederate sharpshooters until Union artillery made a special target of it