Operations in the Atlanta Campaign began in May of 1864 and lasted through September. The summer battles are covered in this issue of the newsletter. From June 10 until July 4 there were continuous battles and skirmishes in and around Marietta. Battle lines would be formed by the Confederates only to be broken or circumvented by Union troops and vice-versa. The battle field was unstable as each Commander tried to outwit the other.
Not a lot of detail is available for some of these engagements simply because of the continually fluctuating state of the Battlefield.
Marietta Operations
The Battle of Marietta was a series of military operations from June 9 through July 3, 1864, in Cobb County, Georgia. The Union forces, led by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, encountered the Confederate Army of Tennessee, led by Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, entrenched near Marietta, Georgia. A series of engagements were fought during this four-week period, including the battles of Brushy Mountain, Pine Mountain, Gilgal Church, Lost Mountain, Mcafee’s Cross Roads, Mud Creek, Neal Dow Station, Noonday Creek, Pine Knob, Rottenwood Creek, Ruff’s Mill, Kolb's Farm and Kennesaw Mountain.
Battle Summaries:
Forces Engaged: Military Division of the Mississippi [US]; Army of Tennessee [CS]
Description: During the Atlanta Campaign, instead of frontally attacking Johnston’s army which would cause too many casualties, Sherman usually attempted to maneuver the enemy out of defensive positions. Thus, when Sherman first found Johnston entrenched in the Marietta area on June 9, he began extending his lines beyond the Confederate lines, causing some Rebel withdrawal to new positions. On June 18-19, Johnston withdrew to an arc-shaped position centered on Kennesaw Mountain. Sherman made some unsuccessful attacks on this position but eventually extended the line on his right and forced Johnston to withdraw from the Marietta area on July 2-3.
From 4 June to 18 June 1864, the Confederates occupied a 10-mile long line from Lost Mountain to Brushy Mountain. From 4 June to 15 June, they also occupied an advance position on Pine Mountain. On June 14, 1864, Confederate General Leonidas Polk became a casualty of the war. He was scouting enemy positions near Marietta, Georgia with his staff when he was killed in action by a Federal 3-inch (76 mm) shell at Pine Mountain. The artillery fire was initiated when Sherman spotted a cluster of Confederate officers—Polk, Hardee, Johnston, and their staffs—in an exposed area. He pointed them out to Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard, commander of the IV Corps, and ordered him to fire on them.
The 5th Indiana Battery, commanded by Capt. Peter Simonson, obeyed the order within minutes. The first round came close and a second even closer, causing the men to disperse. The third shell struck Polk's left arm, went through the chest, and exited hitting his right arm then exploded against a tree, cutting Polk nearly in two.
On June 15th, the Federal 23th Corps struck Hardees line at Pine Knob. The attack did not succeed in driving the confederates from their main entrenchments, but they did force the confederate skirmishers to fall back and allowed the Federal troop to gain a foothold near the Confederate lines. During the night of the 15th Hardee pulled back to Mud Creek.
The Mud Creek Line was occupied 17-18 June, during which time Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk’s nephew, Brigadier General Lucius Polk, was wounded in the knee, rendering him incapable of field service for the rest of the war.
Federal infantry probed the Lost Mountain-Brushy Mountain Line at several points on several occasions, while cavalry operations were near continuous on both flanks. Noting that the Federals were in position to flank his line to the south, Johnston withdrew from the Mud Creek Line and Brushy Mountain Line to the Kennesaw Mountain Line on the evening of 18-19 June.
Gilgal Church
Hardee had established his center in the vicinity of Mud Creek. On June 15, 1864, Sherman ordered a general advance because of the Rebel withdrawal from Pine Mountain and found them again in a line anchored by dependable Pat Cleburne from Gilgal Church to Kennesaw Mountain. Sherman ordered Hooker to engage the Rebel left in a general attack while McPherson engaged the Army of Tennessee in the vicinity of Acworth.
Daniel Butterfield, probably most famous for composing "Taps" during the Seven Days Retreat, and a portion of John Geary's Division struck Cleburne from the north while Milo Haskall, a brigadier under Schofield, moved in from the west. After a sharp engagement known as the Battle of Gilgal Church with between 800-1,000 causalities Hardee withdrew Cleburne and formed a line running north and south along Mud Creek on June 17. Sherman moved Hooker to the south to join Schofield in a maneuver designed to potentially outflank Kennesaw Mountain.
Noonday Creek/McAFee’s Crossroads
General Garrard was ordered by General Sherman to interpose between General Joseph Wheeler's cavalry and detached infantry at Noonday Creek, which was just a few miles from Sherman's headquarters at Big Shanty. When, after a week, Garrard failed to do so, two brigades of infantry and three brigades of cavalry with artillery support were advanced against the Confederate positions on June 9. Two charges failed, and the Union Army retired from the field, however, Wheeler's cavalry was moved to a position between Bell's Ferry and Canton Road. On June 10, the 15th regiment Iowa Veteran Volunteer Infantry pushed the enemy across Noonday Creek after heavy fighting.
On June 15, a division of Union Cavalry attacked and was repelled. On June 17, the Federals pushed Wheeler down Bell's Ferry Road, where he retired to Doctor Robert McAfee's house. On June 19, the Union Army attacked but was driven off with heavy losses.
On June 23, Colonel Eli Long, USA, crossed Noonday Creek with his brigade. He was attacked at that time but repelled the attackers.
Noonday Creek
Kolb's Farm
Date: June 22, 1864
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield and Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker [US]; Lt. Gen. John B. Hood [CS]
Forces Engaged: Two corps [US]; Hood s Corps [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 1,350 total (US 350; CS 1,000)
Description: On the night of June 18-19, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, fearing envelopment, moved his army to a new, previously selected position astride Kennesaw Mountain, an entrenched arc-shaped line to the west of Marietta, to protect his supply line, the Western & Atlantic Railroad. Having encountered entrenched Rebels astride Kennesaw Mountain stretching southward, Sherman fixed them in front and extended his right wing to envelop their flank and menace the railroad. Joe Johnston countered by moving John B. Hood’s corps from the left flank to the right on June 22. Arriving in his new position at Mt. Zion Church, Hood decided, on his own, to attack. Schofield and Hooker, having learned of Hood´s plans from some captured Confederates, ordered their troops to dig in. At 4:00 p.m. Hood sent two of his three divisions towards the waiting Federals. After several unsuccessful charges through the woods, fields, and swamps across the road, the battered Confederates withdrew. Although the victor, Sherman’s attempts at envelopment had failed.
Neal Dow/Ruff’s Mill
On July 1, 1863, the 23rd Army Corp established a position at the Moss House (Floyd Station). This placed the 23rd AC closer to the Chattahoochee River than the Confederates at Kennesaw. The Confederate forces under General Johnston withdrew from their Kennesaw Line the night of July 2-3 and took up a new position at a double line of breastworks, prepared in advance, running from the old Smyrna Camp Ground east of the R.R. From this point, the Confederate line ran east to Nickajack Creek, south of Ruff´s Mill. Maj. Gen. William W. Loring's Corp on the right, Lieut. Gen. William J. Hardee Corp. held the center and Lieut. Gen. John B. Hood's Corp the left. This line became known as the Smyrna-Ruff Mill line.
The Battle of Neal Dow (Smyrna Camp Ground) then took place on July 3 and the Battle of Ruff's Mill at Nickajack Creek occurred on July 4.
On July 4th, 1864, the 4th AC, commanded by Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard, attacked the Confederate forces east of the rail line in Smyrna but failed to break the Confederate line. Concurrent with this attack, Brig. Gen. John Fuller´s Brigade, 4th division of the 16th AC, attacked Gen. Hood´s Corps along Nickajack creek. This attack also failed. Later on the 4th, Gen. Fuller´s men, supported by Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Sweeny´s 2nd division succeeded in capturing the first line of breastworks.
Maj. Gen. Francis P. Blair´s 17th AC of the Army of the Tennessee was also able to drive Maj. Gen. Gustavus Smith’s Georgia Militia and Brig. Gen. L.S. Ross´ Texas Cavalry Brigade back toward Smyrna.
With his left threatened, General Johnston was forced to retreat to a prepared position west of the Chattahoochee at the Railroad Crossing.
Most of the buildings in the battle area were burned by Sherman's troops. Notable exceptions were the Smyrna Academy which served as a Confederate and Union hospital, Ruff's Mill, the Ruff family home and the Gann House.
Share with your friends: |
