The Civil War Battle of Atlanta was one of the more intense summer battle campaigns of the Civil War. It is also known as the Battle of Decatur, and it took place on July 22nd, 1864.
It was fought to the Southeast of Atlanta, and involved a battle over supply and rail facilities and important supply areas for the entire Atlanta region.
It was a battle that despite the finality of the name stretched out for almost six weeks, it was a huge battle the was one of the decisive victories for the Union forces in the Civil War.
Union General Sherman commanded the Western Theater Union Forces, including the Army of the Tennessee that was led by commanding General James McPherson. McPherson was an aggressive and quick commander, known for swift action and decisive moves in military areas.
The battle was fought around an inverted giant ìLî shape, with the Union Army led by General McPherson and ultimately General Phillip Sherman. During the initial stages of the battle, General McPherson who was known for his bravery and can do spirit, was shot while leading the soldiers out in front, and died nearly instantly.
Seeing their Commanding General killed rallied the Army of the Tennessee, and they fought even harder. Fighting was intense, bloody and featured some of the most gruesome hand to hand fighting of the Civil War.
General Sherman massed 20 artillery cannon and different Artillery weapons arranged around his headquarters and used them very effectively to shell the Confederate soldiers, while Commander Logan and his XV Corps regrouped and smashed the Southern Confederate soldiers, pushing them back and repelling them.
Union Army Casualties numbered nearly 3,700 hundred men, but the Confederate Army lost 8,500, and it was a clear and devastating loss for the Confederate Army forces. Despite this action, they still managed to hold on to Atlanta for a few more weeks, until losing the city later.
On September 2nd, 1864 a day or two after Confederate General Hood had pulled his forces out of Atlanta in the final days of August, a group of Atlanta Citizens met the Union Army outside of Atlanta and informed them that Atlanta was theirs, and officially surrendered the city to Union Forces.