Just last week, my second book was published, this one taking a look at the Civil War career of our 20th President, James Abram Garfield. The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain ended with the Southern forces unmoved, and the Northern troops back where they had started. Confederate Gen. Leonidas Polk was killed by a Yankee artillery battery while observing the placement of his lines. American Battlefield Trust's map of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain on June 27, 1864. On June 24, he drew up an attack order which called for Maj. Gen. James McPherson, whose army held the Union left, and Maj. Gen. George Thomas who held the center, to select points of attack to break the enemy line while Maj. Gen. John Schofield maneuvered on the right as a diversion. Well-directed fire by Maj. Gen. Samuel French's artillery on Little Kennesaw and a Confederate counterattack eventually drove off the Yankees. The Battle of New Hope Church was fought May 25–26, 1864, between the Union force of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman and the Confederate Army of Tennessee under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War.The battle was a result of an attempt by Sherman to outmaneuver Johnston. Eventually, Mitchell's men retreated and found cover within yards of the Confederate works. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Though initiating a series of battles at Peachtree Creek, Atlanta, Ezra Church, and Jonesboro, Hood failed to prevent Atlanta's fall which finally came on September 2. Please consider making a gift today to help raise the $170,000 we need to preserve this piece of American history forever. Some men of Col. John Mitchell's brigade made it up the slope to Maney's entrenched salient, where the lines became so close that the Tennesseans threw rocks at the advancing Federals. Only on July 2nd when Sherman sent McPherson and Maj. Gen. George Stoneman's cavalry around the Confederate left did Johnston once again fall back to another defensive position at Smyrna. Published by the History Press, James Garfield and the Civil War tells the story of how James Garfield served in the Union army during some of the most pivotal years in American history. Though a tactical defeat, Schofield's success allowed Sherman to continue his advance. To the south, Thomas pushed forward the divisions of Brigadier Generals John Newton and Jefferson C. Davis against Hardee's troops. On the night of June 18-19, 1864, Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston moved into a defensive position on Kennesaw Mountain in Georgia. That day, Polk was killed by Union artillery and command of his corps passed to Major General William W. Loring.

Donations to the Trust are tax deductible to the full extent allowable under the law. Sherman decided on a frontal attack on the Confederate mountain bastion, his first frontal assault of the campaign. The American Battlefield Trust and our members have saved more than 53,000 acres in 24 states! Commencing his campaign in early May, Sherman employed a strategy of maneuver to force Johnston from a series of defensive positions. Federal Identification Number (EIN): 54-1426643. At the appointed time, around 200 Union guns opened fire on the Confederate lines. Divisions of the American Battlefield Trust: The American Battlefield Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. After 10:00 a.m., the Union attack became disorganized and the men fell back. The main Union thrust would come from Thomas in the center while Schofield received orders to demonstrate against the Confederate left and possibly attack up Powder Springs Road if the situation warranted. At 8:00 a.m. on June 27, over fifty cannons on McPherson's front opened fire on Kennesaw Mountain. Donate today to preserve Civil War battlefields and the nation’s history for generations to come. Followed by Major General George Stoneman's cavalry division, this maneuver opened a road around the Confederate left flank and placed Union troops closer to the Chattahoochee River than the enemy. Facing them was Confederate Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne's division, which had built abatis and strengthened its entrenchments. Sergeant Nixon B. Stewart of the 52nd Ohio who would go on to write a history of his regiment after the war, described the assault on Cheatham’s Hill: At 8 o’clock, we moved rapidly to position in rear of our main works. Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman began his Atlanta Campaign in early May of 1864, clashing with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Tennessee as it withdrew towards Atlanta in the face of Sherman's successive flanking maneuvers. To the south, Schofield conducted the planned demonstration but then found a path that allowed him to advance two brigades across Olley's Creek. Though he was a veteran commander, President Jefferson Davis had been reluctant to select him as he had shown a tendency to defend and retreat in the past rather than take a more aggressive approach. Here, you can find more in depth information on the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, including a full bibliography and complete order of battle listings for both armies during the Atlanta… This combined force numbered around 110,000 men. This is a blog site in association with the new book from the History Press, The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, by Daniel J. Vermilya. On July 2, after several clear days had dried the roads, Sherman sent McPherson around Johnston's left flank and forced the Confederate leader to abandon the Kennesaw Mountain line. Battle of Kennesaw Mountain - Aftermath: In the fighting at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Sherman suffered around 3,000 casualties while Johnston's losses were approximately 1,000. In June, several skirmishes were fought around Marietta, as both armies maneuvered for position. On McCook's left, Brig. Hood. This is a blog site in association with the new book from the History Press, The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, by Daniel J. Vermilya. The next two weeks saw Union troops force Johnston through maneuver to continue retreating back towards Atlanta. Kennedy Hickman is a historian, museum director, and curator who specializes in military and naval history. While I haven’t published much on here over the last few months, it has been with good reason. Reaching the vicinity of Kennesaw Mountain, Sherman recognized the strength of Johnston's fortifications but found his options limited due to the impassable nature of the roads in the area and the need to control the railroad as he advanced. While this book doesn’t deal with the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, it does deal with one of the more interesting and overlooked figures of the Civil War in the West and the Army of the Cumberland.

Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman began his Atlanta Campaign in early May of 1864, clashing with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Tennessee as it withdrew towards Atlanta in the face of Sherman's successive flanking maneuvers. This force included 8,500 cavalry led by Major General Joseph Wheeler. In the late spring of 1864, Union forces under Major General William T. Sherman concentrated at Chattanooga, TN in preparation for a campaign against General Joseph Johnston's Army of Tennessee and Atlanta. Retreating from this position, Johnston established a new defensive line in an arc to the north and west of Marietta. Johnston had been appointed to lead the army after its defeat at the Battle of Chattanooga in November 1863. Garfield had left the army for Congress by the time of Kennesaw Mountain, but he had played an important role as the Chief of Staff for the Army of the Cumberland at Chickamauga just nine months before.

Advancing on the left over difficult terrain, Newton's men made multiple charges against the enemy on "Cheatham Hill" but were repulsed. Taking up his new defensive line on June 19, 1864, Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston had pioneers (construction troops) dig trenches, place guns, and erect fortifications, turning Kennesaw Mountain into a formidable earthen fortress. American Civil War: Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. If you would like a personalized copy, send me a message through the Contact Me page (under the About Me header). To defend against Sherman, Johnston was able to gather around 55,000 men at Dalton, GA which were separated into two corps led by Lieutenant Generals William Hardee and John B. By June 19, Johnston occupied a seven-mile-long, formidably entrenched, arc-shaped battle line centered on Kennesaw Mountain, just 15 miles outside of Atlanta.

Smith's other brigades had similar luck and were unable to close with the enemy. The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain.