Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman began a major offensive aimed at defeating the Confederate Army of Tennessee and taking Atlanta, a key railroad and manufacturing center. The campaign was part of Ulysses S. Grant’s broader 1864 strategy to keep constant pressure on Confederate armies across multiple fronts.
Sherman’s forces probed Confederate defenses at Rocky Face Ridge near Dalton, Georgia, while also looking for ways around strong positions. The actions signaled Sherman’s preference for maneuver—threatening Confederate supply lines—rather than repeated direct assaults on prepared fortifications.
At Resaca, Sherman pressed the Confederate Army of Tennessee as both sides fought for control of routes and railroads leading south toward Atlanta. Although the battle’s outcome is often described as inconclusive tactically, Confederate commander Joseph E. Johnston soon pulled back, continuing a pattern of retreat to avoid encirclement.
Battles around New Hope Church and nearby areas (including Dallas) showed how quickly the campaign was becoming a war of trenches, logs, and earthworks. Heavy casualties and strong defensive positions slowed movement and made flanking maneuvers even more important.
Sherman ordered a major direct attack on fortified Confederate lines at Kennesaw Mountain near Marietta, Georgia. The Confederates repulsed the assault, and Union losses were heavy, reinforcing the campaign’s lesson that prepared earthworks were extremely difficult to take head-on.
After weeks of retreating toward Atlanta under pressure, Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston was replaced by Lt. Gen. John B. Hood. Hood was expected to fight more aggressively, a shift that soon led to a series of major battles outside the city.
Hood struck Sherman’s forces near Peachtree Creek in an attempt to disrupt Union movements as they closed in on Atlanta. The attack did not achieve its goal, and it marked the start of several costly Confederate offensives meant to break Sherman’s grip around the city.
The Battle of Atlanta was a major Confederate attempt to strike Sherman’s armies as they maneuvered to cut the city’s rail connections. Union forces held the field, but Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson was killed, and the fighting ushered in more intense bombardment and efforts to sever Atlanta’s remaining supply routes.
Sherman pushed to reach and cut railroads supplying Atlanta from the west, and fighting erupted at Ezra Church. The Confederates suffered heavy losses in repeated attacks, but they managed to prevent Union forces from immediately reaching the rail line there, prolonging the struggle for Atlanta’s supply network.
Sherman shifted south to attack the Macon & Western Railroad, Atlanta’s last vital supply line. The fighting at Jonesborough forced Confederate withdrawal, and with the railroad severed, Hood’s army evacuated Atlanta, making Union capture of the city inevitable.
Atlanta fell to Sherman’s forces, delivering the Union a major strategic and political victory because of the city’s rail connections and industrial importance. With Atlanta secured, Sherman could reorganize and plan an operation deeper into Georgia while Confederate forces shifted to other campaigns.
Sherman directed that civilians leave Atlanta as the city was to be used mainly for military purposes and to reduce supply burdens. The order became one of the campaign’s most controversial moments and reflected Sherman’s view that war required harsh measures to end Confederate resistance.
Sherman issued Special Field Orders No. 120 to organize his army for an overland march without a fixed supply line. The orders described how troops would forage for food and animals, while also setting limits and discipline measures—rules that shaped how the campaign affected civilians and infrastructure.
Sherman began moving roughly 60,000 troops eastward, cutting ties to his long supply line and aiming for the port of Savannah. The campaign targeted railroads, factories, and supplies supporting the Confederacy, seeking to weaken Confederate armies by damaging the South’s ability to fight.
Near Savannah, Sherman needed contact with Union naval forces for food and ammunition. The capture of Fort McAllister on the Ogeechee River opened a route for Union ships to resupply the army, making continued operations against Savannah practical.
Confederate forces evacuated Savannah, and Union troops entered, completing the march across Georgia. Sherman informed President Abraham Lincoln that he presented Savannah as a “Christmas gift,” symbolizing the campaign’s success and the growing Union ability to strike deep into Confederate territory.
Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign and March to the Sea (May–December 1864)