ABSTRACT

In May 1864, Union General Sherman began a series of maneuvers to force Joseph Johnston's Confederate Army of the Tennessee to retreat toward Atlanta. Sherman's forces, at the start of the Atlanta Campaign, consisted of over 100,000 men in three separate armies: George Thomas's Army of the Cumberland with 61,000 men, James B. McPherson's Army of the Tennessee with 25,000 men, and James M. Schofield's Army of the Ohio with 15,000 men. The siege of Atlanta lasted until August, with Union artillery constantly bombarding the city while Hood and Sherman tried to outmaneuver each other. A battered Atlanta fell into Sherman's hands. Sherman would occupy Atlanta until November 15, and he left the town in flames. Nearly one third of Atlanta was destroyed by the fire, including most of the business district.