On May 7, 1864 three Union armies began an advance that would take them into the heart of the Confederacy. Once there, they planned to silence its heartbeat, and theii deliver a deathblow. Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman led these armies. Many historians claim Sherman invented modem war through his beliefs do an enemy's civilian population and infrustructure, as much as his armies, were legitimate targets of war.

Sherman was not a great success as a tactical general, and he had a string of dubious actions to his account for, but he had overcome his problems and early reputation to gain the friendship and unshakeable confidence of the Federal commander in chief, Ulysses S. Grant Grant could count on Sherman to see the 'big picture,' and to carry out his part in the destruction of the Rebellion.

In 1864, Sherman's mission was to advance and put pressure on the Confederacy's second army, the Army of Tennessee. He was "to break it up, and to get into the interior...." In order to do this, he chose as his objective the city of Atlanta.

In 1864, Atlanta had a population of 8,000 (to put this in modern perspective the city would be the size of modern Totnes, or Wick), but because of the war, this had swollen to around 20,000 by the beginning of Sherman's campaign. Four of the Confederacy's limited railway systems met at Atlanta or nearby, arteries that helped feed Lee's army in Virginia. As the war progressed, Atlanta became a center of military manufacturing; cartridges, shells, primers, cannon, rifles, armour plate, and the minutia of war including leatherwork and belt buckles. Two foundries, a rolling mill, a pistol factory, and half a dozen military hospitals were within the city precincts.

It was also an administration hub for the Confederate government, containing every department needed to run a large military machine. The loss of such an important Southern city would be both a military disaster and a morale catastrophe to Confederate hopes of eventually winning the war. Atlanta's loss would be the beginning of the end.

To bring about the fall of Atlanta and the demise of the Army of Tennessee, Sherman's vast 'army group' contained many components, the main being Maj. Gen. George H. "Pap" Thomas, Army of the Cumberland. Consisting of three corps (Fourth, Fourteenth and Twentieth) numbering 73,000 men and 130 guns, this army alone outnumbered the Confederates. Thomas was a friend of Sherman's, but no friend of Grant's. He was a Virginian fighting for the Union, although his family did not respect his views, and Thomas was seen in a very bad light in the South.

To some, he was a slow mover, but in reality, Thomas was methodical and precise. At Stone's River, he had helped turn certain defeat into victory when he uttered, "This army can't retreat." Saving Rosecrans' defeat at Chickamauga from becoming a worse disaster with his stand on Horseshoe Ridge, this action earned him the sobriquet "Rock of Chicamauga."

Sherman's second force was the Army of the Tennessee, commanded by 35-year-old Maj. Gen. James Birdseye (pronounced birdzee) McPherson. This command also had three corps (Fifteenth, Sixteenth and Seventeenth), but some of the divisions were absent on security duties during the campaign. Nonetheless, it still numbered 24,500 men and 96 cannon. McPherson was in the same class at West Point as John Bell Hood, where McPherson finished first and Hood was a few demerits short of being thrown out. General Grant was instrumental in his rise to high command, and McPherson quickly rose from colonel of engineers to command of an army. Sherman shared Grant's high opinion of McPherson.

Last was the Army of the Ohio, a grandiose name for what amounted to just over one corps (Twenty-third), 13,559 men, 28 guns, commanded by Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield. He was a political general, and at 32, was small and ugly. While he lacked actual combat experience, he was however, ambitious and calculating, and desperate to please his superiors. Schofield had friends in high places, and he had directed the Department of the Missouri for a time, helping Grant out with troops at Vicksburg. All this had paved his way, despite his lack of experience, to command of the Army of the Ohio.

Apart from Schofield's men,, the Union troops were, in general, veterans of many campaigns, well equipped and managed. In their ranks, the new repeating rifles were beginning to make an appearance in large numbers, despite the doubts of senior officers. The only weak link in Sherman's chain was his cavalry, as this was not a unified command and was led by dubious commanders.

The horsemen were at Sherman's beck and call, not that of their nominal commander, George Thomas. All in all, it would be difficult for the Confederates to halt such an imposing force.

Confederate Forces

To oppose the Yankee onslaught, the Confederacy fielded the Army of Tennessee, the poor relation of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Its two corps (Hood's and Hardee's) were soon joined by Leonidas Polk with his Army of Mississippi -- which became in effect another corps (Polk's). With a total of ten infantry divisions and two cavalry corps, the army now had an overall effective strength of 53,000 men. The Rebel cavalry looked formidable on paper, but in fad only 2,400 men could be counted on for fieldwork.

In command was General Joseph E. Johnston, who along with Beauregard, was the victor of First Manassas. He saw himself as the Confederacy's senior general, Jefferson Davis didn't see it that way and ranked him fourth. This dispute was to blight their relationship for the rest of the war. Hood was only given the command because no one else was available. Johnston was "small, soldierly and graying, with a certain gamecock jauntiness." He was also described as "... A difficult and touchy subordinate ... a military contradiction."

Loved by his men, Hood was hated by Davis. In some government circles, Johnston was blamed for losing the fortress of Vicksburg, His conduct during the coming campaign would not change Davis' opinion. He has in no doubt that he had to stop Sherman, come what may Johnston's corps commanders were Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee and John B. Hood. Hardee was famous for compiling a tactical manual used by the U.S. army. However, he was also described as a troublemaker, and as a general who shirked his responsibilities.

Despite this, he had gained a reputation as one of the South's finest corps commanders. He plotted against Bragg, but was a friend of Joe Johnston. John Bell Hood by 1864 had become one of the Confederacy's top generals, a celebrity, a six-foot blonde giant of a man. In early photographs, he looks every bit the Viking Warrior, albeit a dour one. Feted wherever he went, "the Gallant Hood" was associated with the famed Texas Brigade, which he had led to glory, although he himself was from Kentucky. "Hood's Division" of the Army of Northern Virginia was arguably the best fighting force in an army full of excellent combat units. John B. Hood was an aggressive warrior and he had suffered for this trait with two wounds leaving him with a shattered arm and the loss of his right leg.

He arrived in the Western Theatre with James Longstreet just before the battle of Chickamauga, in which the divisions from the East helped inflict a hefty defeat on the Army of the Cumberland. All this cost Hood dearly. The hero of Gaines Mill, Second Manasas, Gettysburg and Chickamauga, although still only thirty-two, could not walk without crutches, despite having a cork leg from Europe. Hood couldn't dress himself, requiring a personal servant to tend to his most intimate needs.

Despite all this, Hood continued to serve the Confederacy. He was rewarded with a promotion to lieutenant general, and given command of a corps in the Army of Tennessee on March 2,1864.

Hood at Atlanta 1864

Background
The Campaign
Battle of Peachtree Creek
Peachtree Creek Wargame
Peachtree Creek Order of Battle: Union
Peachtree Creek Order of Battle: Confederate
Peachtree Creek Map (114K)