The Day Dixie Died: The Battle of Atlanta

by Gary L. Ecelbarger

One of the most dramatic and important battles ever to be waged on American soil, the Battle of Atlanta changed the course of the Civil War and helped decide a presidential election.

In the North, a growing peace movement and increasing criticism of President Abraham Lincoln’s conduct of the war threatened to halt U.S. war efforts to save the Union. On the morning of July 22, 1864, Confederate forces under the command of General John Bell Hood squared off against the Army of the Tennessee led by General James B. McPherson just southeast of Atlanta.

Having replaced General Joseph E. Johnston just four days earlier, Hood had been charged with the duty of reversing a Confederate retreat and meeting the Union army head on. The resulting Battle of Atlanta was a monstrous affair fought in the stifling Georgia summer heat. During it, a dreadful foreboding arose among the Northerners as the battle was undecided and dragged on for eight interminable hours. Hood’s men tore into U.S. forces with unrelenting assault after assault. Furthermore, for the first and only time during the war, a U.S. army commander was killed in battle, and in the wake of his death, the Union army staggered. Dramatically, General John “Black Jack” Logan stepped into McPherson’s command, rallied the troops, and grimly fought for the rest of the day. In the end, ten thousand men---one out of every six---became casualties on that fateful day, but the Union lines had held.

Having survived the incessant onslaught from the men in grey, Union forces then placed the city of Atlanta under siege, and the city’s inevitable fall would gain much-needed, positive publicity for Lincoln’s reelection campaign against the peace platform of former Union general George B. McClellan.

Genres: Civil War, History, American Civil War, Nonfiction, Civil War Western Theater, Military History

320 pages, Hardcover

First published November 19, 2010

About the author

He has published more than a dozen articles and reviews for Civil War and historical periodicals and has conducted group tours and Marine Corps staff rides of the 1862 Shenandoah Valley Campaign. He is a former president of the Bull Run Civil War Round Table and a charter member of the Kernstown Battlefield Association.

Reviews

[robin friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Battle Of Atlanta

On September 4, 1864, General W.T. Sherman sent a famous telegram to President Lincoln: "Atlanta is ours, and fairly won." The fall of Atlanta transformed what appeared to be an upcoming defeat for Lincoln's bid for reelection into a strong victory. In addition to its political impact, the Union's capture of Atlanta proved to be an integral part of the Union military victory.

Apart from Sherman's telegram and Jefferson Davis' decision to replace General Joseph Johnston with General John Hood, the military actions that led to the fall of Atlanta have received little attention. Hood was aggressive, perhaps reckless, where Johnston was extraordinarily cautious and defense-minded. Upon assuming command, Hood fought three battles within ten days at Peachtree Creek, Atlanta, and Ezra Church which resulted in severe losses to the Army of Tennessee and allowed Sherman to take the city on September 1.

In his book, "The Day Dixie Died: The Battle of Atlanta" (2010), Civil War historian Gary Ecelbarger offers a detailed account of the pivotal battle in the capture of Atlanta: the hard-fought Battle of Atlanta of June 22,1862. I have read detailed histories of many Civil War battles, but this book gave me my first close look at this battle.

Following the progress of a battle, including the troop movements and the geographical landmarks can be confusing, even for an experienced reader. A virtue of Ecelbarger's account is that it is, for the most part, easy to follow. Ecelbarger offers a clear account of complex movements over, for me, unfamiliar geographical terrain. I could follow the progression of events relatively well even though I hadn't studied the details of this engagement before.

Ecelbarger also admirably sets the stage for the battle and for the actions of the chief protagonists. His judgments appear nuanced, particularly as they involve Hood. The Confederate commander is frequently portrayed as simply reckless and thoughtlessly aggressive. Ecelbarger's history rehabilitates Hood, in part, by arguing for the need for aggressive countermeasures to stave off the Union advance.

Hood devised a plan to get in the rear or on the flank of the Army of the Tennessee East of Atlanta commanded by General James McPherson. Ecelbarger draws parallels to Stonewall Jackson's flank attack at Chancellorsville. He also points out critical differences: the route to the Union rear was longer than that of Chancellorsville, and Hood had little idea of the nature of the terrain his troops needed to cover. The attack was delayed for several hours and, with a good deal of luck, the Union made adjustments which had the unintended effect of blunting the attack when it came.

The battle was fought on several fronts and centered on the possession of an elevation called Bald Hill which changed hands several times. The Confederates attacked repeatedly and bravely and achieved some success before the Union rallied under General John Logan who had become the commander after McPherson was killed. Although Ecelberger does not draw the parallels, the course of the battle reminded me of Gettysburg in several ways. Hancock's rushing in of reinforcements to save the day against Longstreet on the second day of the battle has strong similarities to the way the Battle of Atlanta developed. I was reminded of the difficult Confederate attempts to take both Culps Hill and Cemetery Ridge at Gettysburg. At Gettysburg and at Atlanta, Confederate efforts to take an elevated position against a smaller defending force failed due to terrain and to the effective use of artillery. In addition, as was the case at Gettysburg, the Confederate attack was poorly coordinated among its various Corps commanders. This was Hood's responsibility as the coordination difficulties at Gettysburg were Lee's.

Ecelbarger's account emphasizes the tragedy of the Battle of Atlanta with its with its heavy loss of life on both sides. His concluding chapter describes the significance of the battle and includes a discussion of the Cyclorama of the Battle of Atlanta painted in the 1880's. The Cyclorama remains prominently displayed in Atlanta today.

The aspect of this campaign that most fascinates me remains the replacement of Johnston by Hood. Although Ecelberger makes a case for Hood's aggressiveness, I was unconvinced. His battle plan against the Army of the Tennessee strikes me as hastily conceived, flawed, and rash even though it had certain positive elements and even though Ecelberger attempts to rehabilitate it in part. Perhaps a better course for the Confederacy would have been a long siege defense with the aim of holding Sherman at bay until after the presidential election. Although many will disagree, I tend to be more sympathetic to Johnston. In any event, this is a well-written, thoughtful Civil War history. I learned a great deal as well from the many excellent online reviews of this book.

Robin Friedman

[Paul Pessolano · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Battle of Atlanta was fought on July 22, 1864. The battle lasted for eight hours and may well have been the battle that ended the Confederacy. It was fought over a large area that surrounded the downtown area of Atlanta. The size of the battle could not only be measured in area but in the number of dead. It is estimated that over 10,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured during those eight long hours.

The Battle of Atlanta was significant for several reasons. People on both sides of the conflict were tiring of the war and a movement was afoot to replace Abraham Lincoln during the next election, and propose a truce that would reunite the States of the Confederacy and to allow slavery. It was the Battle of Atlanta that proved to be the turning point of the war and allowed the North to see the war coming to an end. Lincoln was nominated to run for another term for the Presidency. The reelection of Lincoln as President guaranteed the preservation of the Union, the death of the Confederacy, and the end of slavey.

This is an excellent read, however, it is geared towards students of history, primarily those interested in the Civil War and Atlanta. It is very detailed in troop movements (the maps provided will help) and the officers (on both sides). The difficulty lies in that many of the names, both officers and armies have very similar names. The author does a good job of sorting through all of this and making it easier of the reader.

After reading this book, the reader will truly believe that July 22, 1864 was "The Day Dixie Died".

[Heinz Reinhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the summer of 1864, the Union war effort was at its nadir. The Northern populace was bombarded with a seemingly endless array of news of battlefield disasters and bloodbaths, and the harrowing, mind numbing scenes of train loads of caskets being unloaded for burial. The war, seemingly going so well following Vicksburg, Gettysburg and later Chattanooga, was now seemingly a war that could not be won. The task of conquering the South seemed an insurmountable one.
In Louisiana, General Bank's joint Army-Navy Red River Campaign ended in an inglorious rout. Rebel forces went on the offensive in Louisiana and Arkansas. In Virginia, Grant and Meade's enormous Army of the Potomac was soundly thrashed at the Wilderness in May, and impaled upon Confederate works at Spotsylvania, North Anna and mercilessly mowed down at Cold Harbor. Further defeats on the Peninsula in front of Richmond and in the Shenandoah likewise added to Yankee misery.
In northern Georgia however, the news was more mysterious. Sherman, commander of the combined Federal forces just south of Chattanooga had cut his forces off from media interference, and his campaign southward to Atlanta was one of guesstimates from those both at home and in Washington.
General Sherman, for ten weeks, would fight and maneuver his way south, playing a lethal chess match with General Joe Johnston who managed to stay one step ahead of Sherman, if he could never truly stop him.
Johnston's Rebels would win nearly all of the tactical encounters in northern Georgia, sometimes spectacularly so, and inflict heavier losses. However, Sherman's willingness to merely flank the Rebels and force them to backpedal to the next defensive position was inexorable. Even Johnston's lopsided triumph at Kennesaw Mountain in June was made moot by Sherman's swinging around Johnston yet again.
For failing to stop Sherman north of the Chattahootchie, and for failing to launch a counteroffensive to take advantage of the several tactical successes he had achieved, Johnston was relieved and replaced by John Bell Hood.
Thus sets the stage for Gary Ecelbarger's excellent study on a very ignored, yet decisive, battle of the War Between the States.
The Lincoln Administration, awash in broken hearted criticism from a war weary, and anguished Northern populace desperately needed a triumph to offset the news of tactical whippings and horrifying casualties coming from the various fronts. With Grant locked in a bloody stalemate in trench warfare outside Richmond-Petersburg, and with Confederate forces on the offensive in the Shenandoah, the Administrations eyes turned to Sherman and Atlanta.
Sherman looked to invest the city by swinging around to its right, or east, a stratagem he had used nearly flawlessly thus far in the campaign against the brilliant, yet overly cautious Joe Johnston. Now with Hood replacing him, Sherman expected to have to fight hard for Atlanta.
Hood proved him correct.
This is the tale of this book. Following an initial, failed, offensive strike against the Army of the Cumberland(having crossed the Chattahootchie north of Atlanta), on 20 July at Peachtree Creek, Hood looked to hit the opposite end of the Federal line and smash into the Army of the Tennessee which had, on 21 July, seized the eminence of Bald Hill from Cleburne's Division in a bloody affair.
Hood looked to catch the Federals in a flank attack, much like Jackson's at Chancellorsville, that would roll up and devastate the Union AotT. Following this Hood would in turn roll up the flanks of both the Army of the Ohio and the AoC, pressing the routed and disorganized Yankees north of the Chattahootchie where Hood hoped to block any further Yankee advances.
It was a bold plan, and despite it's oft panned source, was a very good one, absent the operational and strategic flights of fancy Hood would be prone towards later in the war.
Ecelbarger narrates the story well, using both Federal and Rebel accounts to weave a fast paced, rousing narrative that tells the tale, in the dramatic way it deserves, of one of the wars most decisive, yet ignored battles.
The 22 July Battle of Atlanta-Decatur (most commonly just called the Battle of Atlanta) saw the Rebels of Hardee's and Cheatham's Corps' hurl themselves at the works held by the Union AotT. Despite being poorly organized and timed (not to.mention being made with ranks thinned by exhaustion and the brutal heat and humidity) the Rebels under Cleburne and of Cheatham's Corps managed more than once to break the Federal lines.
General James McPherson, commanding the Federal AotT was killed early in the fighting, the highest ranking Union officer to fall in the war, and the Union left flank was rolled up and nearly crushed before stout Federal resistance denied the Rebels a true breakthrough.
Joseph Wheeler's Southern cavaliers were bested by the Federals in their attempt to seize Decatur and pounce upon the Yankee rear (though they did wreak havoc on the Union logistical train), and although Cheatham's Corps did break the Federal center, and threaten to crush the entire AotT, a brilliant counterattack led by Union General John 'Black Jack' Logan drove the Southerners from their gains and restored the lines.
Hood didn't realize just how close he had come to realizing his ambitions till after the battle, and he failed to act to take advantage of Cheatham's huge success late in the day. A final assault on the Federal left, this time on Bald Hill, by Cleburne's Division, though ferocious and lasting through the night in a rare nocturnal battle, failed to dislodge the Yankees.
The battle was a resounding Union success, more than making up for the pain and misery thus far felt in northern Georgia. Roughly 6,000 Rebels were lost in the days fighting as opposed to roughly 4,000 Federals. Rebel assaults were mostly poorly organized, mistimed, and with the exception of Cheatham's Corps, made practically piecemeal. Also the Rebel artillery played nearly no role in the battle at all, a major failing that quite frankly is unforgivable considering at least the morale value of the big guns banging away in support.
Hood realized following this defeat that any realistic hope of saving Atlanta was lost. Sherman would continue to swing to either side of the city and slowly invest in from three sides. Both sides mourned the death of McPherson.
When news reached him in Virginia of McPherson's passing, Grant retired to his tent and wept over his dear friend. Sherman was stunned and even Hood, McPherson's West Point classmate and friend in the pre war Army, wrote a heartfelt eulogy which was passed through the lines to the Federal command.
However, McPherson did not die in vain.
Despite meeting privately with Frederick Douglas, where Lincoln was convinced he was about to lose the coming election and that the Democrats might negotiate away the Emancipation Proclamation in order to bring the South to the peace table (ensuring Douglas sent agents into the South to spread the word of the Proclamation and to coerce slaves to make their way north), the Battle of Atlanta was the decisive turning point of the war.
While the South had lost the chance to win the war militarily by 1864, they still hoped to win the war politically by whittling down Northern political will by making the conquest of the Confederate States seem like an impossibility.
They very nearly succeeded.
Northern civilian will nearly cracked under the strain of losses which were hugely in favor of the smaller, yet more nimble and incredibly lethal Rebel armies. And yet they persevered, and the Northern armies did not, in the end, fail them.
In the Shenandoah Sheridan won three smashing victories in a month, in both Louisiana and Arkansas the Rebel offensives came to naught and the great Rebel invasion of Missouri ended in disaster. Yet the first major Domino to fall was the 22 July Union triumph at the Battle of Atlanta.
The string of late summer, and autumn Federal successes ensured Lincoln's re-election, and sealed the fate of the Southern Confederacy.
And as Gary Ecelbarger so wonderfully shows in thia book, July 22, 1864 truly was the day Dixie died.

[Sean Chick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written and researched book hurt only by subpar maps. The argument that this was the campaign's turning point is sound. If not the turning point it was the point of no return as the Confederates never had another chance as good to alter the course of the campaign.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book’s conclusion can be represented in the author’s words (Page 225): “The Atlanta campaign caused the death of Dixie.” His argument is multiple pronged. For one thing, the Union victory at Atlanta helped ensure Lincoln’s reelection as President. Lincoln’s stand against the South was much firmer than if Democrats were to have won the election of 1864.

However, I think that such a stark assessment may be a bit overstated. To be sure, Atlanta was a key victory. Partially for the election results. Partially because, in its aftermath, Sherman made the South “howl” with his march to the sea and then his movement northward through the Carolinas. But other battles could be considered crucial as well, such as Gettysburg and Antietam and Vicksburg and. . . .

That stated, this book does a fine job of laying out the Atlanta campaign and the key battles. It also places the battle in a larger context. It also has useful features: maps that make sense (some books on the Civil War have maps that are close to uninterpretable), the order of battle (the armies, corps, divisions and brigades of the contending hosts [see pages 233-245).

The tale of the battle for Atlanta is capably told. Key actors are discussed—John Bell Hood as the successor to the Fabian Confederate leader, Joseph Johnston. Hood was very aggressive, perhaps too much so for an army commander. The book details his plans for saving Atlanta and inflicting defeat on Sherman’s forces.

There is good detail on the series of battles that Hood committed the Confederate forces to. The discussion of the Union tactics their responses to Hood’s aggressiveness are well told—and in detail. Vignettes such as the death of Union General McPherson are told nicely.

Some suggest that Hood is treated rather gently by Gary Ecelbarger, the author. Perhaps. But, overall, I find the author’s evaluations judicious.

Overall, I think that this is a fine work exploring in some detail the battle for Atlanta.

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author says Dixie's date of passing was August 22, 1864, the day of the battle of Atlanta, just one of several which occurred between General Sherman's army group and General Hood's Army of Tennessee. I think he chooses this battle over Peachtree Creek, Ezra Church, and Jonesboro because of casualties among the rank and file and in commands, although the narrative isn't too clear on the specific consequences to army performance. I myself think Jonesboro (August 31-September 1) was the one because it closed the remaining supply line to the outside and forced Hood's retreat. That gave Sherman Atlanta and Lincoln the election (November 8). Or one could say Dixie "officially" died any day a major force surrendered as at Appomattox or Durham Station or when President Johnson declared the "rebellion's" end on August 20, 1866. Take your pick.

What made the book a pleasure to read was the play-by-play with excellent maps (thirteen, by George Skoch) depicting the action(s) as the battle develops; it isn't often I find such good descriptions, especially on this campaign. I see he has also covered Ezra Church in another book, now on my radar.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

First class historical writing, although it's geared toward über wonky Civil War nerds like myself. If you're looking for poetry and beauty and strong personalities and rousing speeches, read Jeff Shaara. If you want a minute-by-minute account of one of the most important and costly battles of the Civil War, check this book.

[Tracy Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a lover of history, especially battle history, I stumbled on this book, “The Day that Dixie Died, The Battle of Atlanta” by Gary Ecelbarger. The book was meticulously researched and painstakingly documented over several years. The book focuses on July 22, 1864, the bloodiest day of the last ten months of the US civil war.

It’s an hour by hour playbook of “the Battle of Atlanta” with Sherman’s march to the sea. Though Sherman’s role and appearance pops up again and again, this book is primarily about the countless officers, generals and soldiers that fought that day. The book has quotes from letters, diaries and witnesses of each moment of the battle.

I enjoyed the detail but it quickly became confusing on such troops as, which regiment was from Tennessee on the Union or Confederate side. This was the case with several corps. The amount of war wounds from other wars, such as the Mexican War, where many with officers being tied in saddles, missing perhaps an arm and a leg, was more common than I realized.

The troops ranged from perhaps 1,000 soldiers to closer to 20,000 soldiers in a brigade. It was amazing how many deserted or just wore out over night hikes where maybe 3,000 less men would be accounted for in a morning. The US Civil War was ever changing daily, hourly, minute by minute over four long years where hundreds of thousands of men were wounded, killed, captured, and marching on every day. “The best trained soldier with a single-shot rifle required half a minute to load, fire and then reload his weapon. The amount of times soldiers were told to “fix bayonets!” and charge hand-to-hand, would have even blown Mel Gibson’s WIlliam Wallace away. This book reads like a “Saving Private Ryan” battle script only from July 22, 1864.

Though the book is a 5.0 for the reader looking for that detail, at times, without a visual aid the strategies could become challenging to visualize. As more of a novice to that particular period in American history, other than a few books here and there and the occasional showing of Scarlett O’hara trying to get out of a burning Atlanta in “Gone With the Wind”, about half way through I caught myself trying to step back and get a bigger-picture view versus over thinking the continual play-by-play.

The amounts of cannons, weapons, artillery and horses dragged all over the south often being blown to pieces was staggering. The bloody details of battle after battle are not for the faint of heart. It was one hell of a war. Journal entries talked of decapitations and piles of bodies that were challenging to fight over. My heart went out to the various “color bearers” who proudly waved their colors into battle with many designated soldiers ready to pick up the flag should the bearer fall….which I imagine they almost always did.

75% of the book is about that one day. It then talks briefly about memorials and reunions involving soldiers from both sides returning on that anniversary for years to come. The book then goes over both the list of officers, with titles by brigade or division for both the union and the confederacy along with a chronological list of each battle that day. The last 15-20% of the book is all bibliography of each quote, book, letter, footnote that culminated in this book. A tremendous synopsis of that day in history.

[Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very interesting look at the American Civil War Battle for Atlanta on July 22, 1864. If you know about America’s Civil War, you may well know that there was a week’s long Campaign before Atlanta fell, not just a one-day battle. The author brings the focus down to just one day, July 22, 1864, because ethat day’s fighting determined the outcome of the entire Atlanta Campaign. A major battle was fought that day between the Confederate Army of Tennessee (referring to the state) and the Union Army of the Tennessee (referring to the river). The author makes the case that the die was cast once that day’s battle, a Union victory, ended. The Confederate forces were too depleted at the point to ever push the Union forces away from Atlanta. While the July 22 battle was between just the two armies noted above, the Union had two other armies nearby and available to lay siege to Atlanta. They had the Army of the Cumberland and the Army of the Ohio also descending upon Atlanta. The author expands upon his theory that the loss of Atlanta became inevitable once the Rebel’s failed to destroy the Union Army of the Tennessee on July 22. The final abdication of Atlanta took place in very early September of 1864. According to the author, that capture of Atlanta sealed Lincoln’s re-election in November of 1864. His re-election ended any chance that the “Peace Democrats” opposing Lincoln could intercede and negotiate a reunification with the South by offering the Southerners the option of keeping slavery’s legal status intact as it was prior to the Civil War. So, ultimately that one day battle was critical when it came to finishing the war, reuniting America and ending slavery in America. The actual battle descriptions in this book goes down to the regimental level. This book is not just a high-level overview of strategy. The book is full of rough and tumble detailed descriptions provided by the men who fought here.

[John Matthew IV · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author, Gary Ecelbarger, kinda oversells it but is interesting to see a moment in time when the future was unknown.

Naively, we look back and know the Union won the Civil War, freeing all the slaves. Lincoln is arguably the greatest president.

However, in July of 1864 the outcome of the war was not a foregone conclusion. The outcome of that fall's election was even more in doubt.

Lincoln thought he was going to lose. He had his cabinet sign letters of resignation so after the election, but before inauguration, a new cabinet could be found.

The Union would sign a peace deal with the Confederates allowing the South to remain independent and keeping their slaves.

Then events happened that proved no need for those letters.

The book itself is hard to follow as we get bogged down in units. The 11th Ohio vs. the 31st Georgian. The maps help but it is easy to glance over all those regiments.

p. 18: Battle of Resaca
p. 18: Battle of Dallas
p. 18: Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
p. 26: Battle of Peachtree Creek
p. 88: Henry Repeating Rifle
p. 189: Brigadier General Charles Wood was nicknamed "Susan". He commanded the 1st Division of the XV Corps of the Army of Tennessee
p. 219: Battle of Ezra Church
p. 220: "We are getting used to being shot at, but you may guest there is no fun in it." -- One of Cleburne's men
p. 221: "You think I don't know that I am going to be beaten, but I do and unless some great change takes place, badly beaten." -- Abraham Lincoln
p. 222: Battle of Jonesboro

Fun Facts:
The sun set around 8 p.m. on July 22, 1864.
States Rights Gist was a general from South Carolina

[Brian Manville · Rating 3 out of 5]

October 26, 1983 was the Last Battle of Atlanta where Tommy "Wildfire" Rich defeated Buzz Sawyer in a steel cage match. For Georgia Championship Wrestling to promote a Last Battle of Atlanta, there had to be a first battle of Atlanta. This more serious battle took place on July 22, 1864 which resulted in a Union Victory that severely damaged John Bell Hood's army and eventually led to Atlanta's fall in September of that year.

Ecelbarger takes his time setting the stage and putting all of the players in their respective places. He wonderfully frames the context of the battle within the larger Union southern campaign. As the battle proceeds, so does the narrative. Unfortunately, Ecelbarger gets lost in the weeds at times. He dives a bit too deep into each regiment and, combined with trying to navigate the multiple succession of commanders, makes for a story where it's easy to get lost.

In the end, the author makes a story that puts the battle in its proper context and gives more depth to the campaign than the scene from Gone With The Wind where Atlanta burns to the ground.

BOTTOM LINE: A muddled story of the battle that led to the fall of Atlanta.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Day Dixie Died covers a very small time period in the pages of the book. It essentially covers the 36-50 hours that was the Battle of Atlanta as the last major confederate Army not engaged against the army of the Potomac tried to turn the fortunes of war against the union forces under McPherson (a part of Sherman’s March to the Sea). While McPherson would lose his life in this battle his forces would prevail against the Confederates delivering Lincoln a much needed boost that arguably did win him the election against McClellan. This is your standard military history of the civil war which goes into great detail on each division and what they were doing throughout the battle. It mentions briefly things like the election and the wider conflict but remains laser focused on exactly the topic is says it is covering.

[James Grochala · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read Intelligently & listen to any of his words or interviews & statements in documentaries & you come to the "Clear Conclusion" that he a an upset & resentful racist that is upset that "The South" no longer lives. Calling the Tennessee Governor a bloody butcher, as ex-rebels did as well, all because he was stern with not letting ex-rebs murder rape & hold the good south hostage. This writer is upset that that gov. tried to not let the kkk exist. I mean cmon, any who's a fan of Nathan Bedford Forrest & can agree with Any of his viewpoints, IS quite clear on his beliefs & chooses to see history (or wishes) A certain way. This is a disgruntled person that the traitorous rebel army didn't win. Period.

[W Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent history of The Battle of Atlanta in 1864. The author presents a very detailed and lucid account of a battle that took many twists and turns with Federal soldiers literally fighting from both sides of their earthworks. As the title indicates, he believes this battle to be the turning point of the Atlanta Campaign and the war in general. He makes a strong case for that position.

[Dan Bukowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

The rare war book with great maps. The even rarer book where the descriptions were so thorough that the maps were hardly needed!

[William Satterwhite · Rating 4 out of 5]

A first rate battle narrative on the Battle of Atlanta, the book does a wonderful job of telling the story of the Army of the Tennessee's drive on Bald Hill on the city's east side and the bitter battle that eventually resulted along with the effect the battle had on the larger war. The only negative aspect of the book is that it almost completely ignores the earlier Battle of Peachtree Creek, while this might seem unfair (after all, the book doesn't claim to be about anything else other than the July 22nd battle), I feel the two engagements are connected in a way that it deserved at least a preliminary chapter, especially as references are made to the earlier battle throughout the book. All in all though, that is a minor point and anyone interested in learning more about the Battle of Atlanta should certainly give this book a read.

[Lance Dreesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very accurate account of the Battle of Atlanta. A bit dry, but doesn't get bogged down either. If you live in the metro Atlanta area, I highly recommend this book. You will be shocked at how many men fought and died on the soil beneath our feet, and the roads we drive on. This was an important, maybe even pivotal battle in the Civil War, which helped shaped the Nation we live in. We still live with the choices and actions -- and their repercussions -- that occurred during and after "the War." More people should try and understand the history of the place where they live -- and this book describes a very important part of the history of where I live. I'm glad I read it!

[Walter Bush · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those interested in books on war, and in particular the Civil War, this is a terrific account of the Battle of Atlanta (not the part that took place near where we live, which is known as the Battle of Peachtree Creek). It takes a bit of concentration to read, since the battle descriptions are very detailed. However, one feels the battle intensely.

[Jason Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and insightful details on the Battle of Atlanta. It is very detailed with plenty of references to specific landmarks in the Atlanta area. I found the prose to be very good for the level of detail. If you are interested in Civil War battles and the people involved, this is a good read.

[Ed · Rating 2 out of 5]

Looking for the engaging part to start.

Update, the engaging part did not start. For me, it read like a reference book. Took it back to the library.

[Paulcbry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of research went into this engrossing book. I knew nothing of the Battle of Atlanta but the author brings the Civil War to life. A fine book.