After the Battle of Peachtree Creek, attention shifted to the eastern
side of the city. Hood determined to strike McPherson who, on July 20
and 21, had moved past Decatur and entrenched a line running north and
south a few miles east of Atlanta. The Confederate commander realized
that he might march troops around the left of McPherson’s position and
attack him from the flank and rear. He chose Hardee’s Corps to be the
flanking column and planned to have Cheatham’s men attack the front of
McPherson’s army from the west while Hardee struck from the south and
east. With luck, this sensible plan could result in the defeat of a
large part of Sherman’s forces.
Late on the 21st, Hardee’s men withdrew from their advanced position
north of Atlanta and by midnight they were marching out of the city.
They were to move southward, then turn and swing eastward and northward.
Meanwhile, the other Southerners fell back to shorter lines where, it
was hoped, they would be able to hold off the Federals while Hardee
outflanked them.
On the morning of July 22, Sherman found the Southerners gone from his
immediate front and concluded that Atlanta had been abandoned. However,
as his armies pushed forward, they discovered that the defenders had
only fallen back to a new position. The Northern advance contracted the
Federal lines and the XVI Corps of McPherson’s army was crowded out of
place. McPherson ordered it to move to his extreme left. Thus at the
time Hardee was moving to that area, McPherson, by chance, was sending
in reinforcements.
Hardee’s march was long and hard. Poor roads, inept guides, and the July
heat combined to delay the Southerners. It was not until noon that
Hardee had his men in position, and at 1 p.m. he sent them forward. The
Confederates made their way through heavy underbrush and emerged facing
the Federal XVI Corps which had halted in a perfect position to meet the
charge which broke upon them.
Poor coordination also weakened the force of the Confederate offensive.
Cheatham’s men, who assailed the XVII Corps, did not join the assault
until about 3:30, by which time Hardee’s attack had lost much of its
force. Nevertheless, the fighting was severe. One Federal brigadier
wrote of the attackers:
They burst forth from the woods in truly magnificent style in front of
my right.... Hardly had the enemy made his appearance in my front when
[the artillery] ... opened on them a deadly fire, which rather
staggered their line, yet on came the advancing rebels, and hotter
grew the fire of ... [our artillery]. At the same time the ...
infantry ... opened on them with cool and deadly aim. Still on came
the charging columns, more desperate than ever, those in front urged
up by those in rear.
The first charge was driven back, but the Southerners returned to the
attack again and again throughout the long afternoon. Several times they
swarmed over the Federal positions, capturing men and cannon, but each
time they were driven back. In one of the early charges, McPherson was
killed by advancing Confederate skirmishers as he rode forward to rally
his men. Finally, about 7 p.m., the Southerners abandoned the attack and
fell back. Their losses have been estimated at about 8,000. Union
casualties were reported at 3,722.
For the second time Hood had lashed out at his opponent and had been
thrown back. Later he tried to shift the blame to Hardee whom he accused
of failing to be in the proper place at the proper time. In post-war
years, a bitter verbal battle raged over the question. Most present-day
authorities feel that Hardee did all that could reasonably have been
asked of him. His troops were worn from the battle on Peachtree Creek,
the bad roads slowed his march, and the fateful positioning of the XVI
Corps was a matter over which he had no control.
In the summer of 1864, however, many Confederates saw the battle as a
splendid victory. One artilleryman wrote on July 23:
We gained a great victory yesterday of which I suppose you know [from
newspapers] as much as I do. We left before much was accomplished but
hear that our corps captured 3,500 prisoners and 22 pieces of
artillery & the enemies killed & wounded amounted to twice our own.