History: The American Civil War: Siege of Atlanta

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The Campaign for Atlanta began in May 1864 and ended on September 1st, 1664 when General Hood withdrew from Atlanta and surrendered the city. This campaign which ultimately resulted in the Battle/Siege of Atlanta was a decisive defeat for the Confederacy.   Atlanta was a strategic asset to the confederacy as it was a railroad and logistics hub for the confederacy. The battle started similar to Chancellorsville, in that an attack in the rear by confederate forces were meant to hit the Union forces. This occurred, but the "surprise" attack had lost its surprise as the attack did not occur till noon. Thus, once the attack did commence the Union forces were prepared and had received reinforcements to bolster their defenses. This coupled with failed attacks that were repulsed allowed the Union to regain the Initiative thus winning the battle for Atlanta that then turned into a siege. The siege lasted until September first when General Hood withdrew from Atlanta. The total combatants for this battle/siege was 75,301 soldiers with 34,863 Union and 40,438 Confederates. The total casualties for the battle were 9,222 with 3,722 Union and 5,500 Confederate casualties.