Attack by Lee's Corps
Jonesboro, Clayton County, Georgia
Marker Inscription
Attack by Lee's Corps. Gen. Hood's move to checkmate the Federal foray at Jonesboro on the one remaining railroad entering Atlanta, resulted in two major engagements August 31 & September 1, 1864. Aug. 31. A concerted attack on the Fed. 15th A.C. between the town and Flint River westward, was made by Hardee's & S.D. Lee's corps [CS], the former advancing from below the town the latter, in this sector, above it. Lee's three divisions, Anderson's, Clayton's, & Stevenson's, moved directly on the intrenched front of the Federal forces at the river, but lacking adequate support on their left, Lee's troops were forced to abandon the field. 031-15 GEORGIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION 1956
Erected by Georgia Historical Commission
The Story
When Gen. John Bell Hood tried to protect Atlanta's last open railroad, the fighting at Jonesboro on August 31 and September 1, 1864, decided the city's fate. On August 31, the corps of Hardee and S.D. Lee attacked the entrenched Federal 15th Corps between the town and the Flint River. Lee's three divisions struck the Union line at the river but, lacking support on their left, were driven back.
Why it matters
The failure at Jonesboro severed Atlanta's final supply line and forced its evacuation—the blow that delivered the city to Sherman and reshaped the course of the war.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Art-Haus13.9 mi away · 332 Ormond Street Southeast, Atlanta, GA
Attractions
- Boeing 747-400 Ship 63019.3 mi away
- McDonnell Douglas DC-9 Ship 98809.3 mi away
- The Walking Dead - Kingdom filming location13.1 mi away
- Zoo Atlanta13.9 mi away
- The Walking Dead - Terminus filming location14.1 mi away
- The Wren's Nest14.7 mi away · 1050 Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard, Atlanta, GA
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Related people
- · John Bell Hood
- · William J. Hardee
- · Stephen D. Lee
Related events
- · Battle of Jonesborough
- · Atlanta Campaign
- · American Civil War
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Battle of Jonesboro: The First Day
Clayton County, GA
On August 31, 1864, the opening day of the Battle of Jonesboro, Gen. O.O. Howard's Army of the Tennessee entrenched along the Flint River after marching up from Fairburn. Confederate corps under S.D. Lee and Hardee attacked the Union lines but could not break them, leaving the contest drawn and unresolved until the following day.
Battlefield Landmark
Clayton County, GA
The deep gully south of this marker — the bed of a small stream running to the Flint River — was one of the few natural landmarks of the fighting here on August 31, 1864. Along and north of it, Union divisions of the 15th and 16th Corps formed a refused line bent back to the river. When Hardee's Confederate divisions attacked from south of the gully, the ravine became a fatal obstacle, breaking up their assault against the entrenched Federal infantry and artillery near Jonesboro.
Battle of Jonesboro: The Second Day
Jonesboro, GA
On September 1, 1864, the final pitched battle of the Atlanta Campaign was fought around Jonesboro. Hardee's Confederate corps, posted in a salient near the Warren house, was assaulted late in the day by three divisions of Davis's 14th Corps, aided by Stanley's 4th Corps advancing down the railroad. With nightfall Hardee withdrew south to Lovejoy's Station.
Bethsaida Baptist Church and Cemetery
Fulton County, GA
Bethsaida Baptist Church was formed in 1829 and served for decades under Pastor John S. Dodd, who led it for 50 years. In 1864 Union forces occupied the original wooden church as a headquarters, reportedly using its pews as horse troughs. The sanctuary later burned, the congregation merged with another to form United Baptist Church, and the Bethsaida site eventually closed, leaving behind a cemetery with graves dating to the 1800s.