HistoricSiteMarkers
Civil War

Battle of Ezra Church: Gen. Stewart Wounded

Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia

Marker Inscription

Battle of Ezra Church Gen. Stewart Wounded. July 28, 1864. Gen. A.P. Stewart, with Walthall's and Long's divisions of his A.C.(Confederate) reached the field in time to renew the attack. Walthall, on left, fared no better than Brown in the same area. Stewart, riding forward to this hill, learned of Walthall's failure, but before he could order Loring into action, he was struck by a spent bullet. Walthall succeeded Stewart and withdrew his division (under Quarles) and ordered no further attack by Loring's division. At 10:00 p.m. Hood (Confederate) withdrew the troops to Atlanta. This battle was the 3rd attempt, outside the city, to halt Federal operations against it. 060-146 GEORGIA HISTORIC MARKER 1983

Erected by Georgia Historical Commission

The Story

At the Battle of Ezra Church on July 28, 1864, Confederate Gen. A.P. Stewart brought Walthall's and Loring's divisions forward to renew the assault on the Union lines west of Atlanta. Riding to this hill to assess Walthall's failed attack, Stewart was struck by a spent bullet; command passed to Walthall, who withdrew and called off further attacks. That night Hood pulled his battered troops back into Atlanta.

Why it matters

The wounding of a corps commander here underscored how costly and futile Hood's repeated offensives had become, draining the army that would soon have to abandon Atlanta.

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Related people

  • · A.P. Stewart
  • · Edward Walthall
  • · William Wing Loring
  • · John Bell Hood

Related events

  • · Battle of Ezra Church
  • · Atlanta Campaign

Themes & tags

Civil WarBattlefield

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Battle of Ezra Church: Right of 15th Corps

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This spot marked the extreme right of Gen. O.O. Howard's Army of the Tennessee during the Battle of Ezra Church on July 28, 1864. Lightburn's brigade of Logan's corps held the line here as Brown's four Confederate brigades tried to roll up the Federal flank, and again when Walthall's division attempted the same ground—both attacks failing to dislodge the Union defenders.

Battle of Ezra Church: Brown's Division

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On July 28, 1864, during the struggle for Atlanta, the divisions of Gen. J.C. Brown of S.D. Lee's Confederate corps launched the opening assaults of the Battle of Ezra Church against the Union right flank. Brantly's Mississippians briefly carried the Federal log barricades before being thrown back by a counterattack, and a renewed effort by Walthall's division met the same fate.

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