HistoricSiteMarkers
Civil War

Battle of Ezra Church: Right of 15th Corps

Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia

Marker Inscription

Battle of Ezra Church Right of 15th Corps [USA]. July 28, 1864. This marks the extreme right of Howard's Army of the Tennessee during the Battle of Ezra Church. Lightburn's brigade of H. L. Smith's div., Logan's A. C., occupied the immediate sector. From here the line ran S. E. to a salient angle (Laurel Avenue at Archer) where it turned N. E. to and beyond Ezra Church. The battle began with an assault by Brown's 4 brigades of S. D. Lee's A. C. [CSA] endeavoring to roll up the Federal rt. Failing to dislodge Logan, another attempt was made by Walthall's division of Stewart's A. C. which traversed the same area but with a like result. 060-151 GEORGIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION 1988

Erected by Georgia Historical Commission

The Story

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.

Why it matters

The Union's ability to anchor its flank at Ezra Church turned back Hood's last great sortie in the open, sealing the Confederacy's inability to lift the pressure on Atlanta.

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Related people

  • · O.O. Howard
  • · John A. Logan
  • · S.D. Lee
  • · Edward Walthall

Related events

  • · Battle of Ezra Church
  • · Atlanta Campaign

Themes & tags

Civil WarBattlefield

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Battle of Ezra Church: Gen. Stewart Wounded

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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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