HistoricSiteMarkers
Civil War

The Battles for Atlanta

Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia

Marker Inscription

The Battles for Atlanta. Between July and Sept. 1864, during the American Civil War, U.S. and Confederate armies struggled for control of Atlanta, the major manufacturing center and railroad hub of the Deep South. Four inconclusive battles occurred inside the present-day I-285 Perimeter: Peachtree Creek (July 20), Atlanta (July 22, fought in part in the area of this marker), Ezra Church (July 28); and Utoy Creek (August 6). Unwilling to attack the city's strong defenses, U.S. forces swept west and then south and at Jonesboro (Aug. 31- Sept. 1) cut the last railroad supplying Atlanta, forcing the Confederates to abandon the city. The fall of Atlanta on Sept. 2, 1864, assured the re-election of Abraham Lincoln and the final defeat of the Confederacy. 2010.5 Erected for the Civil War 150 Commemoration by the Georgia Historical Society, the Georgia Battlefields Association and the Georgia Department of Economic Development 51-8 Note: Although this marker is numbered "51" (which is the number for Effingham County), it is located in Atlanta (Fulton County); thus should be numbered "60"

Erected by Georgia Historical Society

The Story

Between July and September 1864, Union and Confederate armies fought for control of Atlanta, the Deep South's great manufacturing and railroad hub. Four inconclusive battles—Peachtree Creek, Atlanta, Ezra Church, and Utoy Creek—raged around the city before Union forces swept south and, at Jonesboro, cut the last railroad supplying it. Atlanta fell on September 2, 1864.

Why it matters

The capture of Atlanta was a turning point of the Civil War, assuring Abraham Lincoln's reelection and setting the Confederacy on the road to final defeat.

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Related people

  • · William T. Sherman
  • · John Bell Hood
  • · Abraham Lincoln

Related events

  • · Atlanta Campaign
  • · Battle of Peachtree Creek
  • · Battle of Atlanta
  • · Battle of Ezra Church
  • · Battle of Jonesboro

Themes & tags

Civil WarBattlefield

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