GrumpyDave moderator Posts : 1857 Yes, if I'm registered for the event; expect buckets of rain.  |
Posted 20/07/2008 08:57:12 AM | | 1862:
Skirmish at Gaines' Landing, Arkansas
Skirmishes at GReenville and near Taberville, Missouri
Affair at Hatchie Bottom, Mississippi
1863:
Skirmish at Cabin Creek, Oklahoma
Bombardment of Legare's Point, South Carolina
Skirmishes at Coal Hill and near Hockingport, Ohio
1864:
Battle of Peachtree Creek
On this day, General John Bell Hood's Confederate force attack William T. Sherman's troops outside of Atlanta, Georgia, but are repulsed with heavy losses.
This was Hood's first battle as head of the Army of Tennessee. Hood had assumed the command from Joseph Johnston just two days before when Confederate President Jefferson Davis replaced Johnston after Sherman backed Johnston into this key Southern city. For nearly three months, Sherman had pushed Johnston southward from Chattanooga to Atlanta. Johnston had blocked each of Sherman's flanking maneuvers, but in doing so he lost territory. Davis finally lost patience with Johnston, and selected the more offensive-minded Hood to defeat Sherman.
Hood wasted little time. He planned to strike the Army of the Cumberland, commanded by General George Thomas, as it crossed Peachtree Creek. The waterway was deep, and the Confederates destroyed all bridges on their retreat into the outskirts of Atlanta. Hood suspected that the Yankees were most vulnerable when only part of their force was across the creek so he planned a two-pronged assault to hold part of Thomas' army at bay while the rest could be pinned against Peachtree Creek.
It was a sound plan, but poor execution doomed the operation. Scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on July 20, the attack was delayed for three hours while Hood's troops shifted into position. The overall assault lacked a general coordination, so units charged the Union positions piecemeal. Twenty thousand Rebels assaulted the same number of Yankees, but the delay proved costly. The Confederates achieved some success, but could not drive the Union troops back into Peachtree Creek. After three hours, Hood ordered a halt to the advance.
Hood was not deterred. Two days later, he attacked Sherman's forces again at the Battle of Atlanta.
Engagement at Stephenson's Depot and skimrmish at Philomont, Virginia
Skirmishes at Ashby's Gap and Berry's Ferry, Virginia
Skirmish near Maysville, Arkansas
Primary sources::
Official Records of the War of the Rebellion
A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion ; by Frederick Dyer;
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865 by E. B. Long with Barbara Long;
National Archives Guide Index
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