Status - John Baer - 40th Indiana Regiment - Howard's Corps - Newton's Division - Wagner's Brigade
On the 20th, part of Howard's corps in occupied with capturing two small hills in front of the Confederate line. Schofield and Hooker, on the army's right, move forward and try to find a way around the left of the rebel army.
Howard secures the two hills on the 21st, and also moves forward to occupy and defend positions where any counterattack could come from. Further progress happens on the right as the flanking attempt continues. Sensing Sherman's movement, Johnston moves the corps of General John Bell Hood from the right of his army to the left in order to counter. This badly weakens his right flank, but he takes the chance that there will be no attack there. Johnston also has, with much effort by his troops, moved guns to the top of Kennesaw Mountain and begins shelling Union positions.
Hood arrived on the Union right on the 22nd, and soon pressed the attack as he usually did. The Union divisions of Hooker and Schofield were expecting the attack and had quickly dug some makeshift fortifications. Hood's initial attack, and another later in the day, were repulsed with heavy losses; this was later known as the Battle of Kolb's Farm. The Union troops occupied the battlefield on the next day.
Sherman realized now that he could not move any further to his right in a flanking maneuver without detaching from his railroad supply line. He did not wish to continue the costly inching forward that he had been doing. So he came to the conclusion that a large assault on the center of the Confederate lines had a chance of a breakthrough (such as had occurred at Missionary Ridge), and he decided to attempt it.
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Virginia Campaign
A Union army siege has begun of the town of Petersburg, VA. Grant's army seeks to expand to its left and cut the railroads that go through Petersburg to Richmond. Two separate attacks on different railroads are repulsed by the Confederate defenders. A stalemate begins that will last for months.
More Information:
- Link: War Operations, see Volume XXXVIII, Chapter L, Part IV, Correspondence, pp. 533-581.
- The Civil War Day by Day, John S. Bowman, Ed. pp. 167-168.
- The Civil War, A Narrative, Vol 1II, Red River to Appomattox, Shelby Foote, pp. 390-395.
- Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Retreat With Honor, pp. 307-310.
- Decision In The West, The Atlanta Campaign of 1864, Albert Castel, pp, 288-303.
- Kennesaw Mountain, Earl J. Hess, pp. 18-54.
- Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, pp. 600-607.
- Memoirs of General William T. Sherman, pp. 527-530.
- Events: 1864
NEXT POST: JUNE 27TH
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