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The Battle of Peachtree Creek July 20, 1864

maxxkatt

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North Atlanta, GA
Today I was hunting civil war relics at an area of Peachtree Creek where a field hospital was located. The temperature was 94 degrees and the humidity was 47% and I was hot. These were very similar conditions to the conditions back on July 20, 1864. It was very humid and very hot. It is hard to imagine what those soldiers were facing back then wearing their uniforms and equipment.

Yesterday was the anniversary of the July 20, 1864, “The Battle of Peachtree Creek”.one of the bloodiest battles of the civil war. A Federal general who witnessed the bloodshed along Tanyard Creek, wrote, "Few battlefields of the war have been strewn so thickly with dead and wounded as they lay that evening around Collier's Mill."

Confederate general Hood was tasked with the job of defending Atlanta after replacing General Johnston a few days earlier who was determined by Confederate President Davis as not being aggressive enough. General Hood commanded 76,000 confederate soldiers.

General Sherman commanded 106,070 soldiers. The confederate plan was to attack Sherman forces shortly after they crossed from the north across the Chattahoochee river around Azalea drive and Roswell road area.

Due to an inept commanders on the confederate side, the attack was supposed to take place at 1:00 pm and did not occur until 4:00 pm giving Sherman’s troop enough time to not only cross the Chattahoochee river but also the broad Peachtree creek with high banks and get dug in defensive positions just a few hundred yards north of Collier road. The confederate forces were attacking form just south of Collier Road.

The results of this badly timed attack were a disaster for the confederate forces. Casualties for the Peachtree Creek battle totaled 1,800 for the north and 2,500 for the south.
Later battles east of Atlanta resulted in northern losses at 430 killed, 1,559 wounded and 1,733 missing. Confederate losses were put at 5,500.

There was not battle of Atlanta in the city Sherman simply fought a series of battles around Atlanta and cut off Atlanta from all railroad supplies from the North, East, West and South. The city of Atlanta was forced to surrender to the overwhelming strength of Sherman’s army which pretty much ended the Civil War.

Note: casualties figures vary significantly depending on the sources. But I tend to believe the ones from the book “The Battle of Peachtree Creek” by Robert D. Jenkins, Sr. who spent 20 years researching his book and is considered “the” ultimate reference book on the Battle of Peachtree Creek.
 
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