Road Past Kennesaw The Atlanta Campaign Of 1864 - Richard M McMurry
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What dispute do historians have about the turning point of the Civil War?
Do you know, Onni, who would have a perfect house for you? Well, Tampere's Murre. If you move in with Murre, you know where you'll find the house. That's right, from Oikotie. Thank you for watching!
FORWARD The turning point of the Civil War is a perennial matter of dispute among historians. Some specify the Henry Donaldson Shiloh operation of early 1862 as the pivotal campaign.
Why is the 1864 Federal drive on Atlanta considered a decisive moment in the war?
Others insist that Antietam was the key event, and still others are equally sure that Gettysburg and Vicksburg marked the watershed of military activities. Regardless of when the tide turned, there can be little doubt that the Federal Drive on Atlanta launched in may eighteen sixty four was the beginning of the end for the southern confederacy and sherman's combination assault flanking operation of june twenty seventh at kenesaw mountain may very well be considered the decisive maneuver in the thrust toward atlanta for when joseph e johnston found it necessary to pull his forces back across the chattahoochee the fate of the city was sealed the atlanta campaign had an importance reaching beyond the immediate military and political consequences it was conducted in a manner that helped establish a new mode of warfare from beginning to end it was a railroad campaign
in that a major transportation center was the prize for which the contestants vied and both sides used rail lines to marshal shift and sustain their forces yanks and rebs made some use of repeating rifles and confederate references to shooting down moving bushes indicate resort to camouflage by sherman's soldiers
How did the Atlanta campaign introduce a new ‘railroad’ mode of warfare?
the union commander maintained a command post under signal tree at guinnesson mountain and directed the movement of his forces through a net of telegraph lines running out to subordinate headquarters men of both armies who early in the war had looked askance at the employment of pick and shovel now as a matter of course promptly scooped out protective ditches at each change of position The campaign was also tremendously important as a human endeavor, and one of the most impressive features of Richard McMurray's account is the insight, much of it gleaned from unpublished letters and diaries, into the motivations, experiences, and reactions of the participants. The officers and men who endured the heat and mud of what must have been one of the wettest seasons in the history of Georgia
and who lived in the shadow of death day after day for four months of as arduous campaigning as occurred during the whole conflict stand out as flesh and blood human beings this time of severe testing led to the undoing of some of the generals including joseph e johnston and john bell hood others notably william tecumseh sherman capitalized on the opportunities afforded by the campaign to prove their worth and carve for themselves lasting niches in the military hall of fame still others had their careers cut short by hostile bullets among them leonidas polk a leader whose civil war experience makes inescapable the conclusion that he should never have swapped his clerical robes for a general's stars in marked contrast stood james b mcpherson great both as a man and a combat commander whose premature passing elicited moving statements of grief from leaders on both sides
Human aspects of the campaign found most vivid and revealing expression in the letters of the lesser officers and the
men
whom they led.
What do soldiers’ letters and diaries reveal about daily life during the wet‑season campaign?
robert m gill a mississippi lieutenant promoted from the ranks poured out in full and frequent letters to his wife his homesickness his hopes his fears and his spiritual concern in so doing he revealed his virtues and his frailties and his ups and downs of morale until a yankee fusillade snuffed out his life at jonesboro on june twenty two eighteen sixty four he wrote from near marietta i saw a canteen on which a heavy run was made during and after the charge i still like whisky but do not want any when going into a charge for i am or at least was drunk enough yesterday without drinking a drop lieutenant gill tried very hard to live up to his wife's admonitions against the sins of the camp but he had great difficulty with profanity especially in the excitement of battle after the action at resaca he wrote apologetically the men did not move out to suit me and i forgot everything and began to curse a cowardly scamp who got behind
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What dispute do historians have about the turning point of the Civil War?
0:20–1:43
2
Why is the 1864 Federal drive on Atlanta considered a decisive moment in the war?
1:43–3:04
3
How did the Atlanta campaign introduce a new ‘railroad’ mode of warfare?
3:04–5:08
4
What do soldiers’ letters and diaries reveal about daily life during the wet‑season campaign?
5:08–10:39
5
How did the personalities and decisions of generals like Sherman, Johnston, and Hood shape the campaign?
10:39–18:09
6
What were the key events and outcomes of the Battle of Resaca?
18:09–27:39
7
Why was the flanking assault at Kennesaw Mountain on June 27 1864 so pivotal?
27:39–41:42
8
How did the Battle of Peachtree Creek and Hood’s command affect the fall of Atlanta?
41:42–1:50:42
Speakers
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