Battle of Jonesborough
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Jonesborough (modern name Jonesboro) was fought August 31 – September 1, 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign
in the American Civil War
. Two Union
armies led by Maj. Gen.
William T. Sherman
maneuvered to draw the Army of Tennessee
(led by John Bell Hood
) away from their defenses at Atlanta, Georgia
, where it could be destroyed.
Although Hood's army was not destroyed, the city of Atlanta was abandoned and then occupied by Union troops for the rest of the war. The fall of Atlanta also had far-reaching political as well as military effects on the course of the war.
Gen. John Bell Hood
’s supply lines by using small detachments, but the Confederates had always quickly repaired the damage. Late in August 1864, Sherman believed that if he could completely sever Hood’s supply linesboth the Macon & Western and the Atlanta & West Point Railroadsthe Confederates would be forced to evacuate Atlanta.
Therefore, Sherman elected to move six out of his seven infantry
corps
against the Confederate supply lines. The Union army began pulling out of its positions on August 25 to hit the railroad between the towns of Rough and Ready
and Jonesborough
.
To counter this move, Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee
and two Confederate corps were sent to halt and if possible rout the Union troops. However, Hood failed to realize most of Sherman’s army was approaching there and in force, causing Hardee and his command to be highly outnumbered.
had two corps entrenched on the east side of the Flint River. John A. Logan
's XV Corps dug in on high ground facing the Macon & Western Railroad. The XVI Corps, now led by Thomas E. G. Ransom
formed a right angle connected to Logan's right. Frank Blair and the XVII Corps were in reserved west of the Flint River.
Hardee left Patrick Cleburne
in command of his own corps while he directed the two-corps assault. Cleburne would move south and attack the Federal line held by Ransom, while Lee was to make the secondary attack against the Logan's line. Cleburne's lead division, led by Mark Lowrey moved west and just as it was turning north toward toward the Federal lines he was unexpectedly hit by H. Judson Kilpatrick's
dismounted cavalry, concealed behind fence rails and armed with Spencer repeating rifle
s. Kilpatrick's fire was so effective that Lowrey broke off from his attack against Ransom's main line and directed his entire division against the Union cavalry. Lowrey succeeded in driving off the cavalry but instead of returning to his original goal, he pressed the cavalry across the Flint River and was eventually stopped by Giles A. Smith's division from the XVII Corps west of the river.
Lee mistook the firing between Lowry and Kilpatrick as the main assault and attacked well before Cleburne's troops had actually gone into action with Ransom. Lee ordered a frontal assault that was vigorously led by J. Patton Anderson. General Logan, from the Federal lines, admired Anderson's bravery in the battle before he was shot down. Lee's troops were repulsed with heavy casualties. After Lee's troops had been defeated Hardee wished to renew the attack but Lee informed him his troops were in no condition to do so. Indeed, Lee had suffered a disproportionate 1,300 casualties to Cleburne's 400. Both were disproportionate to the Federal total of 179.
Learning of this and fearing a direct attack on Atlanta, Hood withdrew Lee's corps from Hardee’s force that night and into the city's defenses, a move that would have great consequences the following morning when fighting resumed. Hood later described the fighting on August 31 as a "disgraceful effort" because the Confederate dead was minimal to the forces engaged.
, for an assault on the Confederate lines north of Jonesborough. Much of the morning, however, was spent bringing up further Union reinforcements. Sherman was particularly concerned about bringing David S. Stanley
's IV Corps into line which was busy destroying the Macon & Western Railroad near Rough and Ready. Hardee moved his lone corps in a defensive line with the divisions of John C. Brown
and Clerburne parallel to the Macon & Western Railroad. George Maney's division ran perpendicular to Cleburne's right forming a salient centered around the railroad. map
By 4:00p.m. Stanley's corps had not yet arrived on the battlefield and Sherman ordered Davis to make an attack on a Confederate salient held by Cleburne and Maney. The apex of the salient was held by Daniel Govan
's brigade. Davis made an initial attack led by a brigade of U.S. Regulars which was easily repulsed. Next, he positioned all three of his divisions for an assault. Absalom Baird
was in the center with James D. Morgan
on the left and William P. Carlin
on the right. John A. Logan
's XV Corps also moved up on Davis' right. Baird personally led a bayonet charge which earned him the Medal of Honor
. The Confederates held on tenaciously but after hand to hand combat Baird's men broke through, capturing Govan and 600 of his men. Davis' men poured through the breach while Stanley's corps finally arrived on Davis' left. The remaining Confederates managed to retreat in good order to Lovejoy’s Station.
That night Hood ordered the evacuation of Atlanta. The Union forces did succeed in cutting Hood’s supply lines, but had failed to annihilate Hardee’s command. However, Sherman would finally occupy Atlanta the following day, September 2, which had been one of his major goals in the campaign.
hands. The capture of Atlanta greatly aided the re-election of Abraham Lincoln
that November, and hastened the end of the American Civil War. Hood led his defeated army away from Atlanta and to the west, opening the way for Sherman's March to the Sea
and led to the virtual destruction of the Army of Tennessee during the Franklin-Nashville Campaign
. Many of the fallen soldiers were relocated and reburied in the Patrick R. Cleburne Confederate Cemetery
in 1872.
" by Robert Skimin
assumes that a Union failure to take Atlanta would have led to Lincoln losing the elections to McClellan
- who would have ended the war by recognising the Confederacy and in effect conceding a Southern victory.
The famous fire scenes in the 1939 American film Gone with the Wind
depict the conflagration started in Atlanta when Hood ordered the destruction of military supplies and installations as he evacuated the city.
Atlanta Campaign
The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta during the summer of 1864. Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman invaded Georgia from the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tennessee, beginning in May...
in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Two Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
armies led by Maj. Gen.
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
William T. Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
maneuvered to draw the Army of Tennessee
Army of Tennessee
The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in most of the significant battles in the Western Theater...
(led by John Bell Hood
John Bell Hood
John Bell Hood was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Hood had a reputation for bravery and aggressiveness that sometimes bordered on recklessness...
) away from their defenses at Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, where it could be destroyed.
Although Hood's army was not destroyed, the city of Atlanta was abandoned and then occupied by Union troops for the rest of the war. The fall of Atlanta also had far-reaching political as well as military effects on the course of the war.
Background
In several previous raids during the campaign, Sherman had successfully (but temporarily) cut ConfederateConfederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
Gen. John Bell Hood
John Bell Hood
John Bell Hood was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Hood had a reputation for bravery and aggressiveness that sometimes bordered on recklessness...
’s supply lines by using small detachments, but the Confederates had always quickly repaired the damage. Late in August 1864, Sherman believed that if he could completely sever Hood’s supply linesboth the Macon & Western and the Atlanta & West Point Railroadsthe Confederates would be forced to evacuate Atlanta.
Therefore, Sherman elected to move six out of his seven infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
against the Confederate supply lines. The Union army began pulling out of its positions on August 25 to hit the railroad between the towns of Rough and Ready
Mountain View, Georgia
Mountain View is an unincorporated area in northwest Clayton County, Georgia, United States. It is bounded on the east and south by Forest Park, on the north by the Fulton County line, and on the west by Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport...
and Jonesborough
Jonesboro, Georgia
Jonesboro is a city in Clayton County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,724 as of the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Clayton County....
.
To counter this move, Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee
William J. Hardee
William Joseph Hardee was a career U.S. Army officer, serving during the Second Seminole War and fighting in the Mexican-American War...
and two Confederate corps were sent to halt and if possible rout the Union troops. However, Hood failed to realize most of Sherman’s army was approaching there and in force, causing Hardee and his command to be highly outnumbered.
August 31
On August 31, Maj. Gen. Oliver O. HowardOliver O. Howard
Oliver Otis Howard was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War...
had two corps entrenched on the east side of the Flint River. John A. Logan
John A. Logan
John Alexander Logan was an American soldier and political leader. He served in the Mexican-American War and was a general in the Union Army in the American Civil War. He served the state of Illinois as a state senator, congressman and senator and was an unsuccessful candidate for Vice President...
's XV Corps dug in on high ground facing the Macon & Western Railroad. The XVI Corps, now led by Thomas E. G. Ransom
Thomas E. G. Ransom
Thomas Edwin Greenfield Ransom was a surveyor, civil engineer, real estate speculator, and a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
formed a right angle connected to Logan's right. Frank Blair and the XVII Corps were in reserved west of the Flint River.
Hardee left Patrick Cleburne
Patrick Cleburne
Patrick Ronayne Cleburne was an Irish American soldier, best known for his service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, where he rose to the rank of major general....
in command of his own corps while he directed the two-corps assault. Cleburne would move south and attack the Federal line held by Ransom, while Lee was to make the secondary attack against the Logan's line. Cleburne's lead division, led by Mark Lowrey moved west and just as it was turning north toward toward the Federal lines he was unexpectedly hit by H. Judson Kilpatrick's
Hugh Judson Kilpatrick
Hugh Judson Kilpatrick was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, achieving the rank of brevet major general. He was later the United States Minister to Chile, and a failed political candidate for the U.S...
dismounted cavalry, concealed behind fence rails and armed with Spencer repeating rifle
Spencer repeating rifle
The Spencer repeating rifle was a manually operated lever-action, repeating rifle fed from a tube magazine with cartridges. It was adopted by the Union Army, especially by the cavalry, during the American Civil War, but did not replace the standard issue muzzle-loading rifled muskets in use at the...
s. Kilpatrick's fire was so effective that Lowrey broke off from his attack against Ransom's main line and directed his entire division against the Union cavalry. Lowrey succeeded in driving off the cavalry but instead of returning to his original goal, he pressed the cavalry across the Flint River and was eventually stopped by Giles A. Smith's division from the XVII Corps west of the river.
Lee mistook the firing between Lowry and Kilpatrick as the main assault and attacked well before Cleburne's troops had actually gone into action with Ransom. Lee ordered a frontal assault that was vigorously led by J. Patton Anderson. General Logan, from the Federal lines, admired Anderson's bravery in the battle before he was shot down. Lee's troops were repulsed with heavy casualties. After Lee's troops had been defeated Hardee wished to renew the attack but Lee informed him his troops were in no condition to do so. Indeed, Lee had suffered a disproportionate 1,300 casualties to Cleburne's 400. Both were disproportionate to the Federal total of 179.
Learning of this and fearing a direct attack on Atlanta, Hood withdrew Lee's corps from Hardee’s force that night and into the city's defenses, a move that would have great consequences the following morning when fighting resumed. Hood later described the fighting on August 31 as a "disgraceful effort" because the Confederate dead was minimal to the forces engaged.
September 1
The next day, September 1, Sherman brought up the XIV Corps, now led by Jefferson C. DavisJefferson C. Davis
Jefferson Columbus Davis was an officer in the United States Army who served in the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, and the Modoc War. He was the first commander of the Department of Alaska, from 1868 to 1870...
, for an assault on the Confederate lines north of Jonesborough. Much of the morning, however, was spent bringing up further Union reinforcements. Sherman was particularly concerned about bringing David S. Stanley
David S. Stanley
David Sloane Stanley was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War and a recipient of America's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Franklin.-Early life:...
's IV Corps into line which was busy destroying the Macon & Western Railroad near Rough and Ready. Hardee moved his lone corps in a defensive line with the divisions of John C. Brown
John C. Brown
John Calvin Brown was a Confederate general during the American Civil War and the Governor of Tennessee from 1871 to 1875, the first Democrat to be elected to that position following the war.-Early life:...
and Clerburne parallel to the Macon & Western Railroad. George Maney's division ran perpendicular to Cleburne's right forming a salient centered around the railroad. map
By 4:00p.m. Stanley's corps had not yet arrived on the battlefield and Sherman ordered Davis to make an attack on a Confederate salient held by Cleburne and Maney. The apex of the salient was held by Daniel Govan
Daniel Govan
Daniel Chevilette Govan was an American miner, planter, and soldier. He served as a Confederate general during the American Civil War, prominent in campaigns and battles in the Western Theater.-Early life and career:...
's brigade. Davis made an initial attack led by a brigade of U.S. Regulars which was easily repulsed. Next, he positioned all three of his divisions for an assault. Absalom Baird
Absalom Baird
Absalom Baird was a career United States Army officer who distinguished himself as a Union Army general in the American Civil War. Baird received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his military actions-Early life:...
was in the center with James D. Morgan
James D. Morgan
James Dada Morgan was a merchant sailor, soldier, businessman, and a Union general during the American Civil War. He commanded a division of infantry in some of the final campaigns in the Western Theater....
on the left and William P. Carlin
William P. Carlin
William Passmore Carlin was a career soldier from the state of Illinois who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and then in the postbellum United States Army...
on the right. John A. Logan
John A. Logan
John Alexander Logan was an American soldier and political leader. He served in the Mexican-American War and was a general in the Union Army in the American Civil War. He served the state of Illinois as a state senator, congressman and senator and was an unsuccessful candidate for Vice President...
's XV Corps also moved up on Davis' right. Baird personally led a bayonet charge which earned him the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
. The Confederates held on tenaciously but after hand to hand combat Baird's men broke through, capturing Govan and 600 of his men. Davis' men poured through the breach while Stanley's corps finally arrived on Davis' left. The remaining Confederates managed to retreat in good order to Lovejoy’s Station.
That night Hood ordered the evacuation of Atlanta. The Union forces did succeed in cutting Hood’s supply lines, but had failed to annihilate Hardee’s command. However, Sherman would finally occupy Atlanta the following day, September 2, which had been one of his major goals in the campaign.
Aftermath
The Battle of Jonesborough was the final battle of the Atlanta Campaign, and it caused the besieged city of Atlanta to fall into UnionUnion (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
hands. The capture of Atlanta greatly aided the re-election of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
that November, and hastened the end of the American Civil War. Hood led his defeated army away from Atlanta and to the west, opening the way for Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea is the name commonly given to the Savannah Campaign conducted around Georgia from November 15, 1864 to December 21, 1864 by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army in the American Civil War...
and led to the virtual destruction of the Army of Tennessee during the Franklin-Nashville Campaign
Franklin-Nashville Campaign
The Franklin-Nashville Campaign, also known as Hood's Tennessee Campaign, was a series of battles in the Western Theater, conducted from September 18 to December 27, 1864, in Alabama, Tennessee, and northwestern Georgia during the American Civil War. The Confederate Army of Tennessee under Lt....
. Many of the fallen soldiers were relocated and reburied in the Patrick R. Cleburne Confederate Cemetery
Patrick R. Cleburne Confederate Cemetery
Patrick R. Cleburne Confederate Cemetery is a memorial cemetery located in the city of Jonesboro, Georgia, United States. It was named in honor of General Patrick Cleburne. This cemetery was a burial site for Confederate soldiers who died in the Battle of Jonesboro in 1864. This cemetery is open...
in 1872.
In popular media
Based on the above, the alternate history novel "Gray VictoryGray Victory
Gray Victory is a 1988 alternate history novel by Robert Skimin, taking place in an alternate 1866 where the Confederacy won its independence.-Plot introduction:...
" by Robert Skimin
Robert Skimin
Robert Skirmin is a retired U.S. Army officer, artist, and Pulitzer Prize-nominated and award-winning author of both fiction and historical books. Died May 9, 2011 in El Paso, Texas.-Military career:...
assumes that a Union failure to take Atlanta would have led to Lincoln losing the elections to McClellan
George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
- who would have ended the war by recognising the Confederacy and in effect conceding a Southern victory.
The famous fire scenes in the 1939 American film Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind (film)
Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard...
depict the conflagration started in Atlanta when Hood ordered the destruction of military supplies and installations as he evacuated the city.