The road past Kennesaw: The Atlanta Campaign of 1986
McMurry RM and Wiley BI. 1972. The road past Kennesaw: The Atlanta Campaign of 1986. National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Washington, DC
The turning point of the Civil War is a perennial matter of dispute among historians. Some specify the Henry-Donelson Shiloh operation of early 1862 as the pivotal campaign; others insist that Antietam was the key event; 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 1864, was the beginning of the end for the Southern Confederacy. And Sherman’s combination assault-flanking operation of June 27 at Kennesaw 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. This report discusses the Atlanta Campaign of 1864 in depth.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- McMurry, Richard; Wiley, Bell
- Date of Issue
- 1972
- Publisher
- National Park Service, Department of the Interior
- Units
- HIST , KEMO
- Keywords
- Atlanta Campaign, Battle of Atlanta, Chattahoochee, Civil War, Cultural Resources, ehistory, Georgia, History, Kennesaw Mountain, Peachtree Creek