Units of William Tecumseh Sherman’s Union forces continued to close on Atlanta. General Thomas pushed forward north of the city, while General Scofield’s and General McPherson’s troops operated respectively to the northeast and east of the city. On Wednesday, July 20, 1864 new Confederate commander John Bell Hood attacked Thomas’ troops at Peachtree Creek, but delays in initiating the southern assault doomed the effort. After limited, initial Confederate success Thomas’ Union troops withstood two hours of concerted attacks by Hood’s Confederates. Hood’s failure at Peachtree Creek meant that the only open routes into Atlanta not controlled by Union forces were to the south and southwest of the beleagued city and revealed the true weakness of Hood’s army. Undermanned as it was, it could not long prevent Sherman from seizing Atlanta.
00000174-b11b-ddc3-a1fc-bfdbb1a20000The Schreiner University Department of History is honoring the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War with a series of short vignettes focusing on events from 1861 through 1865. The Civil War was the most destructive conflict in American history, but it was also one of our most defining moments as a people and as a nation. Let us know what you think about "This Week in the Civil War." E-mail your comments to Dr. John Huddleston at jhuddles@schreiner.edu.Airs: Weekdays at 5:19 a.m., 8:19 a.m., 4:19 p.m. on KTXI and 4:49 a.m., 9:29 p.m. on KSTX.