Sherman's Atlanta Campaign: What It Was and How It Shaped the City You See Today

If you live in Atlanta, drive across the Connector, or walk through Downtown and Midtown, you’re moving through ground that was once at the center of one of the most important Union offensives of the Civil War: Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign.

Understanding this campaign helps explain why Atlanta became a major city, why certain neighborhoods and rail lines look the way they do, and why the war still shows up in local landmarks, street names, and historic sites.

What Was Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign?

Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign was a major Union military operation during the American Civil War in 1864, led by Major General William Tecumseh Sherman.

Its goal:

• Capture Atlanta, a vital Confederate rail, manufacturing, and supply center
• Weaken the Confederacy’s ability to continue the war
• Use Atlanta as a launching point for further operations into Georgia, including the later March to the Sea

For someone in today’s Atlanta, the campaign is the reason the city became a symbol of both destruction and rebirth—“the city too busy to hate” grew out of a city once nearly burned to the ground.

Why Atlanta Was So Important in 1864

In 1864, Atlanta was nothing like the sprawling metro area you know today, but it already had a crucial role:

• Rail Hub: Several major railroads met in Atlanta, roughly where Downtown sits now. Think of it as the 19th‑century equivalent of Hartsfield‑Jackson for trains and supplies.
• Industry: Factories produced weapons, ammunition, and other war materials for the Confederacy.
• Supply Center: Food, equipment, and troops passed through the city to Confederate armies in the field.

Because of this, capturing Atlanta wasn’t just symbolic. For the Union, it meant cutting off a logistical lifeline. For the Confederacy, losing Atlanta was a devastating blow to military strength and public morale.

The Basic Timeline of the Atlanta Campaign

Here’s a simple overview of how Sherman’s forces moved toward the city you know today:

This campaign directly affected the land that is now Fulton, DeKalb, and surrounding counties.

Key Battles and Sites Around Today’s Atlanta

Even though the city has grown enormously, several battlefields and locations around the metro area still mark the events of the campaign.

1. Battle of Peachtree Creek (July 20, 1864)

• Location then: North of the city, around a creek crossing.
• Location now: Near present‑day Buckhead and areas just north of Midtown, roughly paralleling parts of Peachtree Road.
• What happened: Confederate forces attacked Union troops who were crossing Peachtree Creek. The Confederates hoped to push the Union army back before it fully surrounded Atlanta. The attack failed.

While the area is now heavily developed, you can still find historic markers noting the battle in northern neighborhoods.

2. Battle of Atlanta (July 22, 1864)

• Location then: East and southeast of the downtown core.
• Location now: Around East Atlanta, Edgewood, and neighborhoods east of I‑75/85 and south of I‑20.
• What happened: One of the bloodiest battles of the campaign, where Confederate forces attempted a large flanking attack. Despite intense fighting, the Union held its ground.

You can see references to this battle in:

• The Cyclorama painting, now housed at the Atlanta History Center (130 West Paces Ferry Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30305).
• Various markers in East Atlanta and the surrounding neighborhoods.

3. Battle of Ezra Church (July 28, 1864)

• Location then: West of Atlanta.
• Location now: In the Westside area, near modern residential neighborhoods and churches.
• What happened: Confederates tried again to break Sherman’s forces as they moved to cut the last remaining rail lines into Atlanta. The Union troops repelled the attack.

The land has been heavily urbanized, but historical markers and some church sites still reference the battle.

4. Fighting Around Jonesboro and the Fall of Atlanta

• Location then: South of Atlanta, around the town of Jonesboro.
• Location now:Clayton County, along and near the I‑75 corridor.
• What happened: Union troops cut vital rail lines south of the city. This forced Confederate forces to evacuate Atlanta, which they did on the night of September 1, 1864. Union troops entered the city on September 2.

For Atlantans, these areas to the south are key to understanding how the loss of supply lines sealed the city’s fate.

Did Sherman Burn All of Atlanta?

A common local question is whether Sherman burned the entire city. The reality is more nuanced:

• Yes, significant parts of Atlanta were burned or destroyed, especially:

  • Railroad tracks
  • Supply depots
  • Factories
  • Military warehouses

• No, not every home or building was destroyed:

  • Some residential areas and structures survived.
  • A few antebellum houses still stand in the city and suburbs, though many were later demolished by development, not the war.

Sherman’s goal was to eliminate Atlanta’s usefulness as a military and supply center, not to completely erase the city. What was destroyed, however, was enough that Atlanta had to rebuild almost from the ground up, shaping the modern urban layout.

How the Campaign Changed Atlanta’s Future

For people who live in or visit Atlanta today, the Atlanta Campaign explains some of the city’s defining characteristics:

1. A Symbol of Destruction and Rebirth

• After 1864, Atlanta became a potent symbol of the South’s defeat, but also of recovery and modernization.
• The post‑war rebuilding helped Atlanta grow into:
  • A railroad and commercial hub for the Southeast
  • Eventually a center for business, media, and transportation

You can see this legacy in symbols like the phoenix on the city seal, representing Atlanta rising from the ashes.

2. Rail Lines and Transportation Patterns

The wartime importance of railroads still shapes Atlanta’s geography:

• Many major rail corridors that Sherman tried to destroy still run through Downtown and south Atlanta.
• Industrial districts and warehouses close to the tracks go back to the city’s role as a transportation and logistics center.

When you see long freight trains running near Downtown, you’re looking at a modern layer of the same network that made Atlanta a target in 1864.

3. Historic Neighborhoods and Markers

Several neighborhoods and sites around the city preserve traces of the campaign through:

• State historical markers at intersections and parks
• Street and neighborhood names that reference battles or commanders
• Local museums and historic homes that interpret Civil War events

Even if much of the battlefield land has been built over, signs and markers help you connect modern streets to their 19th‑century roles.

Where to Learn About the Atlanta Campaign in and Around the City

If you want to understand what happened where you now live, work, or visit, several local institutions and sites focus on this history.

Atlanta History Center (Buckhead)

• Address: 130 West Paces Ferry Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30305
• Why it matters:
  • Houses the Cyclorama: The Big Picture, a massive 19th‑century painting depicting the Battle of Atlanta.
  • Offers exhibits that place the Atlanta Campaign in the broader context of the Civil War and the city’s development.
  • Features historic homes and gardens that help show how the region changed over time.

For most residents and visitors, this is the single most comprehensive place in Atlanta to explore the campaign’s story.

Oakland Cemetery (Grant Park area)

• Address: 248 Oakland Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30312
• Relevance to the campaign:
  • One of the city’s oldest cemeteries, with many 19th‑century graves, including Confederate soldiers and civilians.
  • Offers tours and interpretive signage that touch on the siege of Atlanta, the aftermath of the battles, and how the city coped with war.

It’s a powerful place to see how the war affected individuals and families in what is now an in‑town neighborhood.

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park (Northwest of Atlanta)

• Address: 900 Kennesaw Mountain Dr, Kennesaw, GA 30152
• Connection to the campaign:
  • Preserves the site of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain (June 27, 1864), part of Sherman’s advance toward Atlanta from the northwest.
  • Includes trails, cannons, earthworks, and a visitor center with exhibits about the Atlanta Campaign.

Though not inside the city limits, it’s a popular day trip from Atlanta and gives a clearer sense of terrain and tactics than most in‑city locations can.

Local Markers and Neighborhood Sites

Across the metro area you can find smaller but meaningful reminders:

• Historic markers in neighborhoods like East Atlanta, Buckhead, Westview, and Decatur explain where lines of battle or troop movements occurred.
• Some old churches and cemeteries in the city and adjacent counties have war‑era sections or plaques related to the campaign.

If you’re exploring on your own, keeping an eye out for state historical markers along major roads can help you connect modern streetscapes to the 1864 landscape.

How the Campaign Connects to Everyday Atlanta

For someone living in or visiting Atlanta, Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign is more than just a chapter in a history book:

• Commuting on I‑75, I‑85, or I‑20: You’re roughly tracing routes along which armies maneuvered and fought to control access to the city.
• Walking in Downtown and Midtown: You’re in the general area of the rail and industrial hub that made Atlanta such a critical target.
• Visiting Buckhead, East Atlanta, or the Westside: You’re near or on ground where battles and skirmishes took place as Union and Confederate forces struggled over the city’s defenses.

Understanding the campaign can change how you see familiar landmarks, turning everyday drives and walks into an informal tour of one of the Civil War’s pivotal campaigns.

Quick Summary: What Atlantans Should Know

• What it was:
  The Atlanta Campaign was Sherman’s 1864 military offensive to capture Atlanta and cripple the Confederacy’s war effort.

• Why Atlanta:
  The city was a railroad and industrial hub, essential for Confederate supplies and troop movement.

• What happened:
  Union forces advanced from the northwest, fought major battles around what are now Buckhead, East Atlanta, and the Westside, and cut the rail lines, forcing the Confederates to evacuate.

• What it meant:
  Atlanta was heavily damaged, especially its railroads and military facilities, but rebuilt into an even more important commercial and transportation center.

• Where to see it today:

  • Atlanta History Center (Cyclorama and exhibits)
  • Oakland Cemetery
  • Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
  • Numerous historical markers throughout the metro area

For anyone trying to understand Atlanta—its layout, its symbols, and its sense of itself—Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign is a core part of the story.