| As the Union commanders drew more troops into position, they tightened the noose around Atlanta — the industrial heart of the South and the ultimate target. In assessing the importance of taking Atlanta, Grant had said in May of 1864 that "Sherman will take Atlanta; and when he gets Atlanta, he will have his hand upon the vitals of the Confederacy: and you can judge how long a man is likely to live when another has a firm grip upon his vitals." | |
| As terrible as
the Battle of Resaca was, the worst was ahead for the volunteer soldiers from Shelby
County, Ohio. The man chosen by President Jefferson Davis to defend Atlanta was General
John Bell Hood (pictured at right). He had lost a leg at Gettysburg, and was
loved by his men for being brave and a risk-taking leader. The 'Johnnies' were well
entrenched around the outskirts of the city. The veterans of the 20th Ohio had marched 376
punishing miles to outside Atlanta, and by good fortune had missed the action at Resaca. In what would prove to be a sad irony, a soldier of the 20th, apparently newly recruited, wrote to the editor of the "Sidney Journal" on June 13, 1864, confidently stating: "There can be no doubt of the results. Our army is much larger than the enemy, and though it may cost many lives, we will succeed...The health of the regiment was never better. There is no sickness at all. None killed or wounded as yet." |
General John Bell Hood |
| On July 21, the
20th had assisted in the routing of Cleburne's division and the capture of Bald Hill on
the outskirts of the city. From this point, the Union artillery could shell Atlanta.
General Hood was furious. The next day was July 22, 1864. During the morning hours, the
men watched as the Confederates appeared to be withdrawing from the city. The 20th was
placed on the far left of the federal line. What followed is taken from first-person
accounts of Captain E. E. Nutt and Private William Updegraff of the 20th. Catching the Union forces completely by surprise, the rebels launched a savage attack against the left of the federal line. That section was anchored by the 20th, and it received the brunt of the assault. Nutt recalled, "The Johnnies were coming at us like a storm." Waves of rebels rolled over the 20th, first from the rear, then the front, and then from the side. A captured Union cannon was turned on them, and the men of the 20th were raked with cannister fire. [Back] [Next] [Up] [New Search] 'Civil War' segment written in July, 1998 by Rich Wallace |
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