Rufus Lawless isn't my friend's actual name, but it is the name of his ancestor, who fought with the 55th Alabama infantry in the Atlanta Campaign in the Civil War. When I learned that he was wounded by artillery fire at Peachtree Creek, I had to go check it out.
The Battle of Peachtree Creek was fought in Georgia on July 20, 1864, as part of the Atlanta Campaign. It was the first major attack by Lt. Gen. John B. Hood since taking command of the Confederate Army of Tennessee. The attack was against Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's Union army which was perched on the doorstep of Atlanta.
Sherman had launched his grand offensive against the Army of Tennessee early May. For more than two months, Sherman's forces, sparred with the Confederate Army of Tennessee, then under the command of General Joseph E. Johnston. Although the Southerners gained tactical successes at the Battle of New Hope Church, the Battle of Pickett's Mill, and the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, they were unable to counter Sherman's superior numbers. Gradually, the Union forces flanked the Confederates out of every defensive position they attempted to hold. On July 8, Union forces crossed the Chattahoochee River, the last major natural barrier between Sherman and Atlanta.
Retreating from Sherman's advancing armies, General Johnston withdrew across Peachtree Creek, just north of Atlanta, and laid plans for an attack on part of the Army of the Cumberland as it crossed Peachtree Creek. On July 17, he received a telegram from Confederate President Jefferson Davis relieving him from command. The political leadership of the Confederacy was unhappy with Johnston's lack of aggressiveness and replaced him with Hood. In contrast to Johnston's conservative tactics and conservation of manpower, Hood had a reputation for aggressive tactics and personal bravery on the battlefield (he had already been maimed in battle twice.) Hood took command and launched the attempted counter-offensive.
Throughout the morning of July 20, the Army of the Cumberland crossed Peachtree Creek and began taking up defensive positions, but had only partially completed them by the time the Confederate attack began. The few hours between the Union crossing and their completion of defensive earthworks were a moment of opportunity for the Confederates.
Hood had wanted the attack launched at one o'clock, but confusion and miscommunication between Hardee and Hood prevented this from happening. The Confederate attack was finally mounted at around four o’clock in the afternoon. On the Confederate right, Hardee’s men ran into fierce opposition and were unable to make much headway, with the Southerners suffering heavy losses. The failure of the attack was largely due to faulty execution and a lack of pre-battle reconnaissance.
On the Confederate left, Stewart’s attack was more successful. Two Union brigades were forced to retreat, and most of the 33rd New Jersey Infantry Regiment (along with its battle flag) were captured by the Rebels, as was a 4-gun Union artillery battery. Union forces counter attacked, however, and after a bloody struggle, successfully blunted the Confederate offensive. Artillery helped stop the Confederate attack on Thomas' left flank.
A few hours into the battle, Hardee was preparing the send in his reserve, the division of General Patrick Cleburne, which he hoped would get the attack moving again and allow him to break through the Union lines. An urgent message from Hood, however, forced him to cancel the attack and dispatch Cleburne to reinforce Cheatham, who was being threatened by a Union attack and in need of reinforcements.
The Union lines had bent but not broken under the weight of the Confederate attack, and by the end of the day the Rebels had failed to break through anywhere along the line. Estimated casualties were 4,400 in total: 1,900 on the Union side and at least 2,500 on the Confederate.
Because the battle site is so close to Atlanta, it was long ago swallowed up in urban development, and has not been preserved, apart from a few plaques to mark the spot. The neighborhood that surrounds the site was developed in 1941, and the battle site sits largely in Tanyard Creek Park. Here are a few pictures of the neighborhood:
And here are some of the plaques marking the battle site in the park.
Rufus Lawless fought with Scott's Brigade, Loring's Division, just left of center below, attacking across Collier Road and the Tanyard Branch of the creek. I think that's pretty close to where we were.
(Collier Road is the grey line that cuts across the top right corner of the map below. These maps are from the Cyclorama.)
This is Collier Road.
Here is the creek at the bottom of the park area.
This is such a beautiful, peaceful place that it seems strange to imagine a fierce battle taking place here. There are many large, old trees in the park, some of which I'm sure must have been around during the Civil War. I hope that Rufus lay in the shade of these trees when he fell. And I'm awfully glad he survived.
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