Peachtree Creek

The Southerners lost at least 750 killed, wounded, or captured.

sherman has been criticized for ordering the frontal attack on johnston's lines but it now seems that his decision was not unwise had the assault succeeded he would have won a great victory as it was he did not continue the attacks when it was clear that they would fail and he had managed to secure a position from which he could easily pry johnston out of the kenesaw line across the chattahoochee the success won by schofield at ollie's creek indicated the direction for the next federal movement sherman quickly decided to shift troops to his right knowing that such a move would force johnston to choose between giving up the kenesaw line or being cut off from atlanta accordingly he began to reinforce schofield by moving mcpherson from the left to the right by the afternoon of july second federal troops were pushing southward on sandtown road against only light opposition from small confederate detachments johnston was aware of what was happening in fact he had expected such a movement since the failure of the assault on the twenty seventh believing that it would be unwise to stretch his lines further and realizing that the troops opposing the federal advance could do no more than delay it johnston decided to abandon his kenesaw mountain position and fall back to a previously prepared line near smyrna four miles to the south accordingly during the night of july two three the confederates filed out of their trenches around marietta and marched southward when sherman discovered that the southerners were gone he pushed forward in pursuit hoping to strike while the enemy was retreating in the late afternoon of the third the northerners reached the new confederate line the fourth was spent in skirmishing but before a serious battle could develop the federal right secured a strategic position from which it threatened to slice in between johnston's army and atlanta again the threat to his left forced johnston to retreat during the night of july four five the southerners fell back to a heavily fortified position on the north bank of the chattahoochee on the fifth the federals pushed forward until they reached the new southern whine skirmishing that day convinced sherman that the position was too strong to be carried by a headlong assault he dispatched a cavalry force to seize roswell an important little manufacturing town about sixteen miles up river from johnston's fortifications and allowed his men a few days rest while he planned the next move after carefully studying the situation the federal commander decided to attempt a crossing near the mouth of soap creek above johnston's right flank on july eighth he moved schofield's army of the ohio into position for the crossing in a brilliant movement schofield utilizing pontoon boats and the ruins of a submerged fish dam got over the river and drove away the small group of southerners defending the area other troops were rushed across bridges were built trenches were dug and by nightfall the northerners held a secure bridgehead on the southern bank on the following day the federal cavalry got over the river at roswell sherman had successfully crossed the last major barrier between chattanooga and atlanta and had carried the fighting into the open country south of the chattahoochee where the terrain would favor him During the night of July 9-10, Johnston retreated across the river and took up a position on the southern bank of Peachtree Creek, only a few miles from Atlanta.

The Confederate commander seems to have been optimistic at this time.

Once again, he believed that he had reached a position from which he could not be driven, and he expected to fight the decisive battle of the campaign along Peachtree Creek.

sherman meanwhile had decided upon his next step he would swing north and east of atlanta to cut johnston off from augusta and possible reinforcements from virginia mcpherson was to strike eastward from roswell to the georgia railroad at some point near stone mountain As this force advanced, the rest of the Federals would move closer to the river.

The line would thus become a great swinging movement, with McPherson on the far left, Schofield on the center as the pivot, and Thomas on the right along Peachtree Creek.

This movement began on the 17th.

The next day, McPherson reached the Georgia Railroad near Stone Mountain.

Before politics, Harrison practiced law in Indianapolis, built a successful firm, defended railroads, corporations, and anyone else who could afford his fees.

He also served in the Union Army during the Civil War, rose to the rank of brigadier general, fought at Peachtree Creek and in Sherman’s Atlanta campaign.

He was competent, solid, but never inspiring.

As president, Harrison supported the Sherman Antitrust Act, which was supposed to break up monopolies but mostly just sat there looking official.