USA HISTORY

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR(1861 1865)

END OF THE CIVIL WAR

[SOURCES]
Was the Union successful in capturing Atlanta?

(A) ** yes

(B) no

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -The Union victory in the largest battle of the Atlanta Campaign led to the capture of that critical Confederate city and opened the door for Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s most famous operation-the March to the Sea and the capture of Savannah.

Concept note-2: -Given Atlanta’s position south of the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, capturing the city would severely threaten the stability of the Confederacy. If Atlanta fell, Union leadership hoped that it would bring the already bloody war to a swift end.

Concept note-3: -On August 28, 1864, Union Army General William Tecumseh Sherman lays siege to Atlanta, Georgia, a critical Confederate hub, shelling civilians and cutting off supply lines. The Confederates retreated, destroying the city’s munitions as they went.

Concept note-4: -General William Tecumseh Sherman and his troops captured the city in 1864. In order to weaken the Confederate military organization, Union troops burned Atlanta to the ground before they moved on. Do you think that burning the city was an extreme action? Today, Atlanta is the capital of Georgia.