History That Doesn't Suck - 65: Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign & The Free State of Jones

Episode Date: May 25, 2020

“War is war, and not popularity-seeking.” This is the story of the fall of Atlanta. William Tecumseh “Cump” Sherman is leading three armies in an attack against this vital city in the Peach State. His forces are formidable, but so are his opponents: Confederate master of defense, Joseph E. “Joe” Johnston; and the far more aggressive Confederate General John B. Hood. The loss of life will be staggering and include prominent figures on both sides. There’s also rebelling brewing within the rebellion. Care to meet secessionists who’ve seceded from the secession? Welcome to Mississippi’s “Free State of Jones.” ____ Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations join discussions in our Facebook community get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette  come see a live show get HTDS merch or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Welcome to History That Doesn't Suck. I'm your professor, Greg Jackson, and as in the classroom, my goal here is to make rigorously researched history come to life as your storyteller. Each episode is the result of laborious research with no agenda other than making the past come to life as you learn. If you'd like to help support this work, receive ad-free episodes, bonus content, and other exclusive perks, I invite you to join the HTDS membership program. Sign up for a 7-day free trial today at htdspodcast.com slash membership, or click the link in the episode notes. It's summer, 1864.

Newly appointed commander of the U.S. Military Division of the Mississippi, General William Tecumseh Sherman, or Cump, as he's better known to his friends, is advancing with three armies towards Atlanta. But the sharp-jawed, trim-bearded Ohioan isn't just thinking about the fight ahead here in the Peach State. He's thinking of his six kids, the young folks, as he calls them, including his recently deceased favorite child, Willie.

Like many of Cump's soldiers, his cherubic-faced, venturesome nine-year-old fell victim to fever and dysentery. And yet, the far-from-religious general and his devout Catholic wife, Ellen, will soon welcome another child into their lives. There's no replacing Willie, but this father of four girls hopes for a boy

that may prove some kind of balm to the willy-shaped hole in his and his wife's hearts. All he knows of the child is through the oft-delayed letters and telegrams that are a part of 19th century life. Headquarters, Military Division of Mississippi. In the field, Big Shanty, Georgia, June 12, 1864. Dearest Ellen, I have received Phil's dispatch announcing the birth to us of another son. I'm glad you are over the terrible labor and hope it

is the last you'll have to endure. Of course, I am pleased to know the sex of the child as he must succeed to the place left vacant by Willie, though I fear we will never again be able to lavish on anyone the love we bore for him. Whatever name you give will never again be able to lavish on anyone the love we bore for him. Whatever name you give this child will be acceptable to me. Charles is a common family name, would do, but I will suggest none that you may name him as you choose, only that it be simple and common. I am ever yours, W.T. Sherman Lancaster, Ohio, July 7, 1864 Dearest Kump, For the first time since I went to bed the night of the 10th of June,

I am able to sit up and hold my pen. I had been sick all that day. About one o'clock I sent for the doctor, and at twenty minutes past two the baby was born with a cry loud enough to disturb the neighborhood. Like Tommy, he was born with a call over his face, which the doctor had to remove before his cry came forth. I must thank God that I am spared to my children and not murmur at the trials he sends me. As ever, Ellen.

Headquarters, Military Division of Mississippi, in the field, near Chattahoochee, July 9th, 1864. Dearest Ellen, it is now more than two months since I left Chattanooga and I think during all this time I have but one letter from you. I fear you have been more ill than I supposed. The enemy and the Chattahoochee lie between us and intense heat prevails, but I think I shall succeed.

At all events, you know I never turn back. Give my love to your father and all the young folks. Yours ever, W.T. Sherman. Lancaster, Ohio, July 16th, 1864. Dearest Kump, I have been ill indeed, in great danger of death, and am left weak. Charlie thrives, grows, and fattens, and is very strong and healthy. The children dote on him, particularly Tommy and Lizzie. Tommy asked me how long babies wore long dresses, and when I told him six or eight months, he begged me to put pantaloons on Charlie then. He walks with him in his arms and watches him and plays with him, and sings twenty times a day. He is so glad the baby is not a girl. I have not told you how very strongly he resembles you in form, face, and shape of head.

The likeness is striking, and I am delighted to see it. All are well, and send love to dear Papa, ever your affectionate, Ellen. Lancaster, Ohio, September 17, 1864, Saturday morning. Dearest Kump, the baby has a very bad cold settled on his lungs. May Willie's pure spirit be your guide to his happy home in heaven is the hourly prayer of your truly affectionate, Ellen. Cincinnati, Ohio, September 22nd, 1864. It seems as if I were never to have another letter from you, dearest Kump. Cincinnati, Ohio, September 25th, 1864. Sunday evening. Dearest Kump, the baby has a very bad cough, and I feel so uneasy.

Lancaster, Ohio. November 8, 1864. Dearest Kump, dear Willie's picture has just been brought and now stands framed in my room. We need this to keep him fresh in the minds and the hearts of all the children, for all must love and know and talk of their holy brother until by God's grace we join him in his heavenly home. The baby has such a severe cold, which has taken such firm hold on his lungs, that I greatly fear he will never get over it,

but that it will end in consumption. Ever your truly affectionate, Ellen. Obituary Charles Celestine Sherman The New York Times, December 25th, Christmas Day, 1864 Affectionate, Ellen. Obituary. Charles Celestine Sherman. The New York Times, December 25th, Christmas Day, 1864. Died at South Bend, Indiana, on Sunday, December 4th, 1864, of pneumonia. Charles Celestine.

Infant son of Major General W.T. and Ellen E. Sherman. Aged five months and 23 days. It will be remembered by our readers that Mrs. Sherman left her former home at Lancaster, Ohio, and took up her residence at South Bend, Indiana, for the purpose of being near her children, who were being educated at the Catholic institutions near that place. The remains of the babe were conveyed to St. Mary's Academy, where they were received by a procession of lovely children of the holy angels. The beautiful head of the child was crowned with flowers, which flowed like wavelets of light almost to the feet.

And his mother, with touching propriety, placed a palm branch in the alabaster hand of the little one. The right reverend bishop of Fort Wayne delivered an appropriate sermon upon infant baptism. The music of the choir, accompanied by the grand new organ just erected in the church, was indescribably touching and beautiful. South Bend, Indiana, December 29, 1864

Dearest Kump, Long before this you have seen in the papers the notice of the dear baby's death. God grant that his prayers and willies may ensure my perseverance and obtain for you the gift of faith. Ellen E. Sherman St. Mary's Academy, December 30, 1864 After writing you a brief letter yesterday, dearest Kump, I came back here to the Academy. The wound was severe and is keenly tender, yet God grant it may be healed above. My blessed, my holy little ones, pray for us ever, until we join you in the bright home above when we shall see the face of God and learn to

love Him as He deserves. Our hearts can never rest on earthly joys again after witnessing Willie's agony, and that compared with the darling baby's was almost light. Ever faithfully yours, Ellen. Headquarters, Military Division of Mississippi, in the field, Savannah, January 5th, 1865. Dearest Ellen, I have written several times to you and the children. Yesterday I got your letter of December 23rd, and realized the deep pain and anguish through which you have passed in the pain and sickness of the little baby, I never saw. All spoke of him as so bright and fair that I had hoped he would be spared to us to fill the great void in our hearts left by Willie. But it is otherwise decreed, and we must submit.

I have seen death in such quantity and in such forms that it no longer startles me. But with you, it is different. Yours, W.T. Sherman. Welcome to History That Doesn't Suck. I'm your professor, Greg Jackson, and I'd like to tell you a story. Music Today, we have two states to visit. First, we're heading to Mississippi, where some Confederate deserters have decided they're done with the CSA and proclaim Jones County independent. But after that, we'll return to Kump

and follow him on the 1864 military campaign that prevents the tenacious general from ever meeting his baby boy Charles in this life, the Atlantic Campaign. I'm sure you recall from our last episode that as U.S. Grant is carrying out his Overland Campaign in Virginia, he has four other generals attacking the CSA elsewhere, creating a multi-front war. Well, that includes Kump's hard-fought, four-month-long showdown with Confederate Generals Joseph E. Johnston and John B. Hood for the city of Atlanta.

So let's get to it. We start in the Magnolia State, where secessionists are seceding from the seceded southern states. Of course, this story precedes the death of Charlie, so you know what we need to do. Rewind. It's early 1864, and the Confederacy has a serious problem in Mississippi. A group of AWOL soldiers in the southeast portion of the state has declared independence from Mississippi and the CSA. These Southern Unionists, a broad term that includes all Southerners who are less than jazzed about the Confederacy to downright oppose to it, are also refusing to pay taxes or return to their posts in the Confederate Army. One of them has even raised the U.S. flag over the courthouse in Jones County, Mississippi.

Yeah, the stars and stripes waving in the wind above a Confederate government building is bound to get a little bit of attention. After the flag incident, CSA General Leonidas Polk reports to President Jefferson Davis that the people of Jones County are in, quote, open rebellion, close quote. He reports that they are proclaiming themselves Southern Yankees and resolved to resist by force of arms all efforts to capture them. Leo isn't exaggerating. One of them has already killed a Confederate Army officer. Last fall, Major Amos McLemore got assigned to pick up deserters in Jones

County. On October 5, 1863, Amos ran into Newton Knight, a deserter from the 7th Battalion, Mississippi Infantry. Amos and Newt argued, Newt, a large man with a strong Roman nose, straight mouth, and dark beard, flatly refused to return to the service of an army and country that had, quote, left his family destitute, close quote. Amos responded by threatening to arrest him, so Newt took out his pistol and shot the army officer.

At least, that's a compelling version of what happened. Eyewitness accounts differ. But one thing's for sure, Newt would never be charged with this crime. No one in these parts has any interest in ratting him out. Instead, the residents of Jones County banded together after Amos McLemore's mysterious death. They've been fighting off Confederate tax collectors and army patrollers ever since.

21st century historians won't find official documents to back this up, but most people call them the Free State of Jones. If that name sounds familiar, you're likely thinking of the 2016 movie that tells their story with Matthew McConaughey playing Newt Knight. And yeah, I enjoyed it. Solid film. But like I was saying, historians will have no official documents with that name. The only one we know these unionists use for sure is the Knight Company. Newt sets up his namesake night company with roughly 125 men, mostly army deserters from the 7th Battalion like himself,

who want nothing to do with the CSA. Newt tells us, They have camps in the woods near their homes. Sentries require any person who wants access to camp to say the password, which is, Damn straight, the red, white, and blue. Damn straight they've got a Stars and Stripes password. This isn't a mere group of disaffected deserters. They're a band of unionists with a cause.

They have local officials and army patrollers running scared. When tax collectors come calling, night company members chase them off, and more than one tax collector has gone missing. Newton and his band even seize five wagons of corn from the taxmen and distribute it among the poorest residents of Jones County. Women in the county fully support the night company. As they see it, their husbands, sons, and fathers are honorably fighting back against a government they don't support. They're happy to have the help of their men in getting food for their hungry children without having to resort to bread rights like you heard about in episode 58. Loyal CSA officers know how much support Newton and his followers get from local women.

Wives, sisters, and daughters, both bond and free, bring the men food and supplies to their well-hidden camps. Judge Robert Hudson writes to Mississippi Governor Charles Clark and President Jeff Davis, calling the wives and mothers of Knight Company members, quote-unquote, rotten-hearted women. Judge Hudson claims that these women don't just support the damned unionists. They should be held responsible for the men's behavior. He wants permission to mete out the, quote, most radical and severe treatment, close quote. The judge gets his wish in April.

Well, sort of. Mississippi officials go after the deserters, not their rotten-hearted wives, but Judge Hudson will have to take what he can get. Mississippi state leaders have grown tired of being embarrassed by what they see as a bunch of backwood deserting unionists calling themselves the night company. So they send Colonel Robert Lowry with 200 cavalrymen and bloodhounds into Jones County to stamp out this rebellion.

Can we just pause for a second and acknowledge the irony of the Confederacy rebelling from the Union, then trying to put down a pro-Union rebellion against the CSA? I mean, talk about the pot calling the kettle black, am I right? Captain Robert Lowry tells his men, the most rigid and summary punishment is necessary to correct these evils. So his men get to work crushing the Knight Company rebellion. Bloodhounds and cavalry track down 10 night company members from their camps in the piney woods near the Tullahoma Creek. Colonel Lowry has the men hanged and leaves their lifeless bodies swinging from the trees as a warning to others. The colonel doesn't find Newt, but he leaves Jones County anyway and calls his raid a success.

As soon as the military threat is gone, the Knight Company is right back at it, though, fighting hard against the Confederacy. By the way, a quick aside, hanging unionists isn't unique to the Knight Company. While we lack official documents, and I have to note that, family tradition holds that my Virginia-born ancestor, Abel Kane Slayton, met his end with a short drop and a sudden stop in Arkansas on February 27th, 1864. And yeah, Abel Kane Slayton is quite the biblical and literal name

for a man who met such a violent end. The irony of his name is not lost on this descendant. Anyhow, Newt's posse is too powerful and organized for Mississippi officials or the government in Richmond to stop. They kind of have to accept that the Knight Company runs the show in Jones County, Mississippi. Also of note, Newt is no less interesting after the war. He'll help with reconstruction efforts in the Magnolia estate by distributing food and supplies to destitute farmers. He'll also marry a former slave, Rachel,

earning the scorn of some of his previous friends and neighbors. But the details of the reconstructed South and the later happenings in the curious life of Newt Jones are definitely stories for another day. It's time to head a bit farther east to accompany General Sherman as he and his three Union armies descend south from Chattanooga, Tennessee, toward Atlanta, Georgia. Growth is essential for every entrepreneur. At BDC, we get that. And the businesses we support grow at double the average rate. Accelerating the pace.

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The weather is beautiful and the army is in fine condition. Dalton is the first stop on the thin, trim-bearded general's larger mission to take Atlanta. Actually, his exact orders from newly appointed Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant are to, quote, Get into the interior of the enemy's country as far as you can, inflicting all the damage you can against their war resources. Close quote.

Kumpf faces a very different kind of general than Robert E. Lee, whom Ulysses is fighting up in Virginia. Kump's foe is the Confederate general over the Army of Tennessee, Joseph E. Johnston. Remember him from episode 59? Joe likes defense, and he plays it well. The Virginian general is also good at logistics and keeps his men well-fed and supplied.

But frankly, Joe, whose thick mustache soul patch combo looks like a bold capital T under his nose, just isn't that great at the whole battle part of war. He doesn't want to commit to an all-out fight. Like the former U.S. General George Little Mac McClellan, Joe is a bit of a perfectionist and has been since before the war. A friend tells the story that he and Joe went duck hunting, but Joe never pulled his hunting rifle's trigger.

Quote, the bird flew too high or too low. The dogs were too far or too near. Things never did suit exactly. He was afraid to miss and risk his fine reputation. Close quote. No wonder he and Little Mac were such good friends before the Civil War.

You know, before they both danced around each other in the 1862 Peninsula Campaign. I swear, if Bobby Lee hadn't replaced Joe in that fight, those two would have campaigned inconclusively against one another until the end of time. Okay, enough on Joe's background. The Virginian has to defend Atlanta from Tecumseh's almost 100,000 boys in blue. Now that he's division of Mississippi commander, Cump has three armies under him. The 60,000-man army of the Cumberland, commanded by General George Thomas, the 25,000-man army of the Tennessee, led by young General James B. McPherson, and the small 13,000-man army of the Ohio, headed up by Major General John Schofield. Kumpf calls his massive force, quote, one of the best armies

in the world, close quote. Meanwhile, Joe only has the 50,000 strong Confederate Army of Tennessee. He's outnumbered two to one. At least he's got geography on his side. The federal troops

need to cross miles of rugged, mountainous terrain, pass through dense forests, and ford three major rivers if they want to get to Atlanta. The balding and graying Joe

has a good eye for finding highly defensible positions in this landscape. On May 7th, major rivers if they want to get to Atlanta. The balding and graying Joe has a good eye for finding highly defensible positions in this landscape. On May 7th, Union troops arrive just north of their first target, Dalton, to find Joe and his Confederate troops dug in northwest of the town at Rocky Face Ridge, known to the locals as Buzzard Roost. But there's no way that Kump's going to be able to just punch through these lines. He has to find a way around them. Good thing he's got three armies. Kump orders Army of the Tennessee Commander James McPherson to head south through Snake Creek Gap and hit the railroad behind the rebel position

while George Thomas and John Schofield take their respective armies to make small attacks against the Confederate works at Rocky Face Ridge. This way, explains Kump, they can avoid, quote, the terrible door of death that Johnston has prepared for us in the Buzzard Roost, close quote. It's a great plan, but the 35-year-old dashing general, James McPherson, has never led a mission like this. On May 9th, James has been passed

through Snake Creek Gap without a hitch and break the rail line south of Dalton. So far, so good. At this point, only 4,000 Southerners are defending a critical rail bridge over the Ustanala River. If James can capture that bridge, the Union armies can trap Joe Johnston's entire army almost 90 miles north of Atlanta. James needs to act now. But he doesn't. The inexperienced general explains, quote, if I could have had a division of good cavalry, I could have broken the rail at some point. Close quote. James's caution gives Joe Johnston a chance to escape. He figures out the Union ploy and on May 10th, carefully retreats from Rocky Face Ridge,

who previously built defenses 15 miles south at Resaca. Kump is disappointed with his protege, James McPherson, and tells him, Well, Mac, you missed the opportunity of your life. The Union army has to pursue the Confederates while they get to choose the next battleground. At Risaka, Joe's men control the only major bridge over the Ustanala River and occupy formidable defenses. Oh, and they get 15,000 reinforcements from Alabama

under the command of General Leonidas Polk. That brings Joe's forces up to 65,000 men. Joe's brilliance at defensive warfare comes out. He positions his troops in a west-facing arc with his southern lines anchored on the Ustanala River and the all-important rail bridge and his center lines built into a high ridge. Kump has to find a way around these lines

and over that bridge if he wants to trap Joe's army of Tennessee. Or he could try another turning movement like he did at Dalton. On May 14th and 15th, Union troops attack the Confederate works. But this is just a decoy. While Union cannons and rifles fire away at the gray and butternut-clad soldiers, Kump sends one division southwest of the battle to lay a pontoon bridge over the river. Who needs the rebel-held bridge when you can just build your own, right? When Joe realizes the Federal troops are at his rear,

again, he figures he can't hold his position and protect the rail lines. Time to retreat. The Battle of Resaca costs him 2,800 casualties and forces Joe to look for another defensible stronghold. For the next several days, the Army of Tennessee marches south toward Allatoona Pass with three Union armies in hot pursuit. One Georgia soldier gets frustrated that Joe isn't fighting harder to defend his home state. The truth is, we have run until I am getting out of heart,

and we must make a stand soon or the army will be demoralized. But all is in good spirits now and believe General Johnston will make a stand and whip the Yankees badly. When Johann Rall received the letter on Christmas Day 1776, he put it away to read later. Maybe he thought it was a season's greeting and wanted to save it for the fireside. But what it actually was, was a warning, delivered to the Hessian colonel, letting him know that General George Washington was crossing the Delaware and would soon attack his forces. The next day, when R Raw lost the Battle of Trenton and died from two colonial Boxing Day musket balls, the letter was found, unopened in his

vest pocket. As someone with 15,000 unread emails in his inbox, I feel like there's a lesson there. Oh well, this is The Constant, a history of getting things wrong. I'm Mark Kreisler. Every episode we look at the bad ideas, mistakes, and accidents that misshaped our world. Find us at ConstantPodcast.com or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to learn how you can make smarter decisions with your money? Well, I've got the podcast for you. I'm Sean Piles, and I host NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast. On our show, we help listeners like you make the most of your finances.

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wherever you get your podcasts. While hopeful gray-clad soldiers dig in at Allatoona Pass, 40 miles northwest of Atlanta, Kump calls a trick play. He orders his men to pack 20 days worth of food and head southwest, away from their supply lines and away from Atlanta. What's Kump up to here?

Don't worry, the determined general has a plan. See, Tecumseh wants to get out ahead of Joe Johnston and surprise him. So, Cump figures if he marches southwest toward a small rail depot called Dallas, then he can turn and hit the rebel supply depot at Marietta while Joe is still camped up at Allatoona Pass. On May 23rd, federal soldiers crossed the Etowah River and put this plan into motion. But Joe's gray-clad cavalrymen alert their leader to Union movements and Joe figures out Kump's plan. He rushes out of the mountain pass and has his men dig in near Dallas before the Yankees arrive.

Damn, I said it once but I'll say it again. This thin, baldy, mustachioed, and soul-patched Virginian knows how to fight a defensive battle. Anyway, on May 25th, General Fightin' Joe Hooker leads the Union march. I trust you remember the dark-haired general who fights as hard as he plays and crushed it doing his part back in Chattanooga during episode 62. Well, this afternoon, Fightin' Joe runs right into Confederate General John Hood's well-entrenched men near the New Hope Church a few miles northeast of Dallas. And unfortunately for Fightin' Joe,

John Hood knows how to bring the heat. This Kentuckian led troops at 2nd Manassas in Teton, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, and Chickamauga. And he's got the battle scars to prove it. The 30-something, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, heavily bearded John has a paralyzed left arm and lost his right leg at Chickamauga. But he didn't lose his fight. At 5 p.m., Kump orders an attack on John's position.

Even though Fighting Joe's men outnumbered John's three to one, the Bluecoats can't dislodge the Confederates from their lines. For three hours, fighting Joe's men launched dozens of uncoordinated, confused attacks. And according to one soldier, quote, nearly everyone was swearing at the top of his voice, close quote. As night falls and severe thunderstorms roll in, all Fighting Joe has to show for the battle at New Hope Church is 1,665 casualties. It takes another 36 hours of skirmishing and heavy rain for Kump to ascertain just what he's up against. Imagine five miles of breastworks, earthenworks, and abati manned by seasoned Confederate soldiers cutting through dense woods, ravines, ridges, and small creeks. And the red-bearded Union general can't find a weak spot

along the entire line. Kump figures his best option is to get in between Joe Johnston and the Atlanta rail lines to the east. To do that, he'll need to flank the northeast end of Confederate lines at Pickett's Mill. Union troops trek over the disorienting terrain in incessant thunderstorms trying to find the Confederate flank they're supposed to attack. One officer quips, No person can appreciate the difficulty of moving over this ground unless he can see it. When they finally reach their target, the confusion doesn't let up.

At 4.35 p.m., Union General George Thomas' men launch their attack and their gray-clad enemies fight back. According to one Union officer, the Southerners, quote, not only opened a murderous fire from their frontline works, but also terrible crossfires from both flanks. Close quote. George Thomas' Yankee troops get slaughtered, suffering 1,600 casualties.

A survivor of the Battle of Pickett's Mill will later write a memoir called The Crime at Pickett's Mill. The next morning, Joe Johnston gets word that Union troops are moving east out of the area. Joe figures he has a chance to hit Kump while he's on the road and, in an uncharacteristically offensive move, Joe takes it. He orders John Hood to attack on May 28th, but the assault is a total disaster. The Yankees are not on the road, but dug into well-hidden earthworks and ready to fight. In a reversal of the Battle of Pickett's Mill, John's men bash themselves against Union

lines to no avail. The Confederates lose between 1,000 and 1,500 men. No wonder Union troops call these three engagements combined, the Battle of the Hell Hole. The only Union benefit from these four days of brutal fighting is that Federal cavalry took the Confederates' former position at Alatoona Pass while the rebels were distracted at Dallas. With blue-clad cavalry in the mountains,

Kump can march his men back to the supply line seven miles south of Alatoona to regroup. Meanwhile, Joe pulls his men to a slave-built stronghold at Pine Mountain. These two positions are only a couple miles apart and not more than 20 miles from Atlanta. After the disasters near Dallas, it starts raining the first week of June and doesn't let up for 17 days. Kumpf writes a letter to his boss and best friend, Ulysses, complaining that the rain comes down, quote, as though it has no intention ever to stop, close quote.

But the fought out Union armies of the Cumberland, the Ohio, and the Tennessee are grateful for a reason to hunker down and rest for a minute. On June 14th, two days after receiving news of his son's birth, which you heard about in the opening, Tecumseh's hard at work finding a way to break or flank the Confederate position. He reports, quote, Johnston has 60,000 infantry, 15,000 cavalry, and a good deal of militia.

We must have a terrific battle. And he wants to choose and fortify his ground. Close quote. Union generals go on a scouting mission to find a weak spot in the nearby rebel position. Kump and his companions can see gray-clad men walking along the ridge of Pine Mountain, but they are too far away to see who these soldiers might be. It's a pretty bold move to stroll around in the open like that within range of federal artillery and Kumpf remarks, how saucy they are.

The red-headed general orders his men to fire and force those enemy troops to take cover. Kumpf has no way of knowing that he just ordered his men to fire on Confederate generals Joe Johnston, William Hardy, and Leonidas Polk, and their staff. These guys are out on a recon mission of their own. From Pine Mountains Ridge, they can get a full view of the Union positions without the dense Georgia forest blocking their line of sight. Then federal artillery opens up on them. Joe and William take cover, but Leo moves too slowly. The Episcopalian bishop turned general stands in the open while his aides yell at him to get down.

They watch in horror as a three-inch ball blows through Leo's chest, hits a tree behind him, and explodes. Leo's lifeless body drops to the ground. Once the shelling ends, Joe crawls over to his dead comrade, weeping. I would rather anything than this. Joe issues a statement that afternoon

informing his men of the loss of yet another Confederate general. It reads, Comrades, you are called to mourn your first captain, your oldest companion in arms, Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk. In this distinguished leader, we have lost the most courteous of gentlemen,

the most gallant of soldiers. Leo's soldiers and family mourn his loss, but history will be less kind to the Bishop General. Historian Stephen Woodworth surmises, quote, Polk's incompetence had consistently hamstrung Confederate operations west of the Appalachians,

while his special relationship with the president made him untouchable. Close quote. Now, Kump doesn't know that he may have been better off with Leo alive rather than dead. He simply reports to Chief of Staff Henry Halleck in Washington, D.C., we killed Bishop Polk yesterday and have made good progress today. If by that you

mean watching the rebels retreat another few miles to Kennesaw Mountain, then yes, General Sherman, you have made good progress. Yeah, once the balding Confederate general scouted out the Union position, he realized he would have a hard time defending Pine Ridge. So on June 18th, defense-minded Joe orders his Southern boys to pack up and move to a stronger position near Kennesaw Mountain, two miles closer to Atlanta.

No problem. Kump will just do what he's been doing this whole campaign, skirt Joe's left flank and threaten his rear. Hey, it worked at Dalton and at Resaca. It could work again. Kump plans to travel south around Kennesaw Mountain and then east to the Confederate Supply Depot at Marietta. Maybe his guys can hit a water park in Marietta

and get some relief from the Georgia summer heat Just kidding, Marietta hasn't bloomed into the bustling Atlanta suburb that you and I will know in the 21st century Anyway, on June 22nd Kump orders John Schofield and Fightin' Joe Hooker to march south of Kennesaw Mountain as the advance guard But the Confederate top brass have finally figured out Kump's M.O. here, third time's the charm,

and Joe Johnson sends his aggressive battle-scarred general, John Hood, with an entire division to block the Union flanking move. About 15,000 bluecoats clash with 14,000 gray-clad men near Culp's Farm.

John Schofield and Joe Hooker successfully repulse John Hood's attack with 300 Union and over 1,000 Confederate casualties. This small skirmish is important for really only one reason. It prevents the Federals from following through on their planned flanking move. Looks like Kump will have to hit

Kennesaw Mountain head on. At 8 a.m. on June 27th, the Union general puts his battle plan into action. Kump orders his men to hit the Confederate works in three places. Honestly, this is an almost hopeless situation for the boys in blue. The well-protected rebels sit behind breastworks and parapets which run south from Kennesaw Mountain down to Culp's Farm, almost all the way to a Chattahoochee River tributary called Ollie's Creek. Still, if Kump wants to get to Marietta and then to Atlanta,

his men will have to get through Joe Johnston's southern troops somehow. The booming of over 200 pieces of artillery starts the battle, and Union soldiers advance on the Confederate lines. James McPherson orders his men from the Army of the Tennessee to advance on the northern section of the Rebel works, while George Thomas' men of the Army of the Cumberland hit the center. The blue-clad soldiers fight well, but Confederate bullets repulse almost every attack.

One brave color bearer from the 52nd Ohio actually reaches the Rebel line and climbs an earthen parapet. While he raves his regimental flag, encouraging his comrades to join the fight, a southern officer jumps on the parapet. The two men fight hand to hand, one trying to keep the flag waving, the other trying to throw it to the ground. The Ohioan kills his southern foe, but as he waves his flag in triumph, a Confederate bullet takes him and the flag down.

This is as far as any Union soldier will get today. By early afternoon, Kump calls off the attack and counts bodies. Two Union officers are dead, General Charles Harker and Colonel Daniel McCook. Another 3,000 of his soldiers are wounded or dead. There's plenty of blame to go around as to why and how the Union assault failed today, but Kump points to the loss of important battlefield leaders as a main cause.

He reports to Henry Halleck, had Harker and McCook not been struck down so early, the assault would have succeeded. And then the battle would have all been in our favor on account of our superiority of numbers, position and initiative. Whether that's true or just battlefield bravado, we'll never know.

Comte does let down his guard in the letter he writes to his daughter, Minnie, that night. The battle-weary general tells his 13-year-old, I ought not to make promises, for I daily see too many officers buried by the roadside or carried to the rear maimed and mangled to count on much of a future. Oof, that's a grim outlook, but Kumpf's got a point. The Union Army does make some progress today. While the battle raged, one of Kumpf's divisions crossed Ollie's Creek south of Confederate lines, fought off a small rebel unit, and now controls the waterway. In short, the Federals flanked Joe Johnston again, and he'll have to retreat.

Looks like everyone's learning something today. Tecumseh figures out that frontal assaults are a deadly, ineffective mess. And Joe is learning, though he should know it already, that awesome breastworks in a batty can pause your enemy's progress by not preventing from flanking you. HTDS is supported by premium membership fans. You can join by clicking the link in the episode description. My gratitude to Kind Souls providing additional funding to help us keep going and a special thanks to our members whose monthly gift puts them at producer status. Andy Thompson, Anthony Pizzulo, Art Lane, Beth Chris Jansen, Bob Drazovich, Brian Goodson, Bronwyn Cohen, Carrie Beggle, Charles and Shirley Clendenin,

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