Atlanta

A desperate Confederate onslaught outside of Atlanta, which was met by a trio of Union troops under the command of Gen. William T. Sherman near the end of the war, failed.

The Union suffered 3,700 losses during the Battle of Atlanta, while the Confederates suffered 5,500 casualties, making it the worst day in Sherman's March through Georgia. After advancing further and eventually encircling the city, Sherman's men besieged it for the entire month of August.

After fighting at Antietam and Gettysburg and losing a leg at the Battle of Chickamauga, Confederate Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood finally surrendered and left the city on September 1, allowing Sherman's men to enter.

The Confederate war effort was weakened by Atlanta's capture. When Lincoln faced a tough election in 1864 against George B. McClellan, one of his former generals, the victory gave him a boost in the polls, enabling him to win and continue the war to its conclusion.

Time: July 22, 1864

Place: Georgia