Battle of Resaca - Definition and Overview

The Battle of Resaca was part of the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. The battle ranged in Gordon County, Georgia and Whitfield County, Georgia from May 13 to May 15 1864 and ended inconclusively.

The battle was found between the Military Division of the Mississipppi (led by William T. Sherman) on the side of the Union and the Army of Tennessee (Joseph E. Johnston) for the Confederates. 5,547 people were recorded as killed - 2,747 for the Union and 2,800 for the Confederacy.

The following description of the battle is provided by the American Battlefield Protection Program (part of the National Parks Service)

"Gen. Joseph E. Johnston had withdrawn from Rocky Face Ridge to the hills around Resaca. On the 13th, the Union troops tested the Rebel lines to pinpoint their whereabouts. The next day full scale fighting occurred, and the Union troops were generally repulsed except on the Rebel right flank where Sherman did not fully exploit his advantage. On the 15th, the battle continued with no advantage to either side until Sherman sent a force across the Oostanula River, at Lay’s Ferry, towards Johnston’s railroad supply line. Unable to halt this Union movement, Johnston was forced to retire."

References

• Public domain material in this article was originally hosted at http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/ga008.htm. See also [1] (http://www.nps.gov/disclaimer.htm).