Battle of Atlanta
![This historic gas lamp, located in the Underground Atlanta, was shelled by Union artillery prior to the Battle of Atlanta. There are two bronze plaques mounted on it, one of which commemorates Solomon (Sam) Luckie, 1 of 40 free blacks, who died from the wounds that he received from the shell that struck the lamp. Commemorated on the other plaque are the Confederacy, the Battle of East Atlanta, and one of the local men who fought in that battle.[10]](/uploads/202412/23/Atlanta-Underground_Gas_lamp1035.jpg)
The Battle of Atlanta was a battle of the Atlanta Campaign fought during the American Civil War on July 22, 1864, just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Continuing their summer campaign to seize the important rail and supply center of Atlanta, Union forces commanded by William T. Sherman overwhelmed and defeated Confederate forces defending the city under John B. Hood. Union Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson was killed during the battle. Despite the implication of finality in its name, the battle occurred midway through the campaign, and the city did not fall until September 2, 1864, after a Union siege and various attempts to seize railroads and supply lines leading to Atlanta. After taking the city, Sherman's troops headed south-southeastward toward Milledgeville, the state capital, and on to Savannah with the March to the Sea.