US Researchโ€บConflictsโ€บCivil Warโ€บGeorgiaโ€บBattle of Resaca
Civil War

Battle of Resaca

1864
Georgia
Era
Civil War
Year
1864
Location
Georgia
Status
Verified engagement
Part ofCivil War in Georgia โ€บThe Civil War โ€บ
The Battle

History & Significance

Battle of Resaca was a Civil War engagement fought in Georgia, 1864.

The Battle of Resaca, from May 13 to 15, 1864, formed part of the Atlanta campaign during the American Civil War, when a Union force under William Tecumseh Sherman engaged the Confederate Army of Tennessee led by Joseph E. Johnston. The battle was fought in Gordon and Whitfield counties, Georgia.

The campaign began with Johnston holding strong defensive positions at Buzzard's Roost Gap and Rocky Face Ridge, which he hoped Sherman would assault. He was compelled to abandon Dalton when the Union Army of the Tennessee under James B. McPherson seized the unguarded Snake Creek Gap on May 8, threatening Resaca from the west. Johnston retreated to Resaca where he was joined by reinforcements gathering there; he was pursued by Sherman, most of whose forces followed McPherson through Snake Creek Gap, while others came south down the Western and Atlantic Railroad.

On May 14, Sherman gained a foothold west of Resaca but an attack on Confederate defenses to the north and northwest was repulsed, as was an assault by Johnston on the Union left flank later the same day. On May 15, Sherman's attack to the north and a Confederate counterattack were both stopped, but other Union forces seized a bridgehead on the south bank of the Oostanaula River. With his line of retreat threatened, Johnston abandoned Resaca that night and retreated south to Adairsville, where there was a skirmish on May 17.

Forces engaged
Confederate vs US
Casualties
600 killed, 2147 wounded, 253 missing/captured (Union, per Dyer)
Outcome
Inconclusive
Around this battlefield

Nearby Civil War engagements

Demonstration on Resaca
1864 ยท 0 mi away
Combat near Resaca
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Skirmish near Resaca
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Combat, Sugar Valley, near Resaca
1864 ยท 0 mi away
Resaca
1864 ยท 1 mi away
Action, Sugar Valley
1864 ยท 4 mi away
Skirmish, Calhoun
1864 ยท 5 mi away
Skirmish near Calhoun
1864 ยท 5 mi away
Skirmish, Calhoun
1864 ยท 5 mi away
Action, Tilton
1864 ยท 6 mi away
Skirmish, Tilton
1864 ยท 6 mi away
Combat, Snake Creek Gap
1864 ยท 9 mi away
Skirmish, Snake Creek Gap
1864 ยท 9 mi away
Skirmish, Snake Creek Gap
1864 ยท 9 mi away
Skirmish, Adairsville
1864 ยท 12 mi away
Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Battle of Resaca take place?
Battle of Resaca took place in 1864.
Where was Battle of Resaca fought?
Battle of Resaca was fought in Georgia, United States.
What was the significance of Battle of Resaca?
The Battle of Resaca, from May 13 to 15, 1864, formed part of the Atlanta campaign during the American Civil War, when a Union force under William Tecumseh Sherman engaged the Confederate Army of Tennessee led by Joseph E. Johnston. The battle was fought in Gordon and Whitfield counties, Georgia. Th
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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Points of Interest
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Source

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