Ezra Church

On July 28, 1864, forces of the Union Army under Major General William T. Sherman clashed with Confederate States Army troops commanded by General John B. Hood near a rural meetinghouse in Fulton County, Georgia, an engagement remembered as the Battle of Ezra Church, and known alternately as the Battle of Ezra Chapel or the Battle of the Poor House, part of the larger Atlanta campaign of the Civil War. Sherman had dispatched Oliver O. Howard's Army of the Tennessee on a sweeping route around Atlanta's western flank, aiming to sever the Macon and Western Railroad. In response, Hood ordered two corps, one under Stephen D. Lee and another under Alexander P. Stewart, to intercept the maneuver. Before Howard's men could reach the rail line, Confederate troops threw themselves into repeated assaults, only to be driven back each time with severe casualties. Even though the fighting itself favored the Union side tactically, the Confederates still managed to keep the railroad out of enemy hands.

Over the course of May through July 1864, Sherman's larger Union force had steadily pushed Confederate defenders back until they were fighting at the edge of Atlanta itself. Frustrated with Joseph E. Johnston's leadership of the Army of Tennessee, Confederate President Jefferson Davis handed command to Hood instead. Hood wasted little time going on the offensive, striking Sherman's armies twice within days, first at Peachtree Creek on July 20, then again during the Battle of Atlanta on July 22. Neither attack succeeded, and both sides suffered heavily in the process. Following the clash at Ezra Church, Sherman kept working for another month toward his goal of severing the rail lines feeding into Atlanta. Hood's forces managed to hold off these Union efforts for roughly a week more, but by August 31, during the Battle of Jonesborough, the final rail connection was cut.

Background

Ezra Church stood among a string of engagements fought during the Atlanta campaign, an effort aimed chiefly at crippling Atlanta's capacity to serve the Confederacy as a hub for manufacturing, supply, and medical care. Days earlier, Union forces had prevailed at Peachtree Creek, compelling Hood to pull his troops back into the city's last line of defenses by July 21, 1864. Convinced that Hood intended to abandon Atlanta altogether, Sherman dispatched McPherson toward Decatur on the southeastern approach. In response, Hood ordered Hardee's corps to intercept McPherson, launching an assault on July 22. During this fighting McPherson was killed, and command of the Army of the Tennessee passed to General Oliver Howard. When Sherman shifted his forces westward again, the resulting clash became known as the Battle of Ezra Church, fought on July 28. This maneuver fit into Sherman's broader campaign to sever every rail line feeding the city. By July 24, only the Macon and Western railroad remained intact as a route into Atlanta still awaiting destruction.

The Battle

Around the northern approaches to Atlanta, Sherman's forces curved into a shape resembling an inverted U. His strategy centered on severing the rail link running from Macon into the city, a move meant to compel the Confederates to abandon their position without forcing a costly frontal assault. With this in mind, he sent his eastern wing, led by Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard, on a sweep north and west, circling around the rest of his lines toward the far side of Atlanta where the railroad reached the city.

Sensing what Sherman intended, Hood pulled his men out to meet the threat head on. He hoped to catch the Federal column off guard, striking before it could consolidate. Though his Confederate force was smaller than the Union army as a whole, Hood believed a sudden blow against an exposed segment of it might still succeed.

The two sides clashed on the afternoon of July 28 near a small chapel known as Ezra Church. Hood's hopes for surprise, however, were dashed. Howard had already anticipated the move, drawing on what he had learned of Hood's tendencies back when the two studied together at West Point. By eleven that morning his men had reached the road near the church and were already fortified. When Hood's troops arrived, they found the enemy dug in and waiting. Poor reconnaissance compounded the problem, leading the Confederates to misjudge how many Federals stood before them. Their assault, launched without coordination, faltered against a hastily built wall of logs and rails, and the attackers were pushed back. The battle ended in defeat for the Confederates, though they succeeded in keeping Howard from reaching the rail line itself. Casualties totaled roughly 3,642, with about 3,000 falling on the Confederate side and 642 among Union ranks. General Alexander P. Stewart, commanding one of Hood's corps, was among the wounded.

The fighting also brought recognition to Ernst R. Torgler, a 24-year-old sergeant serving with the 37th Ohio Infantry. For his bravery that day, he later received the Medal of Honor after rescuing his commanding officer, Major Charles Hipp, from almost certain capture. The citation notes, in part, that Torgler acted "at great hazard of his life" to save Hipp, who had been badly wounded, from falling into enemy hands.