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BATTLE
OF RESACA, GEORGIA REENACTMENT 2008
The Battle of Resaca, Georgia was fought
May 13-15, 1864. It was
first major engagement of Lt. General William T. Sherman's Federal Army after it left Ringgold Gap to
pursue Lt. General Joe Johnston's Confederate Army of Tennessee.
Upon leaving Ringgold Gap, the Federal Army came upon strong Confederate positions at Rocky Face (Buzzard's Roost), a mountain about 10 miles
south of Ringgold and about a mile north of Dalton. Here the Western and
Atlantic railroad passed through Mill Creek Gap. Realizing the positions
were too strong to assault, Sherman demonstrated here and Dug Gap (a gap in the mountain directly west of Dalton) while sending two divisions of
the XVI Corp and the entire XV Corp under Maj. General James P. McPherson (23,000 men) on a shielded flanking move west of Rocky Face Mountain through
the village of Villanow. This strong Federal army emerged through Snake Creek Gap west of Resaca, about 15
miles south of Dalton. This flanking move threatened to surround the
Army of Tennessee. Realizing his lines of supply and retreat were about to be cut, Johnston
evacuated his entrenchments at Rocky Face and Dalton and retreated to Resaca to
face the new threat. What followed was the Battle of Resaca. More men would be engaged in this battle than any other time during
Sherman's march to the sea.
The photos below are from
the reenactment of
that battle on May 17, 2008 over part of the actual battlefield.
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A large
crowd gathered to celebrate this year's reenactment.
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Marshall's
Battery awaits the coming action.
Can
you locate N. B. Forrest #3's
Michael
Shuttles and David Scott?
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N.
B. Forrest #3 was well represented:
Randy
Epperson and Robbie
White.
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David
Scott
(N.B.
Forrest #3) poses with a Southern Belle. |
A
new camp flag
was
erected this year to designate
the
Confederate camp. |
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Federal
soldiers of Stanley's Division, Howard's IV Corp,
prepare for
the flank attack of Stevenson's Division, Hood's Corp.
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At
5 PM on May 14th, Stevenson's Division, Hood's Corp, launched a flank
attack against Stanley's Division, Howard's IV Corp, across this field.
The Western and Atlantic Railroad can be seen above the American flag.
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On
the afternoon of May 15th, after failed Federal assaults by Howard's IV
Corp, Hooker's XX Corp and Scoffield's XXII Corp against Hood's Corp,
Hood sent Stewart's Division (with elements of Stevenson's and
Cheatham's Divisions) to again attack the Federal left across this
field.
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With
superior numbers on the afternoon on May
15th, Sherman crossed
the Oostanaula River south of the battlefield in an effort to flank the
Confederate left. When informed of this threat, Johnston ordered
Stewart's attack halted and withdrew from these positions and retreated
down the Western and Atlantic Railroad to protect his line of supply and
retreat. Hood's Corp, which held this part of the battlefield, was the
last to leave the field about 11 PM on the night of May 15th.
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Webmaster: Robert
A. Epperson
Copyright © 2007 SCV-N. B. Forrest 3. All rights reserved.
Revised: December 02, 2008
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