Atlanta - Prize of War
Sherman aimed for the South's Manufacturing and railroad hub.
Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman had two objectives during his Georgia campaign of 1864: defeat the Confederate army, and damage to South's war arsenals. By capturing Atlanta, he could do both.
Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston intended to delay or stop Sherman. Kennesaw Mountain offered Johnson a strong defensive position from which to draw Sherman's larger army into battle.
The fate of Atlanta - with its citizens, factories, armories, warehouses, and railroads - hung in the balance.
Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.
Original page, with additional info, here.
Photo credit: Byron Hooks of Lat34North.com.