Transfer of Command
Under orders from President Davis, on July 17, 1864, General Joseph E. Johnston, the masterful tactician and soldier, relinquished command of the Army of Tennessee. To succeed him, General John B. Hood, one of his corps commanders, an intrepid fighter, was appointed. The transfer of command was formerly made on July 18, at a point on the Marietta Road, near the city limits. When Hood assumed command of the Army of Tennessee, its numerical strength, according to the General´s official report, was: infantry 33, 750, Artillery 3,500, Calvary 10,000, which, with 1,500 Georgia militia, made a total of 48, 500 men.
Opposed to him, at the Gates of Atlanta, and Sherman´s monster force of invasion, a triple army, subdivided as follows: the Army of the Tennessee, under McPherson, the Army of the Cumberland, under Thomas, and the Army of the Ohio, under Schofield. It strengthened at the beginning of the summer, according to Union authorities, was 100,000; and deducting losses sustained during the march from Dalton to Atlanta, it was still nearly twice the size of Hood´s, and was commanded by veteran leaders.
Erected by the Atlanta chapter United Daughters of the Confederacy
1920
Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.
Original page, with additional info, here.
Photo credit: Byron Hooks of Lat34North.com.