Surrounded And Out Of Ammo

In Williamson County Tennessee on March 5th 1863 the Battle of Thompson’s Station took place.


Following the Battle of Stones River, Union infantry under Colonel John Coburn headed south toward Columbia to scout the area. About four miles from Spring Hill Coburn’s right wing attacked two Confederate regiments. Confederates Major General Earl Van Dorn and Brigadier General W H “Red” Jackson’s soldiers made a frontal attack on Coburn’s men. At the same time Confederate Brigadier General Nathan Bedford Forrest swept around the Union left flank and into their rear. Forest was able to block the road to Columbia in the Union rear and capture Coburn’s supplies. After hard fighting, out of ammunition and surrounded Coburn surrendered. The Union troops lost 1,906 men either wounded or killed, the Confederates saw 300 casualties.

Sherman in Atlanta

On September 5, 1864 Gen William Tecumseh Sherman arrived in Atlanta, Georgia, the first step toward the long march to the sea.

The Union Army began the long continuous artillery shelling of the city of Atlanta, Georgia on August 9th 1864. This continued until the September 2nd 1864 when the Mayor of Atlanta surrendered the city to Colonel John Coburn. Two days after Sherman arrived in Atlanta, he issued an ordered for the inhabitants of the city to leave, for their own safety. From this time through November, Sherman’s forces remained in the city, defensively holding it against John B Hood’s troops.