Why Fight at Resaca?

Resaca became the site of a major battle because of its railroad, river, and terrain. Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston planned to fall back south from position to position toward Atlanta to draw Union General William T. Sherman into a bottleneck and stretch his supply line, since an army needed massive amounts of food, ammunition, and supplies to keep fighting. As Sherman's army moved south, Confederate forces would attack the supply line to the north. Johnston therefore chose strong defensive ground, built temporary fortifications such as cannon emplacements and rifle pits, and waited for Sherman to arrive. Battles such as Resaca were meant to wear down Sherman's army, consume supplies, and pull it farther south until Johnston's smaller Confederate force could try to push the Union army back north. Johnston never had the chance to make this plan succeed, however, and Sherman pushed through Georgia to Savannah. As the battle at Resaca ended, Confederate forces fled south across the Oostanaula River on a pontoon bridge, removed it after the last men crossed, and then burned the railroad bridge to keep Sherman from using the railroad to supply his army as it moved south.

Georgia · United States