the Sandtown Road, during the Battle of Utoy Creek Aug 1-10 1864, and serving throughout the siege there until September. Griswoldville Following the 1864 surrender of Atlanta, Philips and his command returned to Georgia and the men were granted a 30-day furlough, allowing them time to harvest crops from their lands. That fall his force was separated from the Army of Tennessee and ordered to oppose Sherman's March to the Sea, fighting at the Battle of Griswoldville near Macon on October 22, following a four-hour march from Macon. Hoping to slow if not block the Union Army advance across Georgia, Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler's cavalry force attacked Union cavalry around Macon. Wheeler achieved some brief success but infantry commanded by Brig. Gen. Charles C. Walcutt arrived to support the Union troops, who forced Wheeler back and then assumed a defensive position. Philips and his militia division (described as "ill equipped, poorly trained") attacked this position three times and were repulsed. The assaults were described as: The Confederates lost about 51 dead and 472 wounded plus around 600 missing, compared to less than 100 Union losses. Prior to this fight Philips' commander, G.W. Smith, had ordered the militia not engage the advancing Union soldiers, but Philips thought he had located an isolated and unsupported brigade and attacked, in clear disobedience of Smith's instructions. He received much criticism for his actions, and was rumored to be drunk at the crucial moment as well. The spirited but futile attack by Philips has been described as "...while it reflects great credit upon the gallantry of the Confederate and State forces engaged, was unnecessary, unexpected and utterly unproductive of any good." Following the action at Griswoldville, Philips resigned from the Confederate service in November. Postbellum career After resigning Philips returned to Columbus, Georgia, and his banking career. He died at his home in Wynnton in 1876, and was buried in Linnwood Cemetery in Columbus. See also List of American Civil War Generals (Acting Confederate) Notes References Allardice, Bruce S., More Generals in Gray, Louisiana State University Press, 1995, . Eicher(1), David J., The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War, Simon & Schuster, 2001, . Eicher(2), John H., and Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, . civilwar.org Civil War Preservation Trust site description of the Battle of Griswoldville. Smith, Gordon Burns, History of the Georgia Militia, 1783-1861, Volume