 The main lines of battle now formed an " L " shape , with Hardee 's attack forming the lower part of the " L , " and Cheatham 's attack on the Union front as the vertical member of the " L " . Hood intended to attack the Union troops from both east and west . The fighting centered on a hill east of the city known as Bald Hill . The Federals had arrived two days earlier , and began to shell the city proper , killing several civilians . A savage struggle , sometimes hand @-@ to @-@ hand , developed around the hill , lasting until just after dark . The Federals held the hill while the Confederates retired to a point just south of there . Meanwhile , two miles to the north , Cheatham 's troops had broken through the Union lines at the Georgia railroad . In response , twenty artillery pieces were positioned near Sherman 's headquarters at <unk> Hill , and shelled the Confederates , while Logan 's XV Corps regrouped and repulsed the Southern troops . 
