 The Battle of Atlanta was a battle of the Atlanta Campaign fought during the American Civil War on July 22 , 1864 , just southeast of Atlanta , Georgia . Continuing their summer campaign to seize the important rail and supply center of Atlanta , Union forces commanded by William T. Sherman overwhelmed and defeated Confederate forces defending the city under John B. Hood . Union Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson was killed during the battle . Despite the implication of finality in its name , the battle occurred midway through the campaign , and the city did not fall until September 2 , 1864 , after a Union siege and various attempts to seize railroads and supply lines leading to Atlanta . After taking the city , Sherman 's troops headed south @-@ southeastward toward Milledgeville , the state capital , and on to Savannah with the March to the Sea . 
