The Second Battle of Dalton was fought August 14–15, 1864, between

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

and

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

forces in Whitfield County northern Georgia.

Battle

Confederate cavalry, commanded by Maj. Gen.

Joseph Wheeler Joseph "Fighting Joe" Wheeler (September 10, 1836 – January 25, 1906) was an American military commander and politician. He was a cavalry general in the Confederate States Army in the 1860s during the American Civil War, and then a general in ...

raided northern Georgia to disrupt

William T. Sherman William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

's supply lines and destroy the railroad track, hoping to force Sherman to retreat from the state. On August 14, Wheeler demanded the surrender of the Union garrison at

Dalton, Georgia Dalton is a city and the county seat of Whitfield County, Georgia, United States. It is also the principal city of the Dalton Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Murray and Whitfield counties. As of the 2010 census, the ci ...

, commanded by Colonel

Bernard Laiboldt Bernard Laiboldt or Bernard Laibold (b. 1827) commanded the 2nd Missouri Volunteer Infantry in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Born in Germany, Laiboldt came to the United States with his family as a child. He joined a Missouri infant ...

. Laiboldt refused and held out inside his fortifications, though sporadic fighting continued until midnight. The next morning, Wheeler ended his attack and prepared to retreat. Union reinforcements arrived from

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

, commanded by

Maj. Gen. Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

James B. Steedman James Blair Steedman (July 29, 1817 – October 18, 1883) was an American printer, contractor and lawyer who rose to the rank of general in the Union Army during the Civil War. A printer by trade, as well as a soldier during the Texas War of ...

, and engaged Wheeler's cavalry. Skirmishing continued for four hours, before the Confederates finally left the field. The amount of damage inflicted by Wheeler on the railroad is debatable. However, Maj. Gen.

George H. Thomas George Henry Thomas (July 31, 1816March 28, 1870) was an American general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and one of the principal commanders in the Western Theater. Thomas served in the Mexican–American War and later chose ...

in Nashville reported that the track south of Dalton was quickly repaired and trains were running again within two days.

Battlefield Condition

The growth of the City of Dalton has destroyed the battlefield landscape and its historic setting.

References

External links

National Park Service battle summary

CWSAC Report Update and Resurvey: Individual Battlefield Profiles

Lloyd's battle history of the great rebellion: Dalton, Georgia
Atlanta campaign Battles of the Western Theater of the American Civil War Union victories of the American Civil War Battles of the American Civil War in Georgia (U.S. state) Battle of Dalton Ii Conflicts in 1864 1864 in Georgia (U.S. state) August 1864 events {{AmericanCivilWar-battle-stub