Sherman sent Oliver Otis Howard's Union Army of the Tennessee circling around the west side of Atlanta with the purpose of cutting the Macon and Western Railroad.

From May to July 1864, Sherman's numerically superior Union forces pressed back their Confederate opponents to the outskirts of Atlanta.

The Battle of Peachtree Creek had just taken place, forcing General Hood to withdraw in defeat to the final defenses behind Atlanta by July 21, 1864.

Sherman's movements were determined by the plan to cut off the railroad supply lines from Macon, Georgia, into Atlanta, thus forcing the defending army to withdraw without a direct assault.

[4] To accomplish this goal, Sherman commanded his easternmost army, under Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard, north and west around the rest of the Union lines to the far western side of Atlanta where the railroad entered the city.

Although Hood's Confederate troops were outnumbered by the main Union army, he calculated that a surprise attack against an isolated portion of the enemy could succeed.

Another notable participant was Ernst R. Torgler, a 24-year-old sergeant in the 37th Ohio Infantry, who was later awarded the Medal of Honor for his action during the battle.