#523- THE ATLANTA CAMPAIGN (Part the Twenty-second)

·33 min·3 clips

McCook's brigade reached within 25 yards of the Confederate works but collapsed into a mass of men, with the 52nd Ohio losing 85 soldiers in 15 minutes.

The episode is a narrative history podcast focusing on the Atlanta Campaign during the American Civil War. Hosts Rich and Tracy continue their chronological account, picking up at 8 a.m. on June 27, 1864, at the Dead Angle on Cheatham Hill. They describe the Federal preparations, with brigades commanded by Dan McCook Jr. and John Mitchell forming up for an assault. The narrative explains the tactical decision to use a column formation instead of a line, highlighting its risks as a 'battering ram.' It follows McCook's brigade specifically, detailing its composition with regiments like the 125th Illinois and 52nd Ohio. The attack commences under artillery fire, with vivid accounts from soldiers like James Holmes of the 52nd Ohio, who describes the increasing enemy musketry. The column advances across marshy ground, takes casualties including Corporal Isaac Newton Wyckoff, and eventually collapses into a disorganized mass close to the Confederate works. The episode provides multiple perspectives, including Confederate views from soldiers like J.D. Bowden of the 12th Tennessee. A key moment is the wounding and subsequent death of Colonel Dan McCook Jr., with conflicting accounts of his actions. After McCook falls and command shifts, the Federals discover a rise of ground providing shelter due to the Confederate line's placement. They dig in there, a rare post-assault entrenchment. The episode ends with hosts noting this outcome was unplanned, a book recommendation for 'Kennesaw Mountain, June 1864,' and a teaser for the next episode on Mitchell's brigade.

As heard by us

A tight battlefield walk-through that turns one assault into a vivid study of collapse.

This episode narrows the Atlanta Campaign to the Dead Angle at Kennesaw Mountain, staying close to the ground as McCook's brigade climbs into heavy artillery and musket fire.

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Why you'd press play

Follow one assault up Kennesaw Mountain and watch the line break.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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