Battle of Pickett's Mill
The Battle of Pickett's Mill was fought on May 27, 1864, in Paulding County, Georgia, during the American Civil War between Union and Confederate forces. Union Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman attempted an attack on the right flank of Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston.
Battle
After the Union defeat at New Hope Church, Sherman ordered Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard to attack Johnston's seemingly exposed right flank. The Confederates were ready for the attack, which did not unfold as planned because supporting troops never appeared. The Confederates repulsed the attack causing high casualties.[2][3]
Author Ambrose Bierce fought for the Union at Pickett's Mill as a topographical engineer under William Babcock Hazen. Bierce's short story "The Crime at Pickett's Mill" is about this battle.[4]
Bierce reported that the battle took about 45 minutes; that the total loss was 1,400 men; one-half were killed and wounded in Hazen's brigade in 30 minutes of actual fighting.
Battlefield
The address of Pickett's Mill Battlefield Historic Site is 4432 Mt. Tabor Church Rd, Dallas, Georgia 30157. It is now preserved as a Georgia state park and includes roads used by Union and Confederate troops, earthwork battlements, and an 1800s era pioneer cabin. The area's ravine is a site where hundreds died.
References
- North Georgia History page
- National Park Service battle description
- "Pickett's Mill Battlefield Historic Site". Georgia State Parks. Archived from the original on 20 August 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
- "The Crime at Pickett's Mill". The University of Adelaide. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
External links
- Pickett's Mill at Civil War Virtual Tours
- Battle of Pickett's Mill
- Paulding County Historical Society & Museum
- Pickett's Mill Battlefield Historic Site photos from GeorgiaInfo: an Online Georgia Almanac
- The Ambrose Bierce Project
- The Crime at Pickett's Mill by Ambrose Bierce.