CIVIL WAR AFTERMATH AND RECONSTRUCTION ESSENTIAL THE CIVIL WAR BY SUSAN E HAMEN CONTENT CONSULTANT MARK ELLIOTT PHD UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO
In 1864 the Union army destroyed an estimated 37 percent of Atlanta Georgia
CHAPTER 1 THE FALL OF ATLANTA Smoke rose through the night air in September 1864 as fires consumed homes and businesses in Atlanta Georgia Frightened citizens hurriedly packed what they could carry and fled the city The American Civil War 1861 1865 had been raging for more than three and a half years After a month long siege General William T Sherman and the Union army had finally captured the city of Atlanta All civilians were forced to evacuate For nearly four years Atlanta had provided the Confederate army with many of the supplies it needed for the war The city was a busy railroad hub and the industrial center of the Confederacy General Sherman ordered every building or structure contributing to the Confederate war effort to be burned This included mills
