Today in History - August 31, 2022

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Published on August 31, 2022 3:00:29 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkdQBVXHLAU

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On this day, the American Civil War saw a decisive battle which led to the fall of one of the Confederacy’s most important cities. Today in 1864, Union and Confederate forces squared off near Jonesborough, a key strategic point just south of Atlanta. Union forces under William Tecumseh Sherman repulsed a Confederate attack led by William J. Hardee, but the truly vital moment occurred when Sherman used the chaos of the battle to send troops further south and destroy the last railroad connection to Atlanta while the Confederates were distracted. With their supplies cut off, the Confederates were forced to abandon Atlanta the following day, a major strategic and political victory for the Union and a vindication of Sherman’s scorched earth tactics, which focused on destroying the enemy’s capacity for war rather than directly destroying the enemy's army.