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Where to Remember the Battle of Atlanta, 150 Years Later

By Kimberly Turner
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By Kimberly Turner
2 comments / new

Today, July 22, 2014, marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Atlanta. While the city managed to survive (to some extent) until it was burned to the ground in September by Sherman's troops, the battle was a turning point in the Civil War and changed our city forever. Atlanta, always the phoenix, continues to reinvent itself atop its own ashes, even today, so sometimes we have to dig a little deeper than other cities when we want to walk through history. The battlefields where lives were lost, the hills where troops were watched with tired eyes and the buildings where history-altering strategies were hatched are now beneath highways, schools, shops and houses. Here's how to find them.


Emory's Center for Digital Scholarship has also created a worthy smartphone friendly tour of the sites for the tech savvy, and Roadside Georgia provides helpful driving instructions.

["Beginning of the Battle" marker and Fort Walker marker images via CivilWarMarkers.com. Major General Walker, General McPherson markers and Troup-Hurt House site via Google Maps. Atlanta Cyclorama, General Hood, General Sherman, battlefield image via Wikimedia Commons.]

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Sherman's HQ

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The area that is now the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library was once the August Hurt House, General William Sherman's headquarters during the Battle of Atlanta.

441 Freedom Pkwy NE, Atlanta, GA 30307
(404) 865-7100
(404) 865-7100

General Hood's vantage point

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Confederate General John Bell Hood used part of what is now Oakland Cemetery as his vantage point during the battle.

248 Oakland Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30312

Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum

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Today is the perfect day to visit Cyclorama. See the stunning 42 foot by 358 foot painting of the Battle of Atlanta while listening to a narration of its dramatic events.

800 Cherokee Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30315
(404) 658-7625
(404) 658-7625

Monument to General McPherson

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A cannon pointing skyward marks the spot where Union General James McPherson was killed.

1408 McPherson Avenue Southeast, Atlanta, GA 30316

Leggett's Hill

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While the hill, once called Bald Hill then renamed Leggett's Hill in honor of the division commander who took it, was flattened during I-20 construction, its significance remains. Some of the battle's most intense fighting occurred there and its loss was devastating for the Confederate troops.

Leggetts Hill, Atlanta, GA 30316

Troup-Hurt House Site

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The Troup-Hurt House saw intense battles and is the vantage point from which the Cyclorama painting was created. In its place now sits a 1907 church that has been converted into a home.

Atlanta, GA 30307

Fort Walker

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At the time of the battle, Atlanta was surrounded by 12 miles of defensive forts. The only remnants of this great (but ultimately ineffective) defense system are located in Fort Walker.

602 Atlanta Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30312

Major General Walker Monument

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Just prior to the start of the Battle of Atlanta, Confederate Major General William H.T. Walker was mortally wounded at this spot, which now features a cannon memorial similar to that used to commemorate General McPherson.

Glenwood Triangle, Atlanta, GA 30317

Where It Started

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On an unassuming residential street just off Memorial stands a plaque indicating the spot where the bloody battle began just after noon 150 years ago.

Clay St, Atlanta, GA 30316

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Sherman's HQ

441 Freedom Pkwy NE, Atlanta, GA 30307

The area that is now the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library was once the August Hurt House, General William Sherman's headquarters during the Battle of Atlanta.

441 Freedom Pkwy NE, Atlanta, GA 30307
(404) 865-7100
(404) 865-7100

General Hood's vantage point

248 Oakland Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30312

Confederate General John Bell Hood used part of what is now Oakland Cemetery as his vantage point during the battle.

248 Oakland Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30312

Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum

800 Cherokee Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30315

Today is the perfect day to visit Cyclorama. See the stunning 42 foot by 358 foot painting of the Battle of Atlanta while listening to a narration of its dramatic events.

800 Cherokee Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30315
(404) 658-7625
(404) 658-7625

Monument to General McPherson

1408 McPherson Avenue Southeast, Atlanta, GA 30316

A cannon pointing skyward marks the spot where Union General James McPherson was killed.

1408 McPherson Avenue Southeast, Atlanta, GA 30316

Leggett's Hill

Leggetts Hill, Atlanta, GA 30316

While the hill, once called Bald Hill then renamed Leggett's Hill in honor of the division commander who took it, was flattened during I-20 construction, its significance remains. Some of the battle's most intense fighting occurred there and its loss was devastating for the Confederate troops.

Leggetts Hill, Atlanta, GA 30316

Troup-Hurt House Site

Atlanta, GA 30307

The Troup-Hurt House saw intense battles and is the vantage point from which the Cyclorama painting was created. In its place now sits a 1907 church that has been converted into a home.

Atlanta, GA 30307

Fort Walker

602 Atlanta Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30312

At the time of the battle, Atlanta was surrounded by 12 miles of defensive forts. The only remnants of this great (but ultimately ineffective) defense system are located in Fort Walker.

602 Atlanta Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30312

Major General Walker Monument

Glenwood Triangle, Atlanta, GA 30317

Just prior to the start of the Battle of Atlanta, Confederate Major General William H.T. Walker was mortally wounded at this spot, which now features a cannon memorial similar to that used to commemorate General McPherson.

Glenwood Triangle, Atlanta, GA 30317

Where It Started

Clay St, Atlanta, GA 30316

On an unassuming residential street just off Memorial stands a plaque indicating the spot where the bloody battle began just after noon 150 years ago.

Clay St, Atlanta, GA 30316