The Battle of Kolb's Farm (June 22, 1864) saw a Confederate corps under Lieutenant General John B. Hood attack parts of two Union corps under Major Generals Joseph Hooker and John Schofield. This action was part of the Atlanta campaign of the American Civil War fought between the Confederate Army of Tennessee led by General Joseph E. Johnston and Union forces commanded by Major General William Tecumseh Sherman. Hood believed that he had an opportunity to inflict a defeat on the Union forces in front of his corps and ordered an assault. However, Hooker's and Schofield's troops were deployed in good positions and they repulsed Hood's soldiers with serious losses.
After Hooker made his battle report, a dispute arose between him and Sherman. This was caused by an exaggerated claim made by Hooker and a probable misunderstanding on Sherman's part. Already there was mistrust between the two generals and the dispute only made relations worse. Though the Union won a tactical victory at Kolb's Farm, Sherman's maneuver to turn the Confederate left flank appeared to be blocked. Frustrated in his attempts to outflank Johnston's army, Sherman ordered a frontal assault five days later.
Background
Union Army
General-in-chief of the Union Army Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant ordered Sherman, "to move against Johnston's army, to break it up, and to get into the interior of the enemy's country as far as you can, inflicting all the damage you can against their war resources".
Sherman commanded elements of three armies. The Army of the Cumberland under Major General George H. Thomas was made up of the IV Corps led by Major General Oliver Otis Howard, the XIV Corps under Major General John M. Palmer, the XX Corps commanded by Major General Joseph Hooker, and three cavalry divisions led by Brigadier Generals Edward M. McCook, Kenner Garrard, and Hugh Judson Kilpatrick. The Army of the Tennessee led by Major General James B. McPherson included the XV Corps under Major General John A. Logan, the Left Wing of the XVI Corps under Major General Grenville M. Dodge, and the XVII Corps under Major General Francis Preston Blair Jr. The Army of the Ohio commanded by Major General John Schofield consisted of the XXIII Corps under Schofield and a cavalry division commanded by Major General George Stoneman.
Sherman began his campaign with almost 100,000 men, including Thomas' 60,000 and 130 guns, McPherson's 25,000 and 96 guns, and Schofield's 14,000 men and 28 guns. Through the fighting near Dallas, Sherman lost 12,000 casualties, but was reinforced by the fresh XVII Corps at that time.
Confederate Army
Johnston's Army of Tennessee began the campaign with two infantry corps led by Lieutenant Generals William J. Hardee and John Bell Hood, and a cavalry corps under Major General Joseph Wheeler. The army was soon reinforced from the Army of Mississippi by the corps of Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk and the cavalry division of Brigadier General William Hicks Jackson.
Polk was killed at Pine Mountain on June 14 and temporarily replaced by Major General William Wing Loring. Hardee's corps included the divisions of Major Generals William B. Bate, Benjamin F. Cheatham, Patrick Cleburne, and William H. T. Walker. Hood's corps comprised the divisions of Major Generals Thomas C. Hindman, Carter L. Stevenson, and Alexander P. Stewart. Polk's corps was made up of the divisions of Major Generals Edward C. Walthall and Samuel Gibbs French, and Brigadier General Winfield S. Featherston.
As recently as the Battle of Cassville on May 19, the Confederate army had numbered 70,000–74,000 troops. Since then, Johnston's army sustained about 3,000 casualties in the fighting near Dallas.
Previous operations
The Atlanta campaign began on May 7, 1864, when Sherman's forces began to advance. Sherman sent McPherson's army on a wide swing to the west while the armies under Thomas and Schofield pressed Johnston's defenses frontally. After the Battle of Rocky Face Ridge, Johnston withdrew from the Dalton position. The Battle of Resaca occurred on May 13–16, after which Johnston retreated again.
After a skirmish at Adairsville, Johnston tried to set a trap for Sherman's forces, which were advancing on a broad front. At the Battle of Cassville on May 19, Johnston's attempted counterstroke miscarried and the Confederate army withdrew the next day. Since the Confederate defenses at Allatoona Pass were too strong, Sherman tried to turn Johnston's position by a wide sweep to the west. This resulted in a series of actions in late May known as the battles of New Hope Church, Pickett's Mill, and Dallas. The Union forces then shifted to the east and finally forced Johnston to order another retreat.
In mid-June, a series of actions took place near Gilgal Church and Pine Mountain, after which Johnston fell back to Kennesaw Mountain.
Kennesaw
Kennesaw Mountain represented the key to the Confederate defenses. The railroad coming from the north veered to the northeast past Kennesaw's northern end, then turned south before reaching Marietta.
The mountain ridge runs northeast to southwest with three notable features. These are Big Kennesaw, which stands 691 ft (211 m) above the surrounding terrain at the northeast end, Little Kennesaw with its nearly 400 ft (122 m) summit, and Pigeon Hill with its 200 ft (61 m) height at the southwest end. From Big Kennesaw's dominating summit, any daytime movements by the Union forces could be immediately observed. Kennesaw Mountain was probably a stronger position than Rocky Face Ridge and Allatoona Pass.
Hood's corps held the Confederate right flank east of Kennesaw Mountain and north of Marietta. Loring's corps held the mountain in the center, with Featherston's division on the right, Walthall's division in the center, and French's division on the left. Hardee's corps held the left flank, with the divisions of Walker, Bate, Cleburne, and Cheatham deployed from right to left. Hardee's troops were posted behind Noses Creek, which was swollen from the recent heavy rains. In front of the main Confederate defenses was a fortified outpost line. The Confederate infantry defended a 7 mi (11 km) long front. Wheeler's cavalry guarded the right flank while Jackson's cavalry watched the left flank.
On the morning of June 19, Sherman optimistically believed that the Confederates had withdrawn to the Chattahoochie River, but by the day's end he realized that assessment was wrong. McPherson's three corps formed the Federal left wing, with Blair's corps on the extreme left flank. Thomas' army advanced with Palmer's corps on the left, Howard's corps in the center, and Hooker's corps on the right. On the Union right wing, Schofield's corps marched southeast along the Sandtown Road. There was a vigorous cavalry clash on the left between Garrard's division and Wheeler. Hooker was able to cross Noses Creek at a place where the stream curved to the west, and established his corps on the east side of the creek. Schofield reached the place where the road from Powder Springs Church to Marietta spanned Noses Creek, but did not attempt to cross.
Federal cannons took Pigeon Hill under fire, inflicting 35 casualties on French's Missouri brigade, including its commander Brigadier General Francis Cockrell. French responded by having his gun crews drag their cannons up Pigeon Hill.
On June 20, Sherman began extending his right wing toward the south. Howard ordered Brigadier General Thomas J. Wood's division and a brigade from Major General David S. Stanley's division to replace the left flank of Hooker's corps. Brigadier General Alpheus S. Williams's division on Hooker's left shifted to the right flank of the corps. Later, Stanley's other brigades were able to cross to the west bank of Noses Creek. They seized two hills and were counterattacked by Confederates who recaptured one of them.
Stanley's division suffered 250 casualties in the fighting. Since it rained again that day, Sherman decided not to try any attacks until the weather cleared. Brigadier General Jacob Dolson Cox's division of Schofield's corps made a successful crossing of Noses Creek and entrenched on the east side. The constant rain caused many sick soldiers in both Union and Confederate armies to be evacuated to the rear.
Battle
June 21 movements
On June 21, Sherman's army continued shifting to its right. McPherson's Army of the Tennessee relieved part of Thomas' Army of the Cumberland. Palmer's corps replaced Brigadier General John Newton's division of Howard's corps. In turn, Newton's division took over the left flank of Hooker's corps, allowing it to extend to the right. Howard's corps retook the hill previously captured by the Confederates and seized ground which enabled it to advance several hundred yards. Hooker's corps pushed forward at the same time, occupying some hills near Kolb's (also known as Culp's) Farm while maintaining contact with Howard's corps on its left.
Brigadier General Milo S. Hascall's division of Schofield's corps crossed Noses Creek and made contact with the right flank of Hooker's corps. Stoneman's horsemen clashed with Jackson's division on Schofield's right flank.
Johnston noted Sherman's extension of his right wing and decided that Hardee's lines had been stretched almost to their limit. Therefore, he decided to counter it by moving Hood's corps from his right to his left flank. To fill the gap, Johnston ordered Loring to extend his corps to its right and instructed Wheeler to dismount his cavalrymen to man Hood's trenches.
Johnston knew that McPherson might attack his weakened right flank, but all Sherman's recent moves were by the Union right flank. Johnston decided to accept the risk because he felt that his only other alternative was to retreat. In the morning of June 21, Schofield believed that the way to Marietta was unguarded. However, by the evening, Schofield suspected that he was facing substantial opposition. In fact, Hood's corps left its original position in the morning and camped on the Powder Springs road west of Marietta in the evening.
June 22 action
June 22 dawned with clear skies, so Sherman decided to make a major effort to force Johnston to retreat. He ordered Thomas to direct Hooker to move his corps east toward Marietta. Sherman instructed Schofield to advance along the Powder Springs-Marietta road before linking with Hooker's right flank, and to guard the Cheney House where the Sandtown road met the Powder Springs road. Early in the afternoon, Hooker advanced with Major General Daniel Butterfield's division on the left, Brigadier General John W. Geary in the center, and Williams on the right. Soon, Hooker's skirmishers reported that Confederates were ahead and forming for an attack. This information prompted Hooker to order his corps to entrench on a line from Howard's right flank to Kolb's Farm on the Powder Springs-Marietta road. South of the road facing east, Colonel Silas A. Strickland's brigade of Hascall's XXIII Corps division also fortified its position. The rest of Hascall's brigades were to Strickland's right and facing southeast. Farther south was Cox's division guarding the area near Cheney House.
In the Atlanta campaign to date, Hooker's XX Corps suffered 5,000 casualties, more than any other of Sherman's formations, after starting with 20,000 men.
Williams' division was deployed with the brigades of Brigadier Generals Thomas H. Ruger and Joseph F. Knipe on the right and center, and Colonel James S. Robinson's brigade on the left.
Williams sent the 123rd New York Infantry Regiment forward into the woods on a reconnaissance, while Hascall ordered the 14th Kentucky Infantry Regiment on the same mission. Both units pressed forward to positions where they saw large numbers of Confederates massing for an attack, and they reported this information. Hooker twice asked Thomas to reinforce his corps, claiming the "whole rebel army" was in front of him. This prompted Thomas to personally look over the situation. He concluded that the threat was exaggerated, and that Hooker's line was sufficiently strong to defend itself.
On Geary's right there was a hill surrounded by open fields; this was entrenched and crowned with artillery. Small marshy streams ran between Williams' brigades and in the interval between Geary and Williams.
Hascall's division consisted of the brigades of Colonels John McQuiston, William E. Hobson, and Strickland. Schofield, who was with Hascall when the 14th Kentucky's report came in, ordered Cox to leave one brigade at Cheney House and march to Hascall's support. Leaving Colonel James W. Reilly's brigade, Cox marched with the three others, but the action was over before they went very far. They were then placed to the right of Hascall's brigades. Cox's brigades were led by Colonels Daniel Cameron, Richard F. Barter, Robert K. Byrd, and Reilly.