Order of battle
- night of July 21–22 to dawnHardee's four divisions and Wheeler's cavalry marched 15 miles out the McDonough road and around by the Fayetteville road. They halted at Cobb's Mill at dawn for guides: William Cobb rode with Cleburne and Maney, and his miller Case Turner with Walker and Bate. Govan's brigade drew twenty extra rounds and advanced at 11:40 a.m.
Units: CS Hardee's corps: Cleburne, Maney (Cheatham's old div), Walker, Bate; Wheeler's cavalry corps 123 - about noonWalker was killed by a Federal picket while reconnoitering near the upper end of Terry's mill pond, and Mercer took the division into the Sugar Creek valley. Bate's division crossed the upper pond under artillery fire, formed east of the creek, and swung west against Rice's brigade on the Murphy High School hill and along the old Clay Rd. Dodge's XVI Corps, caught on the march, faced about and repulsed both divisions.
Units: CS Walker's div (Mercer), Bate's div (Lewis's Kentucky 'Orphan' bde, Tyler's and Finley's bdes: Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky troops). US XVI Corps (Dodge): Sweeny's 2nd Div (Rice's, Mersy's bdes), Fuller's 4th Div (Morrill's bde only) 456 - about 12:45–1 p.m.Cleburne (on and east of Flat Shoals Rd) and Maney (west of it) struck Giles Smith's XVII Corps division at the hook where its line turned east at Glenwood, from front and rear. Govan's Arkansans reported the fight began at 1 p.m. and took a six-gun Napoleon battery and two guns on the road; the 16th Iowa was largely captured. Cleburne's men took eight guns of the 2nd Illinois and 2nd U.S. artillery in all.
Units: CS Cleburne's div (Govan, J.A. Smith's Texas, Lowrey), Maney's div. US Giles A. Smith's 4th Div, XVII Corps (incl. 16th Iowa); Battery F, 2nd U.S.; 2nd Illinois guns 789 - about 2 p.m.Riding from his observation point on today's Memorial Dr toward the XVII Corps' left, McPherson was shot by skirmishers of Smith's Texas brigade. Morrill's brigade, turned to face Walker from the southeast, was hit on its right by Govan and Smith and forced to change front repeatedly. The 64th Illinois drove the Texans back long enough to recover McPherson's body.
Units: CS J.A. Smith's (Granbury's) Texas bde, Govan's bde. US Morrill's bde, Fuller's div (64th Ill.) 101112 - about 1–4 p.m.Decatur: Wheeler's dismounted cavalry, deployed south of the railroad, drove Sprague's brigade and sections of the Chicago Board of Trade and Michigan batteries back through the courthouse square. Sprague withdrew with McPherson's wagon trains to the North Decatur road, and Wheeler, recalled by Hardee, did not pursue.
Units: CS Wheeler's cavalry. US Sprague's bde, XVI Corps (25th Wis., 35th N.J., 43rd & 63rd Ohio); artillery sections 131415 - about 2 p.m. to darkAttacked in front by Maney and in rear by Cleburne, Giles Smith's men fought from both sides of their works, then withdrew to the south slope of Leggett's Hill and formed a new line east from Leggett's division. Stevenson's division came out from the city works to join. Repeated front, flank and rear attacks by the three divisions failed to take the hill.
Units: CS Maney, Cleburne (Hardee); Stevenson (Cheatham). US Leggett's 3rd Div (Force's bde and others), Giles A. Smith's 4th Div, XVII Corps 1617 - 3:30 p.m.Hood, watching from the James E. Williams house (now in Oakland Cemetery), launched Brown's and Clayton's divisions of Cheatham's corps from the city's east works astride the Georgia Railroad against Logan's XV Corps at today's DeGress Ave.
Units: CS Cheatham's corps: Brown's div (Manigault, Sharp, Coltart, Benton), Clayton's div (Stovall, Baker/Higley, Gibson, Holtzclaw). US XV Corps (Logan): M.L. Smith's div (Lightburn N, Martin S of the railroad), Harrow's div (Williams, Oliver), Woods's div (on Copenhill) 1819 - about 4 p.m.Manigault's brigade, slowed by the Pope house and its outbuildings, broke through at the unguarded railroad cut; the 10th and 19th South Carolina and 28th Alabama seized the batteries there and then DeGress's four 20-pounder Parrotts. Benton's and Coltart's brigades drove Williams's and Oliver's brigades from their works. Four Federal brigades were displaced on a half-mile front.
Units: CS Manigault's bde (10th & 19th S.C., 28th Ala.), Benton's & Coltart's bdes. US Lightburn's & Martin's bdes; Battery H, 1st Ill. (DeGress); Williams's & Oliver's bdes 202122 - about 4:30–5 p.m.Sherman, with Howard and Schofield at the Augustus Hurt house, brought artillery to bear. Woods's division struck Manigault's flank across the Clear Creek gap, and Lightburn and Martin, with Mersy's XVI Corps brigade brought from south of the railroad, counterattacked. The line and DeGress's spiked guns were recovered, and Baker's brigade withdrew.
Units: US Woods's div, Lightburn's & Martin's bdes (XV Corps), Mersy's bde (XVI Corps); artillery at the Augustus Hurt house. CS Manigault's, Baker's bdes 232425 - resultUnion losses were 3,521 (Logan, July 24), 3,641 (NPS) or 3,722 (Sherman's report), and McPherson was killed. Confederate losses were about 5,500 (NGE; Hess) up to 8,499 (NPS); Logan's claim of 'at least 10,000' is not credible. Federal counts included 3,220 Confederate dead buried or handed over, 1,017 prisoners and 18 flags; the Confederates took 10 (Logan) to 12 (NGE) guns.
Units: Both armies 262728