A close analysis of one of the bloodier days of Sherman's campaign on Georgia in 1864, Hess puts this assault in context by suggesting that Sherman's generally careful conduct of the campaign was trumped by a felt need to keep the pressure on the Confederate Army of Tennessee and discourage the transfer of troops to reinforce Robert E. Lee in Virginia. Arguably Joseph E. Johnston's finest moment of the 1864 campaigning season, it was still not enough to justify his delaying strategy in Richmond and did not avert Johnston's removal in favor of John Bell Hood.

Besides the tactical and operational overview, Hess also spends a great deal of time on how fortifications affected the course of battle; an analysis facilitated by the relatively well-preserved condition of the battlefield today. ( )