Atlanta Falls

Atlanta Falls

Atlanta Falls
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	high interest, readability grades 4 to 6
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	5.92

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		ammunition, retreat, cavalry, army, victory, easily, civilian, defeat, attack, supplies, presidential, siege, battle, move, lines, delay
	content words:		General William Sherman, Defending Atlanta, General Joseph Johnston, Jefferson Davis, James Hood, In August, President Abraham Lincoln, When Sherman, In November

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Atlanta Falls
By Cathy Pearl

¹     In 1864, General William Sherman started to move his army farther south toward Atlanta. This city was important to the South. If the North could capture this city, it would weaken the Confederate army.

²     Sherman was moving south to attack Atlanta. He wanted the army to try to stop him. If the armies fought, Sherman was sure that he could destroy the Southern army. If no one could stop him, Sherman would take Atlanta.

³     Defending Atlanta was General Joseph Johnston. He knew that he did not have enough men or supplies to defeat Sherman. Instead, Johnston wanted to delay Sherman from reaching Atlanta. He hoped to hold him off until after November. Johnston was hoping Lincoln would lose reelection. He then hoped the new president would be willing to talk about peace and end the war.

⁴     Johnston tried as hard as he could. But the Union army kept forcing him back. By the middle of July, Sherman was only a few miles from Atlanta. The president of the South, Jefferson Davis, was not happy with Johnston's plan. He replaced Johnston with another general, James Hood.

⁵     This new general gave Sherman just what he wanted. He attacked. Each attack cost the Confederates more soldiers. These were soldiers that the South could not replace. Hood's army started at more than 60,000. After these attacks, it was down to about 45,000. Hood was forced to retreat to Atlanta.

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