What was the Battle of Allatoona Pass?

The Battle of Allatoona Pass was the first major engagement of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign during the Civil War. The battle was fought on October 5, 1864, shortly after the burning of Atlanta. Threatened by the Union’s bold advances on the Confederacy, Lieutenant General John Bell Hood ordered the Confederate Army of Tennessee northward to threaten Major General William T. Sherman’s supply chain on the Western and Atlantic Railroad.

Under General Hood’s suggestion, Lieutenant General Alexander P. Stewart selected General Samuel G. French’s division to lead an attack on a supply base called Star Fort in the Allatoona Pass. French and his men approached the garrison in the early morning hours of October 5. At 7:00 am, they launched an attack on the Union fortifications, using eleven Confederate-manufactured Napoleon guns.

After two hours of fire, General French sent word across Union lines, requesting the fort’s commander, Brigadier General John M. Corse, to surrender. French’s message was recorded as follows:

“I have placed the forces under my command in such positions that you are surrounded, and to avoid a needless effusion of blood I call on you to surrender your forces at once, and unconditionally.

Five minutes shall be allowed you to decide. Should you accede to this, you will be treated in the most honorable manner as prisoners of war.”

Despite his five-minute allowance, General Corse responded back immediately:

“Your communication demanding surrender of my command I acknowledge receipt of, and respectfully reply that we are ready for the “needless effusion of blood” whenever it is agreeable to you.”

Upon receiving Corse’s rejection of surrender, French launched a second two-hour long attack on the fortifications, this time approaching with brigades surrounding the main fort from the North and the West. Just as Union surrender seemed inevitable, French’s cavalry scouts arrived, with news of Union support approaching the Allatoona Pass from Acworth, Georgia.

French called a ceasefire, withdrawing his forces from the Allatoona Pass before the Union support had a chance to arrive on the scene. In total, the Union suffered 706 casualties during the battle, while the Confederacy had 897. General Corse sustained an injury during the battle, but was fortunately able

to recover. He sent word to General Sherman the next day, saying “I am short a cheekbone and one ear, but am able to whip all hell yet.” The Battle of Allatoona Pass has gone down in history as one of the most notorious battles of the entire American Civil War. The Union’s dedication to protecting the fort along with General Sherman’s message of encouragement to his soldiers inspired the famous religious hymn, “Hold the Fort” written by Chicago Evangelist Phillip P. Bliss, featuring the line, “hold the fort, for I am coming.”