On September 1, 1864 fires and explosions broke 
out at night around Atlanta's railroad depot and 
yards. The Cofederates had fled the city. Hood, 
fearing a direct attack on the city, evacuated, 
beginning in the late afternoon. Time did not 
remain to remove the extensive munitions and 
other supplies, so they went up in flames with 
a great deal of railroad equipment.

Atlanta had fallen! On September 2 the first 
Union forces entered the city (see entry #24). 

Sherman wired Lincoln:

        "Atlanta is ours and fairly won."
------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------

Atlanta  gorgia               Sept the 11   /64

igot a leter from father wat was maled on the 30 
of last month  ihad bin Sick and had a bad Cold 
was the mater with me  that hat and hanchief igot 
and lost the hat in the Charge at Rough and Ready 
Station near Jonesborough William Earnest is 
Still a Prisner they was taken last month near a 
litle town called Rossville him and a nother out 
of his Company they wer out after Roasten Ears 
and they went in a house and the Rebs Came up on 
them and took them Prisner  the Rebs had to leave 
atlanta  they burnd 4 ingines and 90 cars loaded 
with amunition i think till next Spring that the 
war will be over  i told father if the oats is 
one Dolar a bushel iwould Sell it and the hay to 
i think that we will git Paid before long then 
iwill git over one hundard Dolars but they ar a 
long time in Paying

-------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------

End notes:

Rough and Ready Station is north of Atlanta. 
There, on August 31, the union Army cut the 
Macon and Western Railroad between Jonesboro 
and Atlanta after some hard fighting.

"Roasten Ears" is corn on the cob.

The burning of the rail yards is a big scene 
in the movie classic, "Gone With the Wind."