The Battle of Rocky Face Ridge, fought May 7-13, 1864, opened the Atlanta Campaign in Whitfield County, Georgia. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston entrenched his Confederate Army of Tennessee along the steep ridge, and Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman demonstrated against the strong position at Mill Creek Gap (Buzzard Roost) and Dug Gap while sending Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson's column south through Snake Creek Gap toward the railroad at Resaca. The flanking threat forced Johnston to abandon the ridge, yielding a Union victory at a cost of about 837 Union and 600 Confederate casualties; since 2016 the American Battlefield Trust and partners have preserved more than 300 acres of the battlefield.
About this site
Rocky Face Ridge is a battlefield in Whitfield County, Georgia. It is one of 3 battlefields documented in Whitfield County, among 106 historic sites cataloged across the county on Georgia Roam.
The site sits at 34.7889, -85.0299. The nearest cataloged historic site is Rocky Face Cemetery (cemetery), about 0.6 miles away. Others within a short drive include Stony Point Cemetery, Mill Creek Gap, and Battle of Mill Creek Gap.
This record is drawn from the National Park Service. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
The Battle of Rocky Face Ridge, fought May 7-13, 1864, opened the Atlanta Campaign in Whitfield County, Georgia. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston entrenched his Confederate Army of Tennessee along the steep ridge, and Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman demonstrated against the strong position at Mill Creek Gap (Buzzard Roost) and Dug Gap while sending Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson's column south through Snake Creek Gap toward the railroad at Resaca. The flanking threat forced Johnston to abandon the ridge, yielding a Union victory at a cost of about 837 Union and 600 Confederate casualties; since 2016 the American Battlefield Trust and partners have preserved more than 300 acres of the battlefield.
Get Georgia Roam — 12,000+ historic sites in your pocket
See this site and every marker, cemetery, courthouse, museum, battlefield and landmark across Georgia on one live map — find what's near you, get directions, and collect sites as you roam.
Georgia
