Sweeny's March South

The second of the two markers that triggered this interest in the local historical markers.

Text of the Marker - Verbatim, but translated by me without all the abbreviations.
July 22, 1864. Sweeny's 16th Army Corps division, ordered to support the left of the Federal line in East Atlanta, was shifted from its camp of the previous night, north of the Georgia railroad. It marched south on the Clay road (now Clay street).
These troops had been ordered to destroy the railroad back to Decatur but McPherson requested them as reinforcement to his left, since his cavalry (Garrard's) had been sent eastward.
Passing the Jesse Clay plantation, near this point, Sweeny's troops moved south to the present intersection of Memorial drive, where they halted for further instructions - at the fateful moment of Hardee's surprise attack.

Georgia Historic Marker Number 044-31 Erected 1956

Location: Clay Street at Hosea Williams Drive
GPS:
Visited: June 28, 2008

The second marker is occurs three days after the first marker. And the movement is south, not west. Decatur is still occupied by the Union troops and Atlanta is still under siege. This marker is on Clay street instead of Hosea Williams street (used to be Boulevard?) and therefore, I could not read the title when I passed it twice a day. I could see the Wheeler Delays Blair title of the first marker. Once I took a picture of this marker, I connected the name Sweeny with another marker that I had forgotten. It was over in Candler Park and was Sweeny Div. Encamped.
I also realized that Memorial drive was the next major road south and that there must be a marker there as well since some sort of battle occurred between Sweeny's and Hardee's men. Therefore, first I would go to Clay street and Memorial drive, then I would go over to Candler park for that marker, and then maybe I would scout out some markers on DeKalb avenue near the railroad, specifically Noon Under The Trees.

So this marker has the Union shifting troops south to cover their left flank. Obviously the entire city was not encircled. Some supply lines must have remained open for the Confederates in the city. The Decatur line was straddled by Union troops who were laboring to destroy the railroad tracks. The northern line was controlled by Union troops and, I would think, used for their own supply line. The outcome of the Battle of Atlanta was not a given at this point. It doesn't seem that the Union forces were large enough to conclude that the city should be surrendered. From Chattanooga up to this point, it seems that the Confederates were fighting a delaying tactic. In reality, the Union was using flanking maneuvers in order to avoid a direct fight. Other than the battle at Kennesaw Mountain, which ended by the Union using a flanking maneuver, this flanking and delaying seems to have seen its end here at the siege of Atlanta. From the time that Blair moved westward it seems that the Confederates have come to the battle at last.