View source for First Battle of Dalton

{{short description|Battle of the American Civil War}}

{{Infobox military conflict
|conflict=First Battle of Dalton
|partof=the [[American Civil War]]
|image=
|caption=
|date= {{Start date|1864|2|22}} &ndash; {{End date|1864|2|27}}
|place= [[Whitfield County, Georgia]]
|casus= 
|territory=
|result=[[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] victory
|combatant1={{flagicon|USA|1863}} [[United States|United States of America]] ([[Union (American Civil War)|Union]])
|combatant2={{flagicon|CSA|1863}} [[Confederate States of America]]
|combatant3=
|commander1= [[George H. Thomas]]
|commander2= [[Joseph E. Johnston]]
|commander3=
|units1= [[Army of the Cumberland]]
|units2= [[Army of Tennessee]]
|strength1 = 25,000
|strength2 = 40,000
|casualties1= 300
|casualties2= 140
|notes=
}}
{{Campaignbox Demonstration on Dalton}}

The '''First Battle of Dalton''' was a series of [[American Civil War]] skirmishes that took place between February 22 and February 27, 1864,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152618/m1/436/|title=The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, United States|last1=United States|last2=Davis|first2=George B. |display-authors=et al|date=1891|series=Series 1, Volume 32, Part 1 (Reports)|publisher=Government Printing Office|pages=417–484|access-date=August 25, 2016}}</ref> in [[Whitfield County, Georgia|Whitfield County]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]].

==Battle==
[[File:Dalton_I_Battlefield_Georgia.jpg|305px|thumb|right|Map of Dalton I Battlefield core and study areas by the [[American Battlefield Protection Program]].]]
At the suggestion of Union [[Major General#United States|Major General]] [[Ulysses S. Grant and the American Civil War|Ulysses S. Grant]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152633/m1/373/|title=The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies|last1=United States|last2=Davis|first2=George B. |display-authors=et al|date=1891|series=1, Vol. 32, Pt. 2|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|page=373|access-date=August 25, 2016}}</ref> [[Major General#United States|Major General]] [[George H. Thomas]], decided to probe [[Full General (CSA)|General]] [[Joseph E. Johnston]]'s strength to determine if the loss of two full divisions to reinforce [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] forces elsewhere had made the [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] [[Army of Tennessee]] vulnerable to Union attack. On February 22, Thomas began the reconnaissance movement, which consisted of three columns of Union troops. After several days of intense skirmishing, Thomas's army retreated, since it was obvious that Johnston was still capable of repelling a major Union assault. Thomas's force had lost 300 officers and men killed or wounded, against 140 men for the Confederates.

==Battlefield condition==
Much of the battlefield landscape has been compromised by [[Interstate 75 in Georgia|Interstate 75]], development along [[U.S. Route 41 in Georgia|US Route 41]], the growth of the [[Dalton, Georgia|City of Dalton]], and subdivision of the Crow Valley and Tunnel Hill areas.<ref name="NPS-IBP" />

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="NPS-IBP">{{cite web|title=Individual Battle Profiles|url=https://www.nps.gov/abpp/cwsii/GeorgiaBattlefieldProfiles/Adairsville%20to%20Davis%20Cross%20Roads.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122030928/http://www.nps.gov/abpp/CWSII/GeorgiaBattlefieldProfiles/Adairsville%20to%20Davis%20Cross%20Roads.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 22, 2015|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=6 September 2017}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
* [https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-battles-detail.htm?battleCode=ga006 National Park Service battle description]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120907080512/http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/CWSII/GeorgiaBattlefieldProfiles/Adairsville%20to%20Davis%20Cross%20Roads.pdf CWSAC Report Update and Resurvey: Individual Battlefield Profiles]
*[http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-dalton-georgia-begins History.com]
*[http://www.daltondailycitizen.com/news/local_news/civil-war-anniversary-the-battles-for-dalton-feb--/article_570f0d57-60c1-54e1-bcba-a9796657e1aa.html Jenkins, Robert, "Civil War anniversary: The Battles for Dalton Feb. 24-26 and May 7-12, 1864," 150th Civil War Commission, ''The Daily Citizen.'']
*[https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152618/ ''The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies.'' Series 1, v.32, pt.1 (Reports)]
{{Coord|34.8031|-85.0124|display=title|type:event_region:US-GA}}
{{Georgia in the Civil War}}
{{American Civil War |expanded=CTCBS}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dalton I, Battle Of}}
[[Category:Battles of the Western Theater of the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Confederate victories of the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Battles of the American Civil War in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Whitfield County, Georgia|Battle of Dalton I]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1864]]
[[Category:1864 in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:February 1864]]


{{AmericanCivilWar-battle-stub}}