<P> By late October Captain Grant had nearly completed his encirclement of Atlanta and the number of forts had risen to seventeen . Of the seventeen planned forts, thirteen had been completed . Due to topographical features of the land and the manning requirements for the fortifications, Grant's design had, by necessity, left Atlanta within artillery range . The section of the line protecting the north west approach to Atlanta was inside the city limits . To help protect this area, an additional string of forts was constructed further out from the city . A report from Captain Grant to Gen. Wright places the length of the fortifications at 10 1⁄2 miles and requiring about 55,000 troops to fully man the line . </P> <P> In addition to the fortifications surrounding Atlanta, the local militia was reorganized by Brig. Gen. M.J. Wright during March 1864 . The militia was "composed exclusively of detailed soldiers and exempts, all those liable to conscription". The total strength was 534 men . </P> <P> In 1864, as feared by Jeremy F. Gilmer, Atlanta did indeed become the target of a major Union invasion . The area now covered by metropolitan Atlanta was the scene of several fiercely contested battles, including the Battle of Peachtree Creek, the Battle of Atlanta, Battle of Ezra Church and the Battle of Jonesboro . On September 1, 1864, Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood evacuated Atlanta, after a five - week siege mounted by Union Gen. William Sherman, and ordered all public buildings and possible Confederate assets destroyed . </P> <P> In the spring of 1864, the Confederate Army of Tennessee, commanded by General Joseph E. Johnston, was entrenched near the city of Dalton, Georgia . In early May, 1864, Union forces under the command of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman began the Atlanta Campaign . By early July the Confederate forces had been forced back to the outskirts of Atlanta . Both the Union and Confederate forces used the Western & Atlantic Railroad to supply their troops . </P>

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