Atlanta fell on September 2nd and such was the importance of taking the city that Lincoln ordered a day of national rejoicing on September 5th 1864. It is what happened in Atlanta itself that remains one of the most controversial incidents of the American Civil War.

Sherman ordered all civilians to leave. He ordered that any building that was of no use to the military should be destroyed. He also ordered that private residences and churches to be spared. Grant encouraged Sherman to continue being aggressive.