Under orders from President Davis, on July 17, 1864, General Joseph E. Johnston, the masterful tactician and soldier, relinquished command of the Army of Tennessee. To succeed him, General John B. Hood, one of his corps commanders, an intrepid fighter, was appointed. The transfer of command was formerly made on July 18, at a point on the Marietta Road, near the city limits. When Hood assumed command of the Army of Tennessee, its numerical strength, according to the General's official report, was: Infantry 33,750, Artillery 3,500, Calvary 10,000, which, with 1,500 Georgia militia, made a total of 48,500 men.
Opposed to him, at the Gates of Atlanta, and Sherman´s monster force of invasion, a triple army, subdivided as follows: the Army of the Tennessee, under McPherson, the Army of the Cumberland, under Thomas, and the Army of the Ohio, under Schofield. It strength, at the beginning of the summer, according to Union authorities, was 100,000; and deducting losses sustained during the march from Dalton to Atlanta, it was still nearly twice the size of Hood's, and was commanded by veteran leaders.
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