Episode 56: CPT Charles W. Wills and the 103rd Illinois at the Battle of Atlanta

At the Battle of Atlanta, 22 July 1864, CPT Charles W. Wills and the 103^rd Illinois occupied recently vacated Confederate trenches, and believed the way was open to seize the city. As they got to work “turning the trenches” the Illinoisans heard tremendous firing on the left flank and rear of the Army of the Tennessee. As CPT Wills listened, he spotted a line of grey troops emerge from the woodline behind them.

Sources used for this episode:

Kellogg, Mary E. Army Life of an Illinois Soldier, Including a Day by Day Record of Sherman’s March to the Sea; Letters and Diary of the Late Charles W. Wills. Globe Printing Company, 1906. https://archive.org/details/armylifeofillino00willilli/page/n4/mode/1up.

Davis, George B., Perry, Leslie J., and Kirkely, Joseph W. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. ser. 1, vol. 38, pt. 3: Reports. Government Printing Office, 1891. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077722993&view=1up&seq=3.