As he pulled back along the railroad from Dalton, Johnston was relieved to find Gen. Leonidas Polk waiting for him at Resaca with an additional 10,000 more men. The Confederates filed into the Resaca entrenchments with Hood on the right, facing north and anchored on the railroad and the Oostanaula River, Hardee in the center, and Polk on the left, anchored on the river bridges at Resaca. Forming a "horseshoe", the line was extremely strong. Sherman's troops, arriving from Snake Creek Gap and from Dalton, arrayed themselves to conform with Johnston's fortifications. On the afternoon of May 14, the Federals splashed across Camp Creek to their front and assailed the Confederate trenches. McPherson had some success in pushing Polk out of his outer works, and the Federals began to shell the river bridges from their new vantage point. Union attacks elsewhere on the line in the center and where it turned east were met with bloody repulses. At 3:30pm Hood unleashed a massive counterattack on Sherman's extreme left flank, rolling up Thomas' lines, but Sherman was able to plug the gap with reinforcements and Hood was forced back into his trenches. At noon on the following day, Schofield and Thomas attempted an assault on Hood's positions but the attack was as unsuccessful as the previous day's had been. Meanwhile, Federal cavalry had found a ford to the south that would allow the army to move around Johnston's flank and threaten his railroad lifeline in the rear. McPherson's troops moved across Lay's Ferry west of Calhoun on May 15 and Johnston was forced to abandon Resaca.

(10-02) Enlarge Sign near Nance Springs, a few miles north of Resaca
 
Engraving (Resaca battle scene)

(10-02) At Hood's line .5 miles south of Stanley's position
 
Battle of Resaca Marker 1     Marker 2

(10-02) About 1 mile east of US 41-GA 3 along Hood's lines
 
Panorama (360 of site described by the waysign above)
Site Marker (Battle of Resaca)