In late September following the fall of Atlanta, CS General Hood headed north, striking the Federals' supply line, the Western & Atlantic Railroad, and the small garrisons that guarded it. At Allatoona on October 5 the garrison held out in a fierce contest. Hood bypassed Resaca because its fortifications were too strong and marched on to Dalton. On October 15 US General Schofield barely escaped by rail before the Confederates surrounded the town. CS Major General William Bate's soldiers captured the garrison, 751 men of the U. S. 44th Colored Infantry commanded by US Colonel Lewis Johnson. They paroled the officers and returned some of the African American soldiers to slavery. Hood headed into Alabama to prepare for his march toward Franklin and Nashville. US General Sherman gave US General Thomas the responsibility for stopping Hood in Tennessee. As soon as he obtained US Lieutenant General Grant's approval, Sherman returned to Atlanta to begin his March to the Sea.
