Grant's plan expected William T. Sherman to drive against the Confederate right while George Thomas demonstrated in the center and Joseph Hooker diverted attention on the other flank. Sherman committed only four brigades in separate attacks and made no decisive headway, despite Union advantages in numbers and artillery. The proposed alternative is mass and speed rather than a complicated succession of limited blows, although this is explicitly a naval historian's judgment from maps and images. Grant therefore turned to Thomas, and the breakthrough came from a supporting movement rather than the designated main effort.
Notable Point · 1:09:19-1:12:19
Sherman's piecemeal attacks failed to exploit Union mass
Sherman committed only part of his command in separate attacks, leaving Grant's designated main effort stalled despite Union advantages in numbers and artillery.