The advancing Union Army, under General U.S. Grant, met a large Confederate force under the command of General Sterling Price near Iuka, Mississippi. Grant devised a two pronged attack under Generals Rosencrans and Ord.  Circumstances evolved so that Rosencrans fought Price alone but after very heavy fighting in the afternoon and evening Price withdrew. Union units suffered around 800 casualties while the Confederates lost around twice that number killed, wounded, or captured.  (By John Osborne) 

The Battle of Atlanta was an important Union victory and led to the siege and capture of Atlanta six weeks.  Powerful Confederate forces under their new commander General John Bell Hood made an effort to draw in and to inflict a decisive defeat on the Union's Army of the Tennessee then advancing. But the Confederates were again defeated, with very heavy casualties they could not afford.  Hood was forced to fall back on an Atlanta that was now surrounded and under siege.  (By John Osborne) 

Control of Mobile Bay would close the last Confederate port on the Gulf of Mexico and Union Admiral David Farragut set out to gain that control with a full-scale 32-ship attack on the smaller enemy fleet and its three protecting forts.  Despite the early loss of the U.S.S. Tecumseh to mines, the federal fleet was comprehensively victorious, despite the valiant resistance of the C.S.S. Tennessee which fought on alone till forced to surrender.  (By John Osborne)