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The First Battle of Dalton was a series of American Civil War skirmishes that took place between February 22 and February 27, 1864, in Whitfield County, Georgia.
At the suggestion of Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant, Major General George H. Thomas, decided to probe General Joseph E. Johnston's strength to determine if the loss of two full divisions to reinforce Confederate forces elsewhere had made the Confederate Army of Tennessee vulnerable to Union attack. On February 22, Thomas began the reconnaissance movement, which consisted of three columns of Union troops. After several days of intense skirmishing, Thomas's army retreated, since it was obvious that Johnston was still capable of repelling a major Union assault. Thomas's force had lost 300 officers and men killed or wounded, against 140 men for the Confederates.