Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston established defensive positions in the rugged Allatoona Mountains surrounding the town of Allatoona. Major General William T. Sherman chose to avoid this area on his way to Atlanta by flanking to the southwest through Dallas. Johnston then had to abandon Allatoona, while Sherman left a strong garrison there to protect the railroad and extensive storehouses.
In October 1864, after Atlanta fell to Sherman in early September, General John B. Hood attempted to draw Union armies out of Atlant by driving north. Hood ordered Major General Samuel G. French and 3,276 men to destroy the Etowah bridge to gain control of the Western and Atlantic Railroad at Allatoona Pass and capture the Union rations stored in the Allatoona Depot. On October 5, 1864, 2,025 Union defenders at Allatoona fought desperately to repulse repeated attacks, counting on a promise of reinforcements from Sherman. Both sides experienced frightful losses. The heroic Federal defense inspired the revival hymn Hold the For, for I am Coming. Of the 5,301 men engaged in the four-hour battle, mich of it fought hand-to-hand, 1,603 were killed or died of wounds, making it one of the bloodiest half-days of the Civil War.
Several historical markers are located at the intersection of Old Alabama Road and the Western and Atlantic Railroad. The still-visible Star Fort sits partly on private property and partly on land owned by the state of Georgia. Markers are also located at the Allatoona Dam Overlook and Allatoona Creek at Georgia Highway 293 south of Emerson. The Allatoona battlefield is currently under the management of the Red Top Mountain State Park.