Hood stayed outside the city and continued attacking Sherman's supply lines into the city. The war was far from over.
In November of 1864, Sherman eventually made his decision to leave Atlanta but instead of retreating back to Tennessee, he decided to move his best troops through Georgia to Savannah and to send more than half of his army back to Tennessee to deal with Hood -- who they then completely destroyed because Hood was an idiot.
When Sherman left Atlanta, he burned anything of military value, but the city was not 'burned to the ground' as you claim. Factories and rail yards and such were torched, but most of the city was untouched.
That all happened 6 months before there was any 'surrender' by the Confederates, but Sherman's march through Georgia surely hastened that eventual surrender and saved tens of thousands of lives on both sides.
War is hell.
The city was surrendered! Dude! Sherman decided to burn it! What other city was burnd to the ground after surrender and hostilities ceased! I’m not talking Lee I’m talking the people of Atlanta and the Confederates moved out!
Read the text! What ever you want to think is fine with me> Sherman on a Yankee whim burned Atlanta! It’s history! now go beat another dead horse!