beleaguering, besieging, military blockade, siege - the action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place and isolates it while continuing to attack

American Civil War, United States Civil War, War between the States - civil war in the United States between the North and the South; 1861-1865

Atlanta, capital of Georgia - state capital and largest city of Georgia; chief commercial center of the southeastern United States; was plundered and burned by Sherman's army during the American Civil War