I am an expert on the Atlanta Campaign and July 27th comes after the Battle of Peachtree Creek (July 20th) and the Battle of Atlanta (July 22nd). The Battle of Ezra Church, fought west of the city, took place on July 28th.

The cavalry activities of the Confederate Army of Tennessee were confined much closer to the areas around the city at this time. Wheeler breaks away and chases the Union cavalry in the Stoneman-McCook Raid and defeats them soundly. He then goes on his own raid of very dubious objectives once he takes his cavalry corps out of the Atlanta Campaign altogether by riding into Tennessee - which accomplishes very little other than wrecking his own command! When he takes his corps, John Bell Hood is left with a single cavalry division, William H. Jackson's, to cover all of his front and flanks and to perform recon for him. He simply did not have the manpower to do so and at this time Sherman made his major movement west of the city with his entire army group before heading south to the last railroads into the city.

These books will help you with the 9th TN Cavalry Battalion at this time:

"Decision In The West" by Albert Castel (the best book to date on the Atlanta Campaign)
"Where The South Lost The Civil War" by Kendall Gott (covering their sad performance in the Ft. Henry-Donelson Campaign)
"Tennesseans In The Civil War" - Tennessee Civil War Centennial Committee (this is still in print and is also online)
"Tennessee - Compendium of the Confederate Army" by Stewart Sifakis (covers the details for every TN Confederate unit)

The bios on Joe Wheeler will also be helpful for you.

Greg Biggs