Sherman’s March

If we had been around nearly 150 years ago, September 5th would not have been just another day.

The battle for Atlanta had raged for months, but on September 5th the Confederacy retreated leaving Sherman and his army to have their way with Atlanta. Sherman had made sure the retreat would not be easy, cutting the railroad tracks north, south, east and west of the city.

Confederate sick and wounded soldiers were brought to makeshift hospitals in Griffin and Covington, some dying without pain killer or medical attention.

Stonewall Cemetery in Griffin holds the remains of 499 Confederates and 1 Union soldier who met their maker in Griffin, many on September 5th. Straight lines of marble tombstones mark the graves of soldiers, 18, 21, 24 years old from all over the Confederacy.

A statue of an angel stands among the graves with the inscription on the base, “Rest, Soldiers, Rest” and now they do regardless of the side they chose. Now, they do forever.

Nearly 70,000 Union and Confederate soldiers were killed, wounded or missing in the battle for Atlanta.

On September 5, 1864, it would only be days before the Civil War was at the doorstep of Jasper County as Sherman’s March to the Sea cut the heart out of the Confederacy.