Historic Grounds

Today, 146 years ago, the Battle of Atlanta ended. General Sherman was handed the city by Mayor James Calhoun. The Rebs were not finished, some lived to fight another day.

Griffin became the end of the line for many of the sick, wounded and dying that took the last railroad train out of Atlanta before Confederate General Hood on his way out of town blew up 80 railroad carloads of his remaining ammunition.

General Sherman was asked if Atlanta was the prize of the battle, he said, “no the army he defeated.” Sherman also remarked that he wanted to taste “salty water.”

Two months later Sherman’s infamous March to the Sea began. The Left Wing, approximately 30,000 strong, was sent south towards Macon, but took a left turn near Jackson, passing over the Ogmulgee River and into Jasper County. Probably where you sit reading this, Union soldiers passed on their way to Savannah. Sherman would indeed soon taste “salty water.”

Less than a year later, Lee surrendered his Army; the War was over. The editor of the Atlanta newspaper wrote, “it is over, let there be peace.”

I like to take visitors to the Stonewall Cemetery in Griffin where 499 Confederate soldiers and 1 Union soldier are buried.

Under the oak trees, I walk among their graves, the young men who sleep there say volumes without uttering a word, “let there be peace.” Most of the gravestones show September 5, 1864 as the date of death.

Approximately 12,140 Confederate and Union soldiers died in the Battle of Atlanta, the number of civilians who died is unknown.