The B&M Civil War Newsletter for September 2013 …………………………………………………….. 149 Years Ago On September 2-3, 1864, General John Bell Hood would evacuate his Army from Atlanta because his main source of supply had been cut at Jonesboro. General William T. Sherman of the Union Army was located just north of Jonesboro on the night that General Hood ordered the load of munitions just east of where Oakland Cemetery is to be blown up. When that train was exploded the damage was wide spread throughout east Atlanta with homes and building catching fire and being damaged by the concussion. General Sherman could see the blasts to the north and hear them as well and wondered what was happening. Even the people in McDonough could hear and see the bright flashes on the horizon that evening. General Hood’s Army would suddenly appear in the city and just north of McDonough before moving on to join General William Hardee at Lovejoy Station. General Hood would use the Crawford Home just west of Lovejoy for his headquarters. The home today is that of the Talmadge Family. General Hood would remain here for two weeks before moving his men westward. He would leave General Hardee, General Wheeler and other elements of the Georgia State Militia to deal with the Union force that now held Atlanta. His plans were to cut Sherman’s supply line from the north. General Hood stopped at Palmetto, Georgia and met with Confederate President Jefferson Davis on how he should make his next moves. (Think about how President Davis was able to travel from Richmond, Virginia, around enemy lines and meet with General Hood just a few miles from where the large Union force was massed at Atlanta.) The early part of September was to be a time of getting people out of Atlanta to the south. General Hood set up a communications line to General Sherman on how to accomplish this. A detachment of Union and Confederate Soldiers would meet at Rough And Ready to make sure the civilians were sent south. No harm was to come of them or the soldiers who met at the site. General Hood would then place those civilians on trains at Lovejoy and send them south to Macon and beyond. …………………………………………………………………………………………… The Train Wreck on the Night of Aug. 31or early Morning Sept. 1, 1864 General Hood in Atlanta was sending out wounded men to the South to hospitals in Macon. There was a heavily loaded train of wounded men that moved out. Now what is interesting about this is the fact that the Battle of Jonesboro was waging at the time. This train had to move through that city to be on it’s way to Macon. It is strange no one tried to stop this train that was on it’s way to destiny. At the same time a train was dispatched from Macon with supplies for General Hood in Atlanta. The two trains did not know they were on the same track. In the dark of the night, the two thundering trains collided head on just below Milner, Georgia and above Barnesville, Georgia. The carnage was horrifying. At least 35 wounded men were killed instantly by the collision and there could have been more to die later from their further injuries in local hospitals. The 35 who died at the scene were buried on a hillside next to the tracks. There graves were once marked, but today they are not because someone stole the markers. May these men not be forgotten. ……………………………………………………………………………………………… A Look at the feelings of Some of the Leaders The mindset and feelings of many of the men at the Battle Campaign for Atlanta and the March to the Sea are interesting viewpoints. General John B. Hood had just returned to action after losing a leg. His feelings and mindset had to be affected by his losing a limb and then being given the job of Atlanta from President Davis who replaced General Joe Johnston. Then we have General William T. Sherman of the Union force who had just arrived from his campaigns around Vicksburg, Mississippi. His views towards slaves were not in the becoming of a leader who was to free them along the way. (some were freed by him and killed by him). Sherman had a bitterness toward the South and said he wanted to make the people of Georgia howl. That is a clear war crime on his part and he should have been tried for such instead he was a huge hero to the North. Then there was General Hugh Kilpatrick, whom even General Sherman said was a damn fool, who had his own problems. He had just received news that his wife and child had died from illness. This would have affected his mindset. General William Hardee was a man who had so many things in his mind especially trying to work with other leaders of the CSA. Some the key leaders of the battles in and around Atlanta had their own personal hells to live through. …………………………………………………………………………………………….. To learn more about the war in the area then go to the CRG website at crghenry.org and you will find a lot of information. Remember next year will be the 150th anniversary of when the Civil War came to our area. Make plans to remember the event in your area.
Posted on: Fri, 06 Sep 2013 19:19:45 +0000
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