Civil War Field Institute
The Atlanta
Campaign
October 22-24, 2009
Thursday October 22 - Keynote
Educator, historian, and author Richard
McMurry.
Richard McMurry has penned well over a hundred articles on Civil
War topics and has written numerous books which Civil War Magazine
lists among the 100 best modern Civil War Books ever
published. He is considered among current historians to be
the foremost supporter of the importance of the Western Theater to
the outcome of the Civil War.
Tour Guide - Charlie
Crawford
Since 2002 Charlie Crawford has been president of Georgia
Battlefields Association and editor of the Georgia
Battlefields monthly newsletter. He has made over 75
presentations and led over 25 tours relating to the Civil War in
Georgia.
Among the sites we will
visit
Resaca Battlefields, New Hope Church, Tunnel Hill, Pickett's Mill
Battlefield, General Leonidas Polk Monument, Kennesaw Battlefield,
Atlanta History Center, Atlanta Cyclorama, The Southern Museum,
Resaca Confederate Cemetery
photo of Tunnel Hill
Fieldtrip
Fee
$298 for members $345 for Non-members
Includes all admission fees to museums and parks Chartered Bus, Two
lunches, a reception and one Dinner (Thursday)
to make your online registration
photo of Camp Creek west of Resaca. The Federal forces came through Snake Creek Gap behind these hills to the north and emerged into the Camp Creek valley. McPherson's corps charged across this valley to attack the Confederate positions in front of Resaca.
Accommodations
We will be staying in Cartersville, GA (379 miles from Louisville,
KY) which is located 45 minutes north of Atlanta at the Fairfield
Inn-Marriot. Call 770-387-0400 to make your hotel reservations.
Mention Filson Historical Society to get a discounted rate.
photo of Leonidas Polk
Monument
During the Battle of Pine Mountain, Sherman observed several
Confederate officers near the mountaintop through his looking
glass. Annoyed at their seeming brazenness, he ordered
artillery fire on their position. The corpulent Bishop Polk
was not able to scurry to safety as his comrades Johnston and
Hardee did.
To reserve your place
Space is limited. A non-refundable deposit of $50 per person
is required at time of registration and balance is due to the
Filson by October 5, 2009
to assure your field trip reservation send to the Filson Historical
Society in care of Scott Scarboro
1310 S Third Street Louisville, KY 40208
For more information please contact The Filson Historical
Society.
All participants are responsible for their travel arrangements to
and from Cartersville, GA.
During the Fieldtrip we will travel by chartered bus as a
group.
a Resaca battlefield story
It was more difficult for Bate's men, especially on the portion of
the line held by the famous "Orphan Brigade." This veteran unit was
so named because it was composed of Confederate regiments raised in
Kentucky early in the war. Since Union forces controlled their
state for practically the entire war the troops felt themselves
"orphaned." These men served as the "point" of the angle of the
Confederate line as it shifted from along Camp Creek back to the
east. This meant that this brigade was not only faced with Judah's
assault, but that of Cox's division as well. After repulsing Judah,
the fighting intensified against Cox. A history of the brigade
tells the story: "The Federals attacked repeatedly. 'Column after
column came down in full view, and moved right toward us,' wrote an
Orphan. Some of the enemy got within seventy-five yards of their
line before (the brigade) opened up. 'It was harvest time with the
Orphan Brigade,' said one, 'and every available contrivance was
used for reaping the field before us. The fighting became so
intense that when John Gordon of Company D, 4th Kentucky, fell
dead, his comrades spent the rest of the day stepping over him in
the melee. Only with nightfall could someone find time to take him
from his place in the line. The new corps of sharpshooters
operated...somewhat in advance. 'Their terrible rifles soon
attracted the fury of the Federal artillerymen,' wrote an Orphan of
the 4th. Before the day was out, half of the elite marksmen lay
dead or wounded. Yet others, in the midst of this terrible
holocaust, found time to admire pityingly a little kitten caught
between the battle lines and crying in its terror. Finally, (a
gunner) jumped the earthworks and ran forward to grasp the cat and
return it safely. Thereafter the tortoise tabby was a familiar
sight perched on his friend the gunner's shoulder or astride a
caisson. In honor of the occasion the Orphans named it 'Resaca'."
(Davis, 217-218)
The story of the Cemetery at
Resaca involves a young girl, Mary Green and her younger sister,
Pyatt, who found 2 soldiers who lay dying from wounds they suffered
during the battle fought here on May 14-15. Along with two former
slaves the girls buried the bodies of the soldiers in their flower
garden that had just begun to bloom.
As the story goes, their father, Col. John Green, donated land to bury 450 other soldiers who had died here during the battle.
Pickett's Mill is the only Atlanta campaign
battlefield owned by the state and is one of the best preserved
battlefields in the nation. Access is entirely by trail, and
visitors can follow original war-time roads and view the entire
battlefield in detail
