Georgia: Brown’s Mill Battlefield Celebrates Grand Opening
NEWNAN, Ga. — History came alive last week when more than 350 people came to take in the sights at the grand opening of the Brown’s Mill Battlefield Civil War Historic Site located south of Newnan at 155 Millard Farmer Road.
The shots fired by Confederate troops were only a part of the activities at the grand opening of the Brown’s Mill Battlefield Historic Site on Millard Farmer Road south of Newnan. Union and Confederate reenactors provided a realistic component to the day’s events that had been years in the making. Photo/Ben Nelms.
Among the large number of people present for the dedication and grand opening were Coweta County Commissioner Tim Lassetter who presided at the event, Brown’s Mill Battlefield Association representative Carolyn Turner, state archeologist David Crass and historian David Evans. Crass and Evans provided a wealth of information on the historic site and the battle.
The grand opening also included a large number of re-enactors assuming the role of Union and Confederate cavalry. Many of those attending the event got a close-up look at the calvary, their mounts and weapons after the dedication ceremony had concluded.
It was on July 30, 1864 that the Battle of Brown’s Mill was fought. According to the Brown’s Mill Battlefield Association, the Civil War battle occurred during the Atlanta Campaign. Gen. Edward McCook’s Union cavalry, on a daring raid to sever communications and supply lines in south central Georgia, was defeated at the battlefield site by Confederate forces under the command of Gen. Joseph “Fightin’ Joe” Wheeler.
After a successful raid in Fayetteville, McCook was trying to return to the main army in Atlanta but was attacked by Wheeler’s cavalry four miles south of Newnan at Brown’s Mill. McCook wanted to surrender but instead let his officers lead their battalions out separately.
Though Wheeler lost 50 men in the ensuing battle, McCook’s forces were routed. McCook had 1,285 men captured, 100 killed or wounded and lost 1,200 horses, several ambulances and two pieces of artillery. With the victory, Wheeler freed approximately 300 Confederate prisoners.
The ramifications of the battle extended far beyond the rolling hills of the battlefield.
The defeat of Union forces in Coweta County forced Gen. William T. Sherman to abandon his efforts to use cavalry to cut Atlanta’s railroads and compelled him to begin the lengthy siege of Atlanta, according to the association.
The battlefield site is dedicated to the Confederate and Union cavalrymen who fought and died on July 30, 1864, and to the Confederate and Union medical staff who tended the wounded after the Battle of Brown’s Mill, according to the Brown’s Mill Battlefield Association.
A July 9 proclamation by the Coweta County Commission denoting July as Coweta County History Month stated that the Battle of Brown’s Mill was significant in the history of the Civil War because it changed the way Gen. William T. Sherman fought the Atlanta Campaign.
For more information on this historic site visit www.battleofbrownsmill.org
–-Ben Nelms, thecitizen.com
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Georgia: Colquitt County Confederates Remembered
Citizens in Colquitt County pay their respects to those that gave their lives in the Civil War for the Confederacy. / Matt Prichard
MOULTRIE, Ga. — Officials with the Sons of Confederate Veterans met in downtown Moultrie today to remember those that served during the Civil War from Colquitt County.
Today marked the 150th anniversary of the 2nd group of young men to leave for battle throughout the southern part of the state.
The group was sent out to secure the area all the way up into Macon. Officials at today’s ceremony described the battles that these young men fought in.
Event coordinators took time afterwards to describe exactly why these events are crucial to have in Southwest Georgia.
“People forget who they are, where they came from. And the best way to remember them is to put their names back out amongst them,” said Georgia Division Commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Jack Bridwell.
Next March the group will hold another ceremony, remembering the last group to leave Colquitt County to help with the war effort.
–Matt Pritchard, mysouthwestga.com
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Maryland: Funeral-related Artifacts to be Exhibited
DUNMORE, Md. – When children and infants died from the Civil War era through the early 1900s, their families were often left with postmortem pictures as the only good photographs of their loved ones.
Before photographic technology was refined enough for everyone to readily capture Kodak moments, funeral and mourning history expert Julie Esty said postmortem pictures were important remembrances.
BUTCH COMEGYS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Julie Esty stands near a Dunmore Cemetery headstone memorializing a man born in 1829.
Samples of those types of pictures are among a vast collection of funeral-related memorabilia Ms. Esty and her Widows’ Wanderings partner Wendy Conrad Belaski will display at Dunmore Historical Society from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Most of the artifacts from the 1860s through present day originate from Lackawanna County. People can expect to see such mourning memorabilia as vintage funeral fashion, old hearse advertisements, a custom urn, mourning jewelry and a small sample vintage coffin used by salesmen.
Ms. Esty and Ms. Belaski plan to answer people’s questions about funeral trends and customs, the funeral industry, imagery and symbolism often seen in graveyards, cemetery etiquette and different kinds of religious observances.
The “widows” plan for the event to be an interactive discussion with the public – in effect making the discussion not only a historical conversation but also a sociological one. She hopes to inspire people to learn and preserve history.
“Our funeral customs are changing,” Ms. Esty said. “We’re seeing a lot more cremation because, of course, the economy. When I was a kid and when Wendy was a kid, when somebody passed away, you were sitting at the funeral home … two days. A lot of people aren’t doing that anymore. … It might very well be a cost factor.”
Taking postmortem photos was one of many trends Ms. Esty discussed during an interview at Dunmore Cemetery, where she directs the Dearly Departed Players and the popular Dunmore Cemetery Tour. She expects the once-popular trend to make a comeback because of the ease of modern digital photography.
Other topics raised in the interview ranged from the “sterilization” of death – as people die more in hospitals today than in the past – to funeral homes commonly promoting their businesses with ashtrays as recently as the 1970s. She compared that promotion tactic to dentists handing out lollipops after a cleaning.
“(Death is) the final frontier,” said Ms. Esty, who dressed in a black Civil War mourning dress for the interview. “Wendy and I can’t tell you what’s going to happen to you once we cross over. We can tell you how people dealt with it in all these years. We can show you different things. We can tell you some things about embalming. If you want to know more, ask your local undertaker.”
After the historical society event at 126 Barton St., the next confirmed exhibit is scheduled for June at the Surratt House Museum in Clinton, Md.
–Kyle Wind, thetimes-tribune.com
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Tennessee: State Archivists to Visit Knoxville for Civil Way Memorabilia
KNOXVILLE, Tn. – Representatives from the Tennessee State Library and Archives and the Tennessee State Museum will be in Knoxville on August 15th and 16th to record and digitize Civil War memorabilia owned by local residents for an exhibit titled “Looking Back: The Civil War in Tennessee.”
Archivists will be at the East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay Street, in Knoxville on August 15th from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. and August 16th from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. During that time, they invite area residents to bring in original photographs, documents, and other artifacts related to the Civil War. The archivists will scan or take digital photographs of the materials, some of which will be featured in the exhibit, located online at www.tncivilwar150.org.
The archivists will not actually take possession of the items from their owners. Individuals may call (615) 741-1883 or e-mail civilwar.tsla@tn.gov to schedule a reservation with the archivists. Reservation forms and available times may be found on the State Library and Archives’ section of the Office of the Secretary of State web site at tn.gov/tsla/cwtn/cwtn_events.htm. “This is an important project for the Tennessee State Library and Archives,” Secretary of State Tre Hargett said. “The Civil War was a major event in our state’s history, so we need to take appropriate steps to make sure these treasures are properly preserved for future generations.”
Attendees at the event will receive copies of the digital photographs and tips on how to preserve their Civil War memorabilia.
Archivists plan to visit as many of Tennessee’s 95 counties as possible in search of material for the exhibit, which commemorates the Civil War’s 150th anniversary.
