THE CIVIL WAR IN GEORGIA

 Roswell to Peachtree Creek - A Driving Tour Including an Interactive Map

By JIM MILES

 Georgia > Atlanta Metro Region > Fulton County >Roswell

Classic homes like the 1839 Bulloch Hall in Roswell were left untouched by General William Tecumseh Sherman in the summer of 1864 when he burned all of the factories and mills of the small manufacturing town north of Atlanta. Sherman’s devastation of Roswell and his army’s march south to the Battle of Peachtree Creek are covered in this self-guided driving tour. VIEW AN INTERACTIVE MAP.

This driving tour begins at the intersection of 120 and US 19-GA 9 in Roswell. If you are 
coming from the north on Interstate-75, turn off on 
120-Loop, turn left under 1-75, and follow 120-Loop to 120 and Exit. Turn left on 120 and 
follow to the intersection with US 19-GA 9. If you 
are coming from the south, take 400 North from Interstate-285. Exit on Northridge Road, turn right to 
19-9, turn right and follow to the intersection of 120 
and 19-9. From the intersection of 120 and US 19-GA 9 
go south through a restored business district; at 0.1 turn right on Sloan. VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP.

Note the Bricks to your right, quarters erected in 1839 to house workers in the Roswell mills. They 
were used as a Federal hospital in 1864 and operated 
by the city as a library in the 1950s. Tenants are cur
rently being sought to set up shops. The Bricks are considered the oldest apartments in the United States.

• Turn right at 0.1 mile on Mill Street to the stop sign; park 
in the large lot before you. VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP.

Below this spot is a cotton mill converted into a shopping complex. In the creek are falls, a dam, and the 
remains of an old mill.

This is the beautiful, historic city of Roswell. It was 
named for Roswell King, an officer of the Darien Bank who traveled to north Georgia in the 1830s to open a 
branch. Enchanted by this spot on the Chattahoochee River, he bought vast acreage and offered his friends on the Georgia-South Carolina coast ten acres each if 
they would settle here. Many took advantage of the 
offer and built fine homes that still stand. Roswell and 
his son Barrington established a cotton mill in a steep gorge along Vickery Creek, and other mills and factories were soon attracted to the area.

The Kings laid out their town with a square and wide streets and gave lots for the building of Presbyterian and Methodist churches, both still in existence, and a school. Roswell was a prosperous city when Garrard and McPherson arrived in July 1864 
with orders from Sherman to burn all manufacturing facilities.

Long, sturdy sets of stairs descend from the parking lot into Vickery Creek Gorge, where King built his two-story Ivy Woolen Mill that was destroyed during 
the Civil War. The mill produced Confederate uni
forms; and when Federal cavalry arrived on July 6, 
manager Theophil Roche ran up a French flag and claimed protection as a foreign neutral. Sherman ordered the buildings destroyed, and Roche was sent 
north up the rails.

The factory was rebuilt here in 1882 as the Laurel Mills, but it burned after a lightning strike in 1926. 
Large sections of thirteen-inch-thick stone walls re
main from the mills, and a path leads to the old dam that channeled water to turn the waterwheels, in turn providing power for the mills. It also creates a lovely waterfall that can be heard for a considerable distance.

Above the ruins is the only remaining mill building in Roswell, built in 1929 to replace the second mill and operated until 1975. Previously ravaged by vandals 
and vagrants, a nine-million-dollar renovation project has transformed the cotton mill into an upscale retail 
establishment featuring one hundred shops and restaurants. Plans have also been formulated to construct 
a 7,000-seat amphitheater on the banks of the creek.

Just west on Minosa Avenue is historic Roswell 
Presbyterian Church. Built in 1840, it retains the original box pews, high center pulpit, and slave balcony. In 
the belfry is a bronze ship’s bell that was cast in Philadelhia. Following Sunday services, a mini-museum is open in the rear of the church where artifacts of 
church history are preserved, including the original 
silver communion service hidden in a barrel by Miss Fannie Whitemore until the War was over to prevent its theft by Federal troops, and a checkerboard carved on the back of a cabinet door by bored Union soldiers who used the church as a hospital.

Sherman burned Roswell’s factories and mills, but he fortunately spared the city and its fine homes. However, he committed his most dastardly act here: 
the removal of the Roswell women. Noting the mill 
labor force was female, he directed Garrard to send them to Marietta and then up north to deny their skills to the Confederacy. His orders were to “arrest all those people, male and female, connected with those 
factories, no matter what the clamor, and let them foot it, under guard, to Marietta, where I will send them by cars to the North. Destroy and make the 
same disposition of all mills …. The poor women will 
make a howl. Let them take along their children and 
clothing …. ”

The ladies were rounded up and sent on railroad 
cars to Chattanooga, Nashville, Lexington, and into Indiana. There is no evidence that a single woman was 
returned to Georgia following the war.

Visiting all the historic sites in Roswell would be a profitable day’s outing. Attractions include Barrington Hall, which Barrington King built in 1842. Ancient 
oaks frame this magnificent Greek Revival home that 
took five years to build. Bulloch Hall, a beautiful home 
built in a similar style at the same time, was the girlhood home of President Theodore Roosevelt’s 
mother, Mittie; it saw service as a Federal barracks. 
It is owned by the city and can be rented for special 
events. Great Oaks (1842) has eighteen-inch-thick 
walls and was Garrard’s headquarters. Mimosa Hall, 
built by John Dunwoody, is actually a reproduction; his 
first home burned during a house-warming party immediately after it was completed. Allenbrook, a two-story saltbox built of handmade brick in 1840 to house the Laurel Mills manager, is currently headquarters of 
the Roswell Historical Society. Primrose Cottage 
(1830) was the first building erected in Roswell, a gift 
from King to his widowed daughter. There is also the 
home of Francis B. Goulding, minister, author of Young Marooners and Marooners Island, and inventor of the first sewing machine - but he failed to obtain a 
patent!

The charming business district dates from 1839; 
and the town square, where Teddy Roosevelt spoke in 1905, was laid out in 1840 and landscaped during the 
Depression as a WPA project. At the end of Sloan Street is Founders Cemetery, which contains the 
graves of Roswell King, John Bulloch, John Dunwoody, 
and other founders of the city. Other early settlers are 
buried in the Presbyterian Church Cemetery established in 1841 and the Methodist Church Cemetery 
(1850).

The Roswell Historical Society, the Chattahoochee Nature Center, and the city of Roswell regularly sponsor tours of the homes and the mill ruins, raft floats 
down the river, and recreations of 1840s life in Roswell. A brochure that illustrates these attractions 
and outlines a walking tour of the city is available from 
the Roswell Historical Society, Inc., 227 South Atlanta 
Street, Roswell, GA 30075.

• Return to 19-9 (Atlanta Road) and turn left to cross 
the Chattahoochee River at 1.2 miles. VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP.
  

This is the approximate site of the original bridge at 
Shallowford. The Confederates burned it when Garrard’s cavalry galloped into town, but the spans were quickly rebuilt by Union engineers who tore down mill 
buildings to use the timber in the bridges. In sixty 
hours they threw up twin spans 710 feet long, 18 feet 
wide, and 14 feet high. While the Federals were crossing the river, a horrible thunderstorm erupted; and lightning killed a dozen men, split ninety-foot-tall oak trees, and discharged muskets.

On July 10 McPherson crossed here and advanced on Decatur to cut the Augusta railroad and descend on Atlanta from the east, while Thomas crossed from Vinings at Pace’s and Power’s ferries and proceeded 
south along Howell Mill Road and Northside Drive, 
and Schofield crossed at Sope Creek, between 
Power’s Ferry and Johnson’s Ferry west of this point, 
and marched toward Buckhead.

• Brave the Atlanta traffic 12.8 miles and take a right 
on West Paces Ferry Road. At .5 mile turn left onto Andrews Drive for 0.1 mile to the Atlanta Historical Society. VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP.
  

The Society has created a fascinating complex that can 
occupy a full day of exploration. It hosts a wide variety 
of activities and programs. On its twenty-five wooded acres are gardens, the 1840 Tullie Smith House (one of Atlanta’s oldest surviving structures), the Swan House (an Italian-style mansion of the 1920s), and 
McElreath Hall, which features exhibits about Atlanta 
and Georgia history, an archives, library, and a permanent, outstanding display on the Civil War.

This display traces every segment of the Atlanta 
Campaign from Dalton to Peachtree Creek, Atlanta, 
Ezra Church, Jonesboro, and the siege and occupation 
of Atlanta. There are exhibits of camp life, Joe Brown 
Pikes, medals and insignia, artillery chests, dis
patches, cavalry and Confederate navy displays, uni
forms with bullet holes, a uniform of John B. Gordon, pistols, rifles, swords, maps, lifelike dioramas, and a 
”Repel the Invader” flag. One of the most interesting artifacts in the collection is two bullets that met head on in flight.

• From the entrance of the Atlanta Historical Society, return to US 19-GA 9 (which immediately be
comes Peachtree Street), turn right, and proceed 2.5 miles 
to Piedmont Hospital on the right. VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP.
  

In front is a stone monument that commemorates the Battle of Peachtree Creek. South of the hospital along 
the sidewalk is an older WPA monument marking the spot where Confederate troops opened the assault.

• At 0.1 mile turn right onto Collier Road; at.5 mile to your right 
are the stones from Collier’s Mill. Turn left at 0.1 mile into Tanyard Creek Park.

This preserve is Atlanta’s memorial to Peachtree Creek. Created during the centennial celebration of 
the Civil War in 1964, nine plaques were set on cement stands to describe the action that occurred in this area; but several have been stolen.

Unfortunately for the Confederate effort, the 
Federals had crossed Peachtree Creek and set up defensive positions on a ridge just north of here when Hood launched his ferocious assault. The Confederates attacked from the south, crossing at this spot; 
and their battle line extended through the area of Piedmont Hospital north of Collier and up Northside Drive 
west of the park. The Confederates made two 
thrusts, Hardee to the east and Stewart to the west. Confederate General C. H. Stevens was killed at the 
intersection of 28th Street and Wycliff. Collier’s Mill 
was located upstream on Tanyard Branch, which flows through the park and is the site where Federals concentrated several artillery batteries that were instrumental in turning back the Confederate drive. Commanding the Federals was Colonel Benjamin Harrison, a future president.

• Return to Collier, continuing west 0.3 mile to US 41 
(Northside Drive), and turn left for 0.5 mile. If you are 
continuing the driving tour, cross the bridge over the 
interstate and turn right to enter 1-75 South. After 5 
miles leave 1-75 to get on 1-20 East (to Augusta); 
pay close attention to instructions at the interchange. 
After 4 miles take exit 61B at Glenwood Avenue. Turn 
left from the ramp 0.1 mile to Walker Monument on the 
left. VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP.

Fields of Glory
This self-guided driving tour covering a portion of the Civil War Battle of Atlanta is excerpted from Fields of Glory, A History and Tour Guide of The Atlanta Campaign by Jim Miles. Fields of Glory traces the story of the Atlanta campaign from the Tennessee border through the heart of Atlanta to Jonesboro. Included is a series of driving tours that enable readers to see firsthand the battlefields and important sites. Also included are: 25 original maps; 85 illustrations; a lively history of the Atlanta campaign; fascinating tours of the battlefields; articles on military strategy and biographies of generals; chronology of key battles and important events; and sources for additional information. Fields of Glory and other books by Jim Miles are available on Amazon.

 Georgia > Atlanta Metro Region > Cobb County >Marietta

Uncle Ruban (pictured at right) is the refurbished and air conditioned early-20th century trolley that conveys guests on tours of Marietta and the surrounding area. See this Google map for a view of Marietta Town Square. ++ and click on “Satellite” view for a look at the buildings around the square.

All aboard Marietta’s only trolley tour!

Join Historic Marietta Trolley Tours for a one-hour, fully narrated exploration of the historic city. Experience Marietta’s rich heritage, from the vibrant downtown square, past grand antebellum homes, to the battlefields at Kennesaw Mountain. Tours run rain or shine, while the ride is heated or cooled for passenger comfort. (more…)

 Georgia > Atlanta Metro > Fulton County > Atlanta

The Cyclorama painting - 42 feet tall and 358 feet in circumference - is said to be the largest painting in the world. It offers breathtaking realism enhanced by a foreground of three-dimensional figures and terrain. The presentation is accompanied by music and narration, available in five languages.

Take a stirring journey through time in Atlanta’s Cyclorama. Sit at the center of a sweeping panorama of the Battle of Atlanta, fought on July 22, 1864, during the American Civil War.

On that day Confederate troops led by General John B. Hood made a desperate attempt to save Atlanta from the encircling Union armies. They were initially successful, but the Union troops, led by Major General William T. Sherman, regained positions lost earlier in the day and won the battle. By nightfall, more than 12,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing.

The Cyclorama painting - 42 feet tall and 358 feet in circumference - is said to be the largest painting in the world. It offers breathtaking realism enhanced by a foreground of three-dimensional figures and terrain. The presentation is accompanied by music and narration, available in five languages.

When you visit the Cyclorama in Atlanta’s Grant Park you can also see artifacts of the war displayed in the Civil War Museum and a steam locomotive known as the Texas, a veteran of the Great Locomotive Chase of 1862.

Links:

• Read more about the Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum.

 Georgia > Atlanta Metro Region > Fulton County > Palmetto

The rural landscape of the Chattahoochee Hill Country is featured in the 29-mile bike tour of South Fulton County. Bycyclists will see historic communities as well as scenic Cochran Mill Park. The Chattahoochee River is nearby.

This South Fulton Scenic Bike Route follows a 29-mile loop through the rolling hills, forested ridges, and serene pastures of this quiet corner of metropolitan Atlanta. Following Cochran Mill Road, Hutcheson Ferry Road, and Campbellton-Redwine Road, the byway highlights the area’s historic communities, bucolic farmhouses, preserved rural character, and quiet lifestyle. Visitors will find many recreational opportunities at Cochran Mill Park, Cochran Mill Nature Center, or the nearby Chattahoochee River. VIEW AN INTERACTIVE MAP showing the route including:

• Cochran Mill Park
• Cochran Mill Nature Center
• Chattahoochee Hills - Rico
• Chattahoochee Hills - Serenbe

In addition to the historic communities and farmhouses found along the Byway, visitors can enjoy Cochran Mill Park, Cochran Mill Nature Center, and the nearby Chattahoochee River, which provide many recreational opportunities. VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP.

Directions
From I-20 to Exit 49
South on SR 70 (Fulton Industrial Boulevard)
Byway begins at intersection with SR 92

From I-85 to Exit 56
North on Collinsworth Road
Collinsworth Road becomes Fayetteville Road
Fayetteville Road becomes Toombs Road
Turn right onto Hutcheson Ferry Road
The byway begins at intersection with Cochran Mill Road

From I-85 to Exit 69
Turn South on South Fulton Parkway (SR 14 Spur)
Turn right onto Rivertown Road
The byway begins at intersection with Cochran Mill Road

FOLLOW THESE FIVE TIPS FOR SAFER BICYCLING

1. Obey Traffic Laws. Bicyclists must know and obey all traffic laws, signs, signals, and pavement markings.
2. Wear a Bicycle Helmet. Georgia law requires those under the age of 16 operating a bicycle or riding as a passenger to wear a certified and properly attached helmet. A well-fitting, properly worn, certified helmet could save your brain and your life.
3. Always Ride With The Flow Of Traffic. Riding against traffic significantly increases the opportunity for and severity of crashes. Motorists, other bicyclists, and pedestrians are not looking for anyone bicycling in the wrong direction on the wrong side of the roadway.
4. Pass Only On The Left. Only pass on the right judiciously. Other road users are not typically looking for anyone passing on the right. Passing on the right increases the likelihood of crashes.
5. Be Predictable. Use hand signals to indicate your intentions to turn, change lanes, merge, slow, and/or stop. Your position within the roadway and in a lane will also, indirectly, signal your intentions. Avoid sudden unexpected movements. Do not weave in and out of traffic. Pick and hold a steady line.

Find organically grown food,  farmers markets and restaurants that use organically grown food using the Local Food Guide.

The Local Food Guide 2009-2010, produced by the Georgia Organics and edited by Suzanne Welander is the state’s most complete guide to organic farms, farmers markets and restaurants that have involvement with organically grown food.

The organic farms and farmers markets and restaurants are organized geographically by county into five regions – Mountain, Atlanta Metro, Piedmont, East Coastal Plain and West Coastal Plain. So, using the guide you can organize a tour close to home or around a location to which you are traveling.

Here for example is a typical Farm listing:
Holt Heritage Farm and Supply, LLC
1235 Euharlee Road, Euharlee, GA 30145
Chaz & Georgia Holt, 770.386.8305
chaz@holtfarmsupply.com
www.holtfarmsupply.com
We offer: over 40 herb/vegetable/fruit crops throughout the year; children’s summer farm camps and school field trips on our farm; and a farm store selling exclusively organic farming supplies, plants, and sustainable living supplies.

The farmers’ markets in the Guide are all producer markets where you can buy fresh produce, meats, and dairy directly from the farmer who grew the food. The Guide does not include markets that predominately feature brokers or resellers, or markets that do not feature local producers selling locally grown food products.

Here is a typical Farmers Market Listing
Riverside Farmers Market
Riverside Park, Roswell, GA 30050
Louise Estabrook, 404.613.7670
laesta@uga.edu
The Riverside Farmers Market brings together vendors and shoppers in a celebration of farming and wholesome Georgia-grown produce. Enjoy events such as music, cook’s tours, chili cook-offs, watermelon eating contests, and a harvest festival! Open Saturdays 8am until noon, late May through October.

RESTAURANTS
All restaurants in the Guide are business level members of Georgia Organics. Some of the listed restaurants are committed to featuring fresh, locally produced food on their menus every day, year-round. Others purchase locally produced food occasionally. Georgia Organics urges you to contact the restaurants directly to find out more about their commitment
to feature sustainable and local food.

Here is a typical Restaurant Listing
Beechwood Inn
220 Beechwood Drive P.O. Box 429
Clayton, GA 30525
David G. Darugh, 706.782.5485
david-gayle@beechwoodinn.ws
www.beechwoodinn.ws
Most of our seasonal foods are from local and sustainable farms, orchards, and gardens, and much of it is organic and natural. Most of our dinner entrée meats are natural (organic, no hormones, no antibiotics, no feed lots). We are proud of our local suppliers.

Links

• Download a 88-page copy of Georgia Organics Local Food Guide.
• Read more about Georgia Organics.

Unicoi Outfitters has enhanced its instructional program for beginning fly fishers.

Unicoi Outfitters can provide you with an experienced and friendly fly fishing guide for our own Nacoochee Bend trophy trout section of the Chattahoochee, other trophy trout streams, the public trophy section of Dukes Creek at Smithgall Woods, and more public streams in Georgia and North Carolina. All guides provided by Unicoi Outfitters have a U.S. Forest Service permit and are fully insured.

Unicoi Outfitters and River Through Atlanta Guide Service have joined the Atlanta Fly Fishing School to enhance their offerings for beginning fly fishers. These three are offering a complete fly fishing education and river fishing package. The package will include a 5.5 hour fly fishing course to be followed by a one-half day guided fishing trip on either the lower Chattahoochee River or the trophy trout fishery at Nacoochee Bend near Helen. These packages are available at a special affordable rate perfect for introducing someone to the sport.

Links

• Read more about Unicoi Outfitters

Turner Field tours are conducted year-round and include a visit to the Atlanta Braves club house and the broadcast booth. Individuals and groups of 20 or less need no reservations.

Guided tours of Turner Field are offered year-round and begin in the Braves Museum & Hall of Fame. Tours start on the top of the hour, last approximately one hour, and take visitors to:

• Braves Museum & Hall of Fame
• Coca-Cola Sky Field
• Scouts Alley
• Broadcast Booth
• Luxury Suite
• Press Box
• Clubhouse
• The Plaza
• Dugout
• Museum Store

Tours for Individuals
No reservations are necessary for individuals or groups of less than 20 people. Walk-up tickets can be purchased on the day of your tour at the Braves ticket window at Turner Field and free parking is available in the Green Lot. (more…)

Atlanta’s Fox Theater, originally the Yaarab Temple Shrine Mosque, was designed in the late 1920s as headquarters for the 5,000 member Shriners organization. It is one of the popular tours given by the Atlanta Preservation Center.

See Atlanta’s history firsthand on the Atlanta Preservation Center’s Guided Walking Tours:

• The Fox Theatre
• Historic Downtown
• Sweet Auburn/Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District
• Inman Park
• Frederick Law Olmsted’s Druid Hills
• Grant Park
• Ansley Park
• Historic Midtown

These Guided Walking Tours are an informative and fun way to learn about Atlanta’s remarkable history and the people who led the city to prominence as the capital of the New South. The historic neighborhood tours illustrate why Atlanta’s quality of life has been sought after for generations.

Tour Schedules
Atlanta Preservation Center (APC) Guided Walking Tours are scheduled on a regular basis. They last about 1½ hours. The schedules for the eight tours are included in the following description of each tour.

All tours except the Fox Theatre are offered from March 1 through November 30. The Fox tour is given year round. Tours are not conducted on legal Holidays, Christmas and Easter.

The Atlanta Preservation Center is the agency for coordination, knowledge, research and advocacy for preservation in the city. Founded in 1980, it has worked tirelessly with government, business and community leaders to preserve more than 175 endangered residential and commercial structures, neighborhoods and landscapes. Its advocacy and education programs have made preservation come alive for thousands of area students, residents and visitors. 

Roswell Ghost Tours conducted by author and lecturer Dianna Avena explore the paranormal dimension of historic Roswell, a Metro Atlanta city deeply involved in the Civil War and the events leading up to it.

Tour guide Dianna Avena (thumnail photo) has been a Roswell resident since 1989 and is a proud mom to three active boys. She continues to enjoy her long career as an actress/model/body and stunt double in film, TV and print media.

The future tour guide of Roswell Ghost Tours attended the tour herself in 2000 and immediately fell in love with it, attending many more times.  She feels very fortunate to have the opportunity to represent Roswell Ghost Tours as she has for over seven years now. She enjoys introducing others to Roswell through its haunting tales, and feels that it’s a walk back in time each time she does so. Long-time Roswell residents usually find that they learn much about their city’s rich history through this informative and entertaining ghost tour. Residents and local businesses in Roswell continue to share their stories and experiences with her, so that keeps the Roswell Ghost Tour constantly changing and exciting.

Dianna’s book, Roswell: History, Haunts and Legends, was released in October of 2007. She is an avid paranormal investigator having worked with many of the most respected paranormal investigators and teams. In September 2007, she decided the best way to achieve her goals of adding to the general knowledge in the paranormal community was to found and lead her own investigative team. Hence, came the formation of Roswell Georgia Paranormal Investigations. Dianna is a frequent guest on radio programs and public speaking engagements.

Bulloch Hall, completed in 1839, has been described as one of the most significant houses in Georgia, and one of the South’s few examples of true temple-form architecture.

Don’t miss the home of Theodore Roosevelt’s mother - Roswell’s Bulloch Hall, a Willis Ball design that has been described as one of the most significant antebellum houses in Georgia.

The childhood home of Mittie Bulloch, President Theodore Roosevelt’s mother, this impressive Greek Revival structure completed in 1839 has been described as one of the most significant houses in Georgia and one of the South’s few examples of true temple-form architecture. The floor plan, typical to the period, features a lofty center entrance hall with an equal number of rooms on each side. The house is beautifully furnished with authentic period furniture. The house includes a Museum Room with history of the family. The grounds include reconstructed slave quarters, privy, summer house, wells, gardens and museum shop.