Odd that we never heard anything at all about this. But then I don't believe everything printed in the Atlanta Journal & Constitution! Olivia ----- Original Message ----- From: "JRA" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 12:26 PM Subject: [GAEMANUE] Civil War Trails - Six Heritage Trails Eyed for CivilWar Anniversary > Yvonne's message was a perfect lead-off for an article that appeared in > Sunday's AJC metro section that I thought may interest others: > http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/printedition/2008/07/27/heritage.html > > Six heritage trails eyed for Civil War anniversary > By Mark Davis > The Atlanta Journal-Constitution > Published on: 07/27/08 > > They had no choice. When Union soldiers swept through, the freed slaves > fell in behind. The former servants and field hands needed to eat, and > they feared the Confederate cavalry trailing the Northerners. > Then they came to Ebenezer Creek, soldier and freedman alike. A Union > general with the unlikely name of Jefferson C. Davis ordered his troops to > build a pontoon bridge so the army could advance toward Savannah. Men, > mules and material trundled across the Effingham County creek. Before the > former slaves could follow, Davis ordered the bridge taken apart. Hundreds > of people stood on the bank, watching the army leave. > > Some jumped in the creek and drowned. Others were at its banks when > mounted Confederate soldiers arrived. With sword and gun, the frustrated > cavalrymen took their anger out on the unarmed people. Hundreds died in > what became known as the betrayal at Ebenezer Creek. > It is but a footnote in Sherman's March to the Sea, one event among > hundreds that took place in Georgia during the Civil War. There isn't even > a sign at the creek to remind people of the carnage —- but one is coming. > The marker, which should be erected next year, is one of scores that will > commemorate events that took place in Georgia during the Civil War. They > will make up the Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails, a $4.3 million program > highlighting places where the war unfolded in Georgia's cities, towns and > forests. Six trails, reaching across the state, will showcase about 400 > spots —- battlefields and hospital sites, places where armies stopped to > spend the night and more. > > Drive, not walk. The trails are not pedestrian walkways; they stretch for > hundreds of miles, and are designed to be driven. Some signs have already > been erected on three of the routes, and more will be marked next year. > Planners hope all the trails will be completed between 2011-15, the Civil > War's sesquicentennial. > > Most people don't realize that Georgia is second only to Virginia in the > number of events that took place in the 1861-65 conflict, said Steven > Longcrier, executive director of the nonprofit Georgia Civil War Heritage > Trails Inc., which is overseeing the project. They only think of a trek to > the sea, he said. > > "I guess you can thank a guy named Sherman for that," said the Augusta > resident, a Civil War enthusiast who has spent several years cataloging > sites across the state. > > Union Gen. William T. Sherman gets his due. March to the Sea Heritage > Trail will showcase the progress of the general who vowed to "make Georgia > howl." It will be a 250-mile journey taking visitors along parallel paths > of the army's push to the coast. > > Other heritage trails are: > The Atlanta Campaign. It will follow the Union and Confederate armies' > route from northwest Georgia to Atlanta. It should open first, followed by > March to the Sea. > Jefferson Davis. This trail showcases the president of the Confederacy, > not the Union general, and will trace his path as Davis tried to escape > Union forces. Planners want this trail to open next year. > Wilson's Raid. It showcases cavalry assaults from Alabama into Georgia led > by Union Maj. Gen. James Wilson. > Northeast Georgia. It will focus on the mountain region's divided > loyalties between Union and Confederate causes. > South Georgia. The prison at Andersonville, about 15 miles north of > Americus, will be a feature, as well as sites highlighting agriculture's > importance to the Confederates. > > Don't expect to whisk down interstates from one site to the next, said > Alex Wiley of MACTEC Inc. A national engineering firm whose headquarters > is Alpharetta, the company is working with the heritage group to survey > tracts and offer construction advice. It's also coordinating plans with > the state Department of Transportation, which has rights-of-way authority. > "As I like to say, Sherman didn't take I-75 to Atlanta," said Wiley. > Nor will people who track the sites. In some areas, motorists will follow > dirt roads that the long-ago armies traveled. The trails, said Longcrier, > "kind of wind all around." > > Longcrier would know. Since the heritage organization's founding in 1999, > Longcrier has logged more than 200,000 miles on two vehicles, visiting > sites across the state. When the first vehicle gave out last year, he > bought a second car; it has 30,000 miles so far. > > People won't mind the circuitous routes, said Fay Tripp, director of the > state Department of Economic Development's regional tourism program, which > will offer trail brochures and feature the drives on its Web site. She > called heritage tourism a "hot button." > > Profitable, too. The department estimates that the first three of > Georgia's trails could generate more than $62 million in hotel and meal > receipts, plus create more than 800 jobs. > > Potential visitors, she said, should run the gamut: retirees, school > groups, people researching their ancestry. "They're going to stay in > hotels, they're going to eat in restaurants," Tripp said. "Some of them > ... may visit and never leave." > > Some may like what they find in out-of-the-way places like Sandersville, > population 6,144. It's the site of the Brown House, now the home of the > Washington County town's history museum. On Nov. 26, 1864, a bewhiskered, > prickly Union officer took a nap on the home's fainting couch. That night, > he dined with reluctant hostess Mariah Brown and her children. The next > day, Sherman pushed onward. > > "We hope people will come down and visit," said Mayor Jimmy Andrews. > "We're very interested in tourism down here." > > Lesser-known events > In 2004, Sandersville put up $5,000 for two heritage markers in town. The > participating towns and municipalities have contributed an average $2,500 > in matching funds, said Longcrier. In all, they've contributed more than > $300,000. The state and private donors have given a comparable amount. > The cash will help pay for directional signs, plus the markers themselves, > which will look precisely like those used by the National Park Service. > The signs will show up in likely places —- 11 in and around Atlanta will > showcase the Battle of Atlanta, for example. Yet others will showcase > lesser-known occurrences. For example, Irwinville, where Union forces > captured President Davis, is going to get a marker, too. > > As will a creek, where hundreds of people faced a hard choice: death by > water, or sword. > > DALE E. DODSON / Staff SHERMAN'S MARCH TO THE SEA Map illustrates the > route of William Sherman's 250-mile march from Atlanta to the sea. An > inset map of the state of Georgia outlines the area of detail. > > Sincerely, > Lena > > > > > Emanuel County GaGenWeb > http://www.thegagenweb.com/gaemanuel/ > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message