This website has been created to raise awareness and interest about a Civil War Site in Athens, Georgia. The long term plan for this battlefield site is to develop it into a Public Historical Park. The following is an account of the events that took place on August 2, 1864. In addition, there are pictures showing the current condition of the Artillery Earthworks and Infantry Trenches.
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The Battle of Barber's Creek
In July,1864 Union Major General William Tecumseh Sherman was closing in on Atlanta Georgia. Part of this attack stratergy was to have the supply lines destroyed that might re-supply the city of Atlanta. Sherman sent a message to Union General George Stoneman to take his cavalry and wipe out all threating factors in their area. One of the locations of interest was Athens, Georgia. Athens was home of the Cook & Brother Armory, the Athens Foundry, the Pioneer Paper Mill, and a hub of the Georgia Railroad.
{Sherman took over all armies in the Western Theatre when Ulysses S. Grant was promoted to General in-chief by Abraham Lincoln. They included the Army of the Cumberland, the Army of the Ohio and the Army of theTennessee.These armies made up the Division of the Mississippi.}
Union Major William Tecumsch Sherman
Division Commander of the Mississippi
Union Major General George Stoneman Confederate Brigadier General Alfred Holt Iverson
Cavalry Corp's Commander Army of The Ohio Cavalry Commander Army of Tennesee
On July 30, 1864, General Stoneman was 70 miles southwest of Athens when he encountered Brigadier General Alfred Holt Iverson in Clinton, Georgia. In the midst of heavy fighting Stoneman believed the Confederate forces were larger than first observed. He realized if his troops were captured, Sherman's orders couldn't be carried out. General Stoneman knew the importance of destroying the supply lines around Atlanta.
After conferring with his staff, Stoneman made a decision to dispatch two brigades to carry out Sherman's orders. The two cavalry units totaled over 1000 troops and were commanded by Union Lt.Colonel Silas Adams and Colonel Horace Capron. General Stoneman instructed the two commanders to retreat from the battlefield, strike out in two separate directions, and he would cover their escape.
Colonel Adams was advancing northeast through Madison, Georgia
while Colonel Capron moved north
through Rutledge, Georgia. They joined forces late in the afternoon of August 1, and camped 12 miles south of the Oconee River near Athens. Early on the morning of August 2, they entered the city of Watkinsville. Here they planned their attack strategy on Athens. Their orders were to destroy and burn all government works in the city.This included the Cook & Brother Armory, the Athens Foundry, the Pioneer Paper Mill, and all railroad lines leading in or out of the city. Union Colonel Silas Adams and his 500 men would lead the assault on Athens. Meanwhile, Colonel Capron and his men would cover them to the south in case of attack by the pursuing Confederate cavalry under the command of Brigadier General John Stuart Williams. The two commanders expected little or no resistance from Athens. Their scouts showed no active military force stationed in this small Georgia town.
Union Lt. Colonel Silas Adams Union Colonel Horace Capron
Cavalry Officer Army of The Ohio Cavalry Officer Army of The Ohio
Commander of the 1st and 11th Kentucky Cavalry Commander of the 14th Illinois, 8th Michigan and McLaughlin's Ohio Squadron
Confederate General Howell Cobb, who was from Athens and had been appointed commander of all defense operations in Georgia, had the insight to know sooner or later Athens could be a target of attack. In early June 1864, he put Confederate Colonel Andrew Young in charge of getting the defense fortifications constructed in Athens. One of these fortifications to construct was at the southern part of Athens and near the Barber's and McNutts bridge.
The Athens Home Guard Units first line of defense at this location was Lumpkin's Artillery and it was commanded by Captain Edward P. Lumpkin. This position was between two creek crossings three miles south of Athens on a hill that overlooked the entire countryside. Captain Lumpkin had his cannons placed in three tiers, one above the other. The Battery was made up of three12 lb. Napoleons which were positioned in the two upper Lunettes and the famous Double Barreled Cannon was placed in the bottom Lunette nearest Barber and McNutts creek and was to be used for short range firing.
Confederate Major General Howell Cobb
Northern Army of Virginia
The second line of defense was the Home Guard Infantry Units which were manned by Mitchell's Thunderbolts and the resigned members of Lipscomb's Volunteers. The Infantry units were entrenched along the hillside directly in front of the Barber's and McNutts Creek Covered Bridge. The trenches were arranged in three lines of defense which were all connected to each other. The upper two lines were joined by a switch back fashion. The lower trench connected to the main line some 30 feet down from the switch back pattern. In all, there are over 1000 feet of trenches stretch along the slope of the hillside. These earthwork fortifications were built in under 2 months. The stage was set for battle. On the morning of August 2,1864, the Union Cavalry entered the city of Watkinsville, Georgia, which is 7 miles south of Athens. Citizens of Watkinsville quickly sent a message to Home Guard fortifications at Barber's Creek.
Hodgsons Brothers in Home Guard Uniforms
Bill, Prince, and Bob, ages 18,16, 14 respectively
Early afternoon of August 2,1864, men from Lumpkin's Battery looked across the creek and they could plainly see a large Union Cavalry on the hill approaching them from Watkinsville, Georgia. When Union Lt. Colonel Adams reached the covered bridge he found that the planks had been removed. This momentarily stopped him and at that instant Lumpkin's Artillery opened fire. A shell came screaming across the stream and landed in their midst. A second, third, and fourth shell-burst followed. While the Union Troops were scattering along the creek bank the Double-Barrelled Cannon fired its barrels and the hidden infantrymen of the Home Guard unleashed their muskets. The Federal cavalrymen finally recoiled behind a nearby hill. Numerous men were wounded and one Lieutenant was killed. After consulting with his staff Colonel Adams sent a few scouts out to assess the situation. They reported seeing smoke rising from four guns of artillery and troops entrenched along the tree line of the hill. Their opinion was that the area seemed to be too well fortified to attempt crossing at the covered bridge. After surveying the area the scouts suggestion was to turn up the west bank of Barber's Creek and head toward Jefferson, Georgia, which was 26 miles northwest and advance to the Union supply lines near Marietta, Georgia. Since the brigades ammunition and supplies were dangerously low, Colonel Adams agreed with his scouts that trying to cross the bridge and engage the enemy could be a lengthy battle and he had no support.
A message was sent to Colonel Capron who was still in Watkinsville to follow them to the supply lines in Marietta. The courier led Colonel Capron the wrong road, which put them six miles away from Adams. The road they took led to Jug Tavern just east of Winder, Georgia. Colonel Capron and his men were tired and they decided to camp for the night. Early morning of August 3, 1864, Capron's men were awakened by the sound of gun fire and horses running through the camp. The Confederate brigade of Kentuckians had finally caught up to them. Colonel Capron's brigade was captured, but he and six men escaped. Confederate Colonel W.G.P. Breckinridge and his 9th. Kentucky Cavalry brought 430 enemy soldiers to Athens. They were held at the University of Georgia campus until they could be transferred to a stockade in south Georgia near the town of Andersonville.
Colonel Silas Adams reached the supply lines in Marietta and learned of Capron's fate and requested permission to travel to Jug Tavern and engage the enemy. His request was denied. Four days later Colonel Capron and the six soldiers finally reached the supply lines.
The brief engagement at Barber's Creek with the Athens Home Guard Units was directly responsible for the demise of Stoneman's Cavalry by sending them in the path of the veteran Cofederate soldiers. This ended the trail of destruction for Stoneman's Raiders, but they went down in Civil War history as one of the most victorious cavalry units in the Union Army.
Cook & Brother Armory Athens,Georgia1862
Owners: Fredinand and France Cook
The largest independent armory in the Confederacy
Contracted to supply the Confederacy with 30,000 weapons. They manufactured Infanty Rifles, Artillery Carbines, and Musketoons. In addition, they produced bayonets for their weapons. Their trade mark was the "Stars and Bars" which was stamped on the lock plate. Colonel Burton the Confederate States Armory Inspector considered this armory as the best for making weapons for the Confederacy.
The Double Barrelled Cannon
The only one known of its kind, was designed in 1863 by an Athens, Georgia, man named John Gilleland. The manufacturing cost of the cannon was $350.00 and there were 36 investors. Cast at the Athens Foundry it weights almost 1300 lbs. The idea behind the weapon was to fire both barrels simultaneously. It was loaded with two balls three inches in diameter connected by a chain eight feet long. When fired, the chain woulld stretch tight between the balls and level any enemy troops. Lengthy testing at home to get both barrels to fire at the same were unsuccessful so John Gilleland and his investors decided to submit the cannon to the Confederate arsenal in Augusta, Georgia for further experimentation. Colonel George W. Rains, who was the commandant at the arsenal, tried his best to perfect the weapon, but he was not successful. He sent a message to the Secretary of War that the cannon could not be put in to production and should be sent back to Athens and marked as a failure.
Early 1864, Gilleland abandoned the ball and chain idea and tried a different approach. At short range both barrels could be loaded with canister or grape shot. The new theory enabled the cannon to discharge the muzzles separately. By late July 1864, the threat of enemy attack on Athens was becoming more apparent and Gilleland decided to use the weapon for home defense. The cannon was sent to the Barber's Creek fortifications and on August 2, 1864, the cannon was used against enemy troops. This was the only time the cannon was used in armed conflict.
After the War Between the States, the city of Athens bought the cannon from Gilleland and it was occasionally fired during presidential election returns and 4th of July celebrations.
The Athens Foundry
The Georgia Railroad
This railroad connected Athens with cities
such as Augusta, Union Point, Greensboro, Madison, Covington, and Atlanta. This railroad stretched eastward from Atlanta, 171 miles, to Augusta, the site of a vital arsenal and the Confederacy's largest gunpowder works. It supplied Confederate General Joesph Johnston with munitions, and rail connections with Richmond and Charleston which made it the most direct route for any re-enforcements coming from Virginia and the Carolinas.
The Georgia Railroad's Atlanta Depot
Barber's Creek Battlefield Site
144 years later
The following pictures, unfortunately, do not show the depth and detail of the artillery
emplacements and infantry trenches.
The Barber and McNutt's Creek Dam
This dam is just below where the Covered Bridge once spanned across 150 feet of raging water. The left side of the creek bank is where the Union cavalry gathered before they were fired on by Home Guard Troops.
This is a picture of a 12lb. Napoleon Cannon like the ones sent to Athens from the Augusta arsenal for home guard use.
The upper gun emplacement which is about 800 yards
north of the covered bridge. The oak tree in the back
ground is the direction the Napoleon was firing. The
picture in this frame is viewing inside the earthen pit.
The picture to the left is a shot from the back side of the gun emplacement. The tree you see is the same one from the previous picture.
This is a view of the middle gun emplacement. The exact position of the cannon has not been identified. However, records show one was located in this general area.
This picture shows the lower gun emplacement where the Double Barrelled Cannon was positioned. The cannon was placed in the center of pit facing the trees. Just below the oak trees starts the steep slope of the hill where the infantry trenches start.
This is just a segment of the upper/first trench nearest the lower cannon gunpit. The trench runs along the hillside ridge for 200 feet. Toward the right side of the picture the trench winds around and connects with the middle/second trench.
This picture shows the "switch pattern" of the upper and middle trenches. The twisted little tree in the middle of the screen is where the two trenches come together and form the switch back design. To the right, the middle trench runs just behind the second little twisted tree and it also runs for a distance of 200 feet.
Just behind the big oak tree on the left you can see the bottom/third trench. This is the trench that is the closest to the road bed and McNutts creek. It stretches for 300 feet and connects with the other two trenches above.
All three trenches come together and connect to this secondary extension trench that spans for an additional 300 feet which stops on top of the hill.
This picture shows where the two creeks come together. Barber's creek to the left and McNutts to the right. Just below where they merge lies the pillars of the covered bridge.
Barber's Creek McNutts Creek
These pillars are all that is left of the covered bridge. The bridge was originally constructed in 1825 for a total cost of $75.00. This bridge was very important because it connected the only road leading into Athens from the south via Watkinsville. During the life span of the bridge it had been washed out three times; however, each time it was built back and it was used until the 1920's.
This is a close up picture of one of the pillars. In the back ground just to the left of the pillar you can see one of the other pillars in the distance.