Georgia in the American Civil War facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Georgia
Variant flag (de facto) Seal (1863–1865) Map of the United States with Georgia highlighted.
Capital	Milledgeville
Largest City	Savannah
Admission to confederacy	March 16, 1861 (2nd)
Population	1,082,757 total  • 620,527 (57.31%) free  • 462,230 (42.69%) slave
Forces supplied	- Confederate soldiers: 120,000 - Union soldiers: 5,000 (3,500 black; 2,500 white) total
Major garrisons/armories	Fort Pulaski
Governor	Joseph E. Brown
Senators	Benjamin Harvey Hill John Wood Lewis, Sr. Herschel Vespasian Johnson
Representatives	List
Restored to the Union	July 15, 1870

This is a copy of the 1861 Ordinance of Secession. It was signed by 293 leaders in Milledgeville, Georgia.

Georgia was one of the first seven slave states to join the Confederate States of America. This happened in February 1861, which helped start the U.S. Civil War. The state's governor, Joseph E. Brown, wanted Georgia's soldiers to defend only Georgia. This was different from what Confederate president Jefferson Davis wanted. Davis wished to send them to other battlefields.

When the Union blockade stopped Georgia from selling its cotton, Governor Brown told farmers to grow food instead. However, problems with transportation led to serious food shortages.

There was not much fighting in Georgia until September 1863. At that time, Confederate soldiers won a battle at Chickamauga Creek. In May 1864, William T. Sherman began chasing the Confederates towards Atlanta. He captured Atlanta in September. After that, he started his famous March to the Sea. This six-week journey destroyed much of Georgia's buildings and roads. It also helped end the war faster. When soldiers in Robert E. Lee's army heard about the march, many Georgians left to go home. The Battle of Columbus on April 16, 1865, is sometimes called the last battle of the war.

Why Georgia Left the Union

In December 1860, Georgia's governor, Joseph E. Brown, strongly believed in slavery. He also believed in states' rights, meaning states should have more power. He thought that Abraham Lincoln becoming president would end slavery in the U.S. Lincoln was a Republican who was against slavery.

Governor Brown told Georgians to fight against anti-slavery actions. He said that if they did not resist, their enslaved people would be freed.

Later that month, South Carolina became the first state to leave the Union. People in Savannah, Georgia celebrated this news. In January 1861, Georgia held its own meeting, called the Georgia Secession Convention. They decided to leave the Union.

Georgia's leaders said they were leaving because of disagreements about slavery. They pointed to President Lincoln's views and the Republican Party's goal to stop slavery. They also mentioned anti-slavery feelings in northern states. They felt northerners supported equal rights for African Americans.

During the vote to leave, some leaders made sure the vote would pass. They also made all delegates promise to support leaving, no matter how they voted.

This is a 50-cent banknote from the Bank of the State of Georgia, made in 1862. It could be traded for Confederate money.

In February 1861, a Georgian named Henry L. Benning spoke in Virginia. He said Georgia left the Union to prevent slavery from being ended. Another leader, William L. Harris from Mississippi, told Georgia's assembly that Republicans wanted "equality between the white and negro races." He said leaving the Union was needed to stop this.

Some religious leaders in Georgia also supported slavery. One preacher said that anti-slavery views went against Christian teachings.

Life in Georgia During the War

Governor Joseph E. Brown was a strong supporter of leaving the Union. He worked to take Georgia out of the U.S. and into the Confederacy. He believed strongly in states' rights. This meant he often disagreed with the Confederate government's rules during the war.

He did not like the Confederate military draft. He tried to keep as many soldiers as possible in Georgia to fight invaders. Governor Brown also argued against the Confederacy taking animals, goods, and enslaved people from Georgians. Many other governors followed his example.

During the war, Georgia sent almost 100,000 men to fight for the Confederacy. Most of them went to armies in Virginia. Even though Georgia left the Union, many people in North Georgia stayed loyal to the United States.

Union Supporters in Georgia

About 5,000 Georgians fought for the U.S. Army. They joined units like the 1st Georgia Infantry Battalion.

Rabun County in Georgia was especially loyal to the Union. Many people there were against leaving the Union. One resident said in 1865 that almost no one in their county wanted to leave.

The loyalties were not always simple. In some mountain counties like Fannin and Lumpkin, Union and Confederate supporters fought each other. These local fights were very harsh between 1861 and 1865. One sad event was the Madden Branch Massacre in Fannin County. On November 29, 1864, six Georgians trying to join the U.S. Army were killed by a Confederate group.

Union support was not just in the mountains. It could be found in other parts of Georgia too.

Food Shortages and Hardship

By summer 1861, the Union naval blockade almost stopped all cotton exports. It also stopped imports of manufactured goods. Food that usually came by train from northern states also stopped. The governor asked farmers to grow less cotton and more food. But farmers refused at first. They thought Europe would help them and break the blockade.

The government then set limits on how much cotton farmers could grow. Growing too much became a crime. But food shortages still got worse, especially in towns. In many places, poor white women broke into stores. They also stopped supply wagons to get food like bacon, corn, and flour.

Sometimes, Confederate armies took food from Georgians by force. The governor complained that these actions hurt people in the northeastern part of the state. As conditions at home got worse, more soldiers left the army. They went home to help their struggling farms and families.

Groups Resisting Confederate Rule

During the war, some Georgians formed groups to resist Confederate leaders. Some were loyal to the Union. Others were against the Confederacy because of its policies, like taking goods and forcing men to join the army.

"Deserter gangs" were made up of soldiers who had left the Confederate army. "Layout gangs" were people who hid to avoid being drafted. People who supported the Confederacy often called these groups "Tories." Some groups had both deserters and draft evaders.

The mountains of north Georgia were a common place for these groups to hide. Other groups operated in the swamps of the Alapaha River. The Okefenokee Swamp was another hiding spot. Over 1,000 deserters were reported to be hiding on Black Jack Island and Soldiers Camp Island. By 1864, the Confederate government no longer fully controlled the Wiregrass Region of Georgia because of these groups.

Similar groups also lived in the backcountry of Pulaski, Montgomery, and Telfair counties. This area is near Gum Swamp Creek in what is now Dodge County.

Debate Over Enslaved People as Soldiers

Late in the war, there was a discussion about using enslaved people as soldiers for the Confederacy. Many Confederate newspapers strongly disagreed with this idea. They said it did not fit with the Confederacy's beliefs about African Americans and slavery.

They argued that using enslaved people as armed soldiers would be embarrassing for future generations. They believed enslaved people should be used for labor, not for fighting. Georgian leaders like Howell Cobb also opposed the idea. Cobb said that enslaved people could not be trusted as soldiers. He believed that if enslaved people became soldiers, many white Confederate soldiers would leave the army.

Despite these strong objections, a law was passed on March 13, 1865. This law allowed the Confederacy to raise troops from the enslaved population. By mid-April, some recruiting stations opened in Macon, Georgia. However, the war ended shortly after, so we don't know how many enslaved people actually joined.

Major Battles in Georgia

Georgia was mostly peaceful until late 1863. Nearly 550 battles and small fights happened in the state. Most of these took place in the last two years of the war. The first big battle in Georgia was a Confederate win at the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863. This was the last major Confederate victory in the western part of the war.

In 1864, Union general William T. Sherman's armies entered Georgia. This was part of the Atlanta Campaign. Confederate general Joseph E. Johnston fought many battles, like the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. He tried to slow down the Union armies as he moved back towards Atlanta. Johnston was replaced by General John Bell Hood. Hood tried several attacks but failed. Sherman captured Atlanta on September 2, 1864.

List of Battles Fought in Georgia

The Atlanta Campaign

Union Major General William T. Sherman began his invasion of Georgia in May 1864. He started near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston tried to stop him. Johnston's army slowly moved back towards Atlanta. Sherman's armies kept trying to go around Johnston's forces.

In July, Confederate president Jefferson Davis replaced Johnston with John Bell Hood. Hood was more aggressive. He attacked the Union Army many times, but these attacks caused heavy losses for his own army. Hood's army was eventually trapped in Atlanta. The city fell on September 2, 1864. This set the stage for Sherman's March to the Sea and helped end the war faster.

Sherman's March to the Sea

This map shows Sherman's March to the Sea from November to December 1864.

In November 1864, General Sherman removed all unnecessary items from his army. He then burned much of Atlanta and left it. He began his famous Sherman's March to the Sea. His army lived off the land, taking food and supplies. They burned plantations, destroyed railroads, and killed livestock. Thousands of formerly enslaved people followed him. He entered Savannah on December 22.

After Atlanta was lost, Georgia's governor pulled the state's local soldiers away from the Confederate forces. He wanted them to harvest crops for the state and the army. These local soldiers did not try to stop Sherman.

Sherman's March caused huge damage to Georgia and the Confederacy. Sherman himself estimated the damage at $100 million. This would be about $1.4 billion in today's money. His army destroyed 300 miles (480 km) of railroad tracks. They also ruined many bridges and miles of telegraph lines. They took 5,000 horses, 4,000 mules, and 13,000 cattle. They also took 9.5 million pounds of corn and 10.5 million pounds of fodder. Many cotton gins and mills were also destroyed.

Sherman's campaign also affected Georgian civilians. In July 1864, during the Atlanta campaign, Sherman ordered about 400 mill workers from Roswell, Georgia to be arrested. Most of these workers were women. They were sent as prisoners to the North with their children. Few of these women ever returned home.

The memory of Sherman's March became a very important story in the South. It is part of the "Myth of the Lost Cause." This march was also the setting for Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and the 1939 movie. Many stories tell how quick-thinking women saved things from Sherman's army. Others tell how Union soldiers spared homes because they appreciated their beauty.

County Courthouses Destroyed

During the war, twelve county courthouses in Georgia were destroyed by the U.S. Army.

• The courthouse in McIntosh County at Darien was burned in June 1863. Most of the town was also burned.
• The Dade County courthouse was destroyed in 1863 during the Chattanooga Campaign.
• The courthouses of Cherokee County, Clayton County, Cobb County, Polk County, and Whitfield County were destroyed in 1864 during the Atlanta Campaign.
• The courthouses of Bulloch County, Butts County, Screven County, Washington County, and Wilkinson County were destroyed during Sherman's March to the Sea in 1864.

The courthouse in Catoosa County at Ringgold was saved by U.S. General William T. Sherman. He learned that it was also a Masonic lodge.

Last Battles of the War

In December 1864, Sherman captured Savannah. He then left Georgia in January 1865 to start his Carolinas Campaign. However, some small fights still happened in Georgia after he left. On April 16, 1865, the Battle of Columbus was fought. This battle took place on the border between Georgia and Alabama. In 1935, Georgia's government officially called this fight the "last battle of the War Between the States."

Georgia Rejoins the Union

After the Civil War ended, Georgia was placed under military control. The war left most of Georgia in ruins. Many people had died or were wounded. The state's economy was also in very bad shape.

Enslaved people were freed in 1865. The process of rebuilding the South, called Reconstruction, began right after the fighting stopped. Georgia did not rejoin the United States until July 15, 1870. It was the last of the former Confederate states to be allowed back into the Union. The state remained poor for many years, even into the 1900s.

Civil War Sites in Georgia

A sign for the Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails.

Many Civil War battlefields in Georgia, especially around Atlanta, have been covered by modern city growth. However, some important sites are still preserved. These include Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Other places related to the Civil War are Stone Mountain, Fort Pulaski, and the Atlanta Cyclorama.

Many beautiful old homes and plantations from before the war are preserved in Georgia. You can visit them, especially around Atlanta and Savannah. Parts of the Western and Atlantic Railroad from the Civil War era have historical markers. These markers remember events like the Andrews Raid. The Civil War Heartland Leaders Trail includes 46 sites from Gainesville to Milledgeville. Another area with Civil War history is Sweetwater Creek State Park in Douglas County, Georgia. Here, you can see one of the last buildings burned by General Sherman's army, the New Manchester Mill.

See also

• List of Georgia Confederate Civil War regiments
• List of Georgia Union Civil War units
• History of slavery in Georgia