Georgia Battlefields Association

Today, a small park contains the remnants of two of these forts, as well as a supporting artillery site. GBA does all this without government funding.

Georgia Battlefields Association (GBA) is a private, non-profit organization established in 1995 to preserve the almost 400 Civil War sites in Georgia, most of which are privately owned. GBA has worked with national, state, county and city governments and non-governmental preservation organizations to:
- Raise funds for and coordinate the purchase of 18.5 acres of the Griswoldville battlefield. GB

A deeded the site to Department of Natural Resources, which established a state park.
- Influence the state government to buy over 500 acres of the Resaca battlefield in 2000.
- Help a Cobb County neighborhood association prevent placement of a convenience store near the Kolb Farm, a unit of the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Through both a $5,000 pledge and a publicity campaign, GBA influenced the Cobb County Commission to purchase 4.2 acres that were then deeded to the National Park Service in 2003.
- Persuade the Cobb County Commission to set aside 4 acres of a proposed 154-unit housing development to protect unique fortifications known as Shoupades. GBA provided the text and graphics for the four historical markers that are now in place.
- Place a conservation easement on 473 acres of battlefield land at Resaca. Working with the American Battlefield Protection Program, the Civil War Trust, the Trust for Public Land, and the Gordon County Commission, GBA contributed $50,000 towards the cost of the easement.
- Purchase 51 acres of the Resaca battlefield. GBA contributed $75,000, almost half the cost.
- Purchase 7 acres containing Confederate earthworks in Crow Valley, north of Dalton. GBA contributed the entire purchase price of $25,000.
- Purchase 4 additional acres in Crow Valley for $15,000.
- Contribute to the cost and text of ten markers placed by the Georgia Historical Society.
- Contribute $10,000 towards the restoration of the McPherson and Walker monuments.
- Contribute $20,000 to add land to Kettle Creek Revolutionary War Battlefield.
- Formally comment on proposals to build houses, roads, cell phone towers, and power lines that might affect historic sites. GBA also owns and maintains 4.7 acres of the New Hope Church battlefield. To achieve its preservation objectives, GBA must first raise awareness of the existence and status of historic sites in Georgia. To accomplish this goal, GBA has:
- Given presentations about the history of Civil War sites and their preservation status.
- Conducted tours of Civil War sites. From 2002 to 2020, GBA was fortunate to have Ed Bearss, National Park Service Chief Historian Emeritus, lead our annual tour.
- Designed and installed a dozen historical markers since July 2004.
- Given interviews in support of preservation to local and national media. The Civil War Sesquicentennial provided another opportunity for publicizing the need for preservation. Since 2006, GBA’s monthly newsletters featured “150 years ago this month” articles. Our newsletters are available on our web address on the bottom of the page. GBA raises money almost exclusively from membership dues and from conducting tours its members pay to attend. GBA has no paid staff. The GBA trustees are all volunteers, and their only compensation is the satisfaction of working for a worthwhile cause.

02/28/2026

The link to the March 2026 GBA Newsletter is posted below. Key items in this issue include:

- Information on the annual Phoenix Flies downtown Atlanta Cilvil War yours on March 7 and March 21
- Updated information on the annual tour April 9-12
- Re-homing of Civil War books
- the Declaration of Independence Semiquincentennial
- Association Policy Statement

www.georgiabattlefields.org

02/20/2026

https://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/more-perfect-union-the-american-civil-war-era/

More Perfect Union: The American Civil War Era More Perfect Union: America’s Civil War Era will tell the broader story of the Civil War era, before, during, and after the war, through deeply researched narratives, new technology, and never-before-seen artifacts.

02/15/2026

in 1779 the Battle of Kettle Creek. After capturing Savannah on December 29, 1778, Lt. Col. Archibald Campbell marched up the Savannah River and occupied Augusta one month later January 29, 1779. From Augusta Campbell dispatched South Carolina Loyalist Lt. Col. John Boyd into the back country of the Carolinas on a recruiting mission. He traveled all the way to North Carolina in less than a week, and by the second week of February was returning to Augusta with a force of over 600 Loyalists.

After the fall of Augusta, commander of Wilkes County Militia Col. John Dooley and his subordinate Lt. Col. Elijah Clarke withdrew their troops across the Savannah River at Cherokee Ford and camped on the South Carolina side. They were soon joined by 250 South Carolina Patriot Militia under Col. Andrew Pickens who took overall command. Even though the Loyalist force was nearly 50% larger, the Patriots decided to pursue Boyd as he crossed back into Georgia hoping to use surprise to their advantage. Approximately 1/3 of Boyd’s newly recruited force was unarmed but it is unclear if the Patriots were aware of this.

Instead of marching directly to Augusta, Boyd swung to the northwest through Wilkes County. It’s unknown exactly why he did so but it was possibly to link up with Major John Hamilton who’d been sent to recruit Loyalists in Wilkes County. However, Hamiliton had been recalled to Augusta. Lt. Col. Campbell’s immediate superior, Brig. Gen. Augustine Prévost, had become alarmed at the number of forces Patriot General Benjamin Lincoln had begun to mass along the South Carolina side of the Savannah River and decided to consolidate around Savannah. He therefore ordered Campbell to abandon Augusta once Boyd and Hamilton’s recruiting expeditions had returned.

The Patriots caught up with Boyd at Kettle Creek approximately 8 miles southwest from present day Washington, Georgia. Pickens advanced, leading the center, with Col. Dooly leading a mounted flanking force on his right and Lt. Col Clarke on his left. Gunfire between Patriot scouts and the camp guards alerted Boyd to the situation. Boyd formed a defensive line near the camp's rear and advanced with a force of 100 men to oppose Pickens at a crude breastwork made of fencing and fallen trees. Pickens was able to flank this position, even though Dooley and Clarke were slowed by canebrakes near the creek. In heavy fighting, Boyd went down with a mortal wound, and the survivors retreated to the main Loyalist line.

The Patriot flanks then began to emerge from the swamps. The Loyalists, led by Boyd's second in command, Major William Spurgen, engaged the Patriots in battle for 90 minutes. Some of the Loyalists crossed the creek, abandoning horses and equipment. Clarke alertly noticed some high ground across the Kettle Creek that they seemed to be heading for and led some of his men there, having his horse shot from under him in the process. The Loyalist line was eventually broken, and its men were killed, captured, or dispersed. The Patriots took 75 prisoners, including most of the wounded, and up to 70 Loyalists were killed. They suffered 9 killed and 14–23 wounded or missing in the battle. Many of Boyd's men (including some who had escaped the battlefield and others that Pickens paroled) returned home. Campbell reported that Major Spurgen joined him in Augusta with 270 of Boyd's recruits. These men became the nucleus for the Royal North Carolina Regiment. When Pickens approached the mortally wounded Boyd after the battle, the Loyalist leader, who was known to Pickens, asked him to deliver a brooch to his wife and inform her of his fate. Pickens eventually did.

02/02/2026

The Washington Civil War Round Table next meeting is February 23,2026 The January meeting was cancelled due to weather and road conditions. We meet at the Pope Center, 48B, Lexington Ave., Washington, Georgia every fourth Monday of the month except December. We have no agenda except to study and learn history from the 1860's. Cost is $17.00 includes wine, dinner and speaker. Social hour starts just before 6pm with dinner about 6:30pm Contact [email protected]

01/28/2026

Here is the GBA February newsletter. Topics include:

- Report from the annual trustees meeting
- New GBA logo
- Additional payments process now available using Zelle
- March 7 and 21 downtown walking tours
- Georgia History Festival
- ABT Park Days
- April 9-12 annual tour information

Check it out

georgiabattlefields.org

01/28/2026

01/28/2026

HELP WANTED — Friends, acquaintances and hangers-on, I’m starting to sketch out my next book (No. 4). This one will follow Sherman’s March to the Sea, mile by mile, story by story.

As I did with “A Civil War Road Trip of A Lifetime,” I won’t just be stopping at well-known sites. I plan to traipse off the beaten path, sit with locals, eat where the stories still linger, and — most important — listen. I’ll also be visiting with descendants, chasing family lore and looking for the small, human moments that often don’t make it into the history books.

And I want you to be part of this.

If you know of:
• lesser-known places along Sherman’s route
• family stories handed down through generations
• churches, homes, cemeteries or back roads where stories lurk
• local historians, caretakers or keepers of memory
• spots I should eat, linger or simply absorb the place

… please drop your suggestions in the comments or message me. Email: [email protected]

Let’s keep history alive. 👊

Old number 9: Vandals and thieves tried to diminish this Civil War cannon. The weathered survivor, displayed for a decade at a Georgia park, will be a star artifact at an upcoming Atlanta History Center exhibit

01/06/2026

https://civil-war-picket.blogspot.com/2026/01/old-number-9-vandals-and-thieves-tried.html

Old number 9: Vandals and thieves tried to diminish this Civil War cannon. The weathered survivor, displayed for a decade at a Georgia park, will be a star artifact at an upcoming Atlanta History Center exhibit The gun, manufactured in Boston in 1851 for the Arkansas Military Institute, has been on loan for nearly 10 years to Pickett’s Mill Battlefield State Historic Site northwest of Atlanta. It’s possible it was used to mow down Federal attackers who futilely charged through a ravine toward Confedera...

01/05/2026

The January 2026 GBA Newsletter has been posted at the link below:

georgiabattlefields.org

11/05/2025

A journey through the Civil War's untold stories awaits. Engage with our website to reveal the secrets and insights that history has to offer. Mr. Tom Poland provided an excellent presentation and brought a personal touch to life in the 1860's, in the October meeting. Many reflected on their own handed down stories of their family during those times. The November 24, 2025, meeting will feature Mary-Elizabeth Ellard, DVM presenting how Veterinary Medicine was born out of The Civil War. Another great topic you will not learn about anywhere else. The Washington Civil War Round Table meets every fourth Monday of the month except December. We meet at The Pope Center, 48B Lexington Ave., Washington Georgia 30673. Cost for the November meeting will be free as our President will be providing a Turkey Dinner. Donations will be accepted to cover the cost of the food. We are a history group and have no agenda other than to study and learn history of the turbulent 1860's. Contact [email protected]

On the Road to Atlanta: The Seseschers Absqautulated - Emerging Civil War

10/31/2025

https://emergingcivilwar.com/2025/10/29/the-seseschers-absqautulated/

On the Road to Atlanta: The Seseschers Absqautulated - Emerging Civil War Julius C. Wright was an 18-year-old college student when he decided to enlist in Company C of the 36th Illinois Infantry while they were home on furlough in February, 1864. He accompanied his new comrades to the battle front in March. The 36th belonged to the First Brigade of John Newton’s Second ...