History Underfoot
July 22 Marks 150 Years Since the Civil War Battle of Atlanta
Georgia Tech had not yet been founded when the Civil War was fought, but that doesn’t mean the Institute has no connections to the war. First of all, the then-Georgia School of Technology was chartered in 1885 in response to the South's need to transition from a largely agrarian economy to a more industrialized one, a development no doubt spurred by the end of slavery after the war.
Another connection is geographic: In anticipation of advancing Union troops in the summer of 1864, several forts were built on what is now Georgia Tech land. Seen as strategically high ground, land along the southern edge of campus was cleared and fortified by the Confederacy to prevent direct frontal attacks on the city. Sherman's siege was overwhelming nevertheless, and the city surrendered 150 years ago on Sept. 2, just west of campus on Marietta Street.
Take a Then-and-Now Tour of Civil War Sites Around Tech's Campus:
Using geographic information systems technology and drawing
on the work of Associate Professor William Drummond of Georgia Tech's School of City and
Regional Planning,
Holden Spaht (MS ARCH 2014) superimposed locations of Confederate forts over an aerial view
of modern-day Atlanta. Credit: Google Maps.
This view, believed to be facing west from Fort X, now looks toward the back of the Printing
and Copying Building.
During the war, homes in the area were stripped to provide lumber for defensive
fortifications as seen in the photo on the left.
The view from Fort Y, which once took in the Ponder House, now looks toward the Student
Center parking deck.
Confederate sharpshooters hunkered down in the Ponder House until it was destroyed by Union
artillery.
Fort Z was located along the east-west Confederate line, which ran through what’s now the
south end of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field. The 2014 photo shows a view
from the corner of Fowler Street and Bobby Dodd Way.
Fighting in the area, both before and after the Battle of
Atlanta, raged for months. Finally, on Sept. 2, Confederate General John Bell Hood called
for an evacuation of the city.
Left: Shell-shocked Atlanta as it looked in a photograph by G.N. Bernard, who traveled with
Union troops. Right: Today, a historical marker located just west of Georgia Tech on
Marietta Street near Northside Drive details Atlanta’s surrender to Union forces.
Delve Deeper into the History of the Battle of Atlanta:
The
Many Battles of Atlanta
One man’s quest to retrace the 15-mile march by Confederate troops “through the dark of
night, in the smothering July heat, down dusty paths and through a trackless wilderness.”
Written by Georgia Tech’s own Fletcher Moore with photography by Brett Falcon.
Battle
of Atlanta Mobile Website
This Web-based app combines a narrative of 1864 events, maps, video clips, and images.
Twelve tour stops highlight how the Battle of Atlanta figured into the Union’s conquest of
the Confederacy in the final year of the Civil War. No download required.
The
Atlanta Cyclorama
Said to be the world’s largest painting, this 42-foot-tall, 358-foot-long circular panorama
depicts the Battle of Atlanta fought on July 22, 1864. The presentation also includes
artifacts and sculptures and is accompanied by music and narration, available in five
languages.
Credits:
Writer: Margaret Tate
Photos: 1864, G.N. Bernard; 2014, Rob Felt
Graphics: Melanie Goux