Sandy Springs, ga. (April 14, 2014) – Heritage Sandy Springs will share the previously untold story of the Civil War in Sandy Springs, Georgia, through the exhibit “The Civil War in Sandy Springs”, opening at the Heritage Sandy Springs Museum on April 30, 2014.
In the turbulent summer of 1864, the Union Army occupied the small farming community of Sandy Springs, Georgia. Those weeks changed the lives of every family that lived through them. “The Civil War in Sandy Springs” exhibit at the Heritage Sandy Springs Museum explores their story. From never before published diaries and newly discovered letters, the firsthand accounts and struggles of local people can be understood for the first time. Family heirlooms and artifacts treasured for 150 years are on display along with the actual guns and cannon shells that terrorized the community during the long summer of occupation. “The Civil War in Sandy Springs” will be on view at the Heritage Sandy Springs Museum from April 30, 2014 through April 1, 2015.
Highlights from the exhibition include:
- The never-before published letters of Nellie Jett, wife of Confederate soldier Richard Burch Jett. Nellie and Richard seemed to correspond with one another throughout the war, yet only Nellie’s letters to Richard have survived. Her letters, woven through “The Civil War in Sandy Springs” exhibit, give an insight into a survivor’s view of military occupation. She describes in desperate terms what she has to do to keep her family alive while living in a war zone. Her letters are a testament to the strength and courage women were not credited with possessing in the nineteenth century.
- A “housewife” sewing kit carried throughout the Civil War by Corporal John Stackhouse of Company K, Unit 116 of the Illinois Infantry. Along with 100,000 other members of the Federal Army, Stackhouse occupied Sandy Springs in July 1864. Unlike guns or swords, these small sewing kits were not considered valuable by soldiers or civilians and therefore after the war were either discarded or used until they were worn out. As a result, housewives are some of the rarest artifacts from the Civil War.
- A mystery rifle, found in the deserted Union camp in Sandy Springs after the occupation of July 1864. Although hallmarks indicate it is a Confederate rifle, it bears Federal repairs which raises the question – was it a Union or Confederate soldier who possessed the rifle?
The exhibit begins with the July 1864 crossing of the last natural barrier, the Chattahoochee River, protecting the City of Atlanta from the Federal army. In the critical election year of 1864, General William T. Sherman knew the staggering number of causalities at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain were damaging to President Lincoln’s reelection campaign. Sherman knew the Battle of Atlanta had to be a major victory, but without significant loss of lives. His plan was to identify an area to resupply, rest, and rearm his troops, making their threatening presence well apparent, while planning for the Siege of Atlanta.
The 1,000 residents of the high grounds of Sandy Springs, geographically isolated until the 1960s, had no foresight that Sandy Springs would become part of a key military and political strategy for the Union. Leading an entire army of men, equipment and supplies across the Chattahoochee was not an easy task. Crossing a river defended by the enemy multiplied the undertaking. To prevent losing men, the crossing would have to be quick. In early July 1864, Sherman identified a weakness in the river at Isom’s Ferry, and General Schofield led the Union troops.
Once invaded, the fields and farms of Sandy Springs became the second largest city in the South, with over 100,000 troops under General Sherman’s command, invading houses, stripping fields bare, and taking and slaughtering livestock. The citizens of Sandy Springs, primarily women, children and older men, were helpless to defend themselves against the prying hands of the enemy.
The exhibit “The Civil War in Sandy Springs” features new original research being presented for the first time in exhibit format. Much is known about the Federal troops at the Battle of Kennesaw, and documentation of the troops moving to Peachtree Creek. However, the story of the crossing of the Chattahoochee River in Sandy Springs and its subsequent invasion in July 1864 has remained undocumented until now.
“The story of occupied Sandy Springs is a compelling one, significant to the major turning point for the Civil War,” said Kimberly Brigance, Director of Historic Resources and Programs at Heritage Sandy Springs. “This exhibit includes rare artifacts and previously unpublished accounts of the occupation of Sandy Springs by firsthand witnesses. Furthermore, it tells the story the people of this small farming community who lived through the invasion and occupation and the effects these course of events had on their lives.”
Exhibition Organization and Support
“The Civil War in Sandy Springs” is organized and curated by Heritage Sandy Springs Museum. The exhibition is made possible by the Frances and Beverly Dubose Foundation.
“The Civil War in Sandy Springs” will remain on view April 30, 2014 – April 1, 2015 at the Heritage Sandy Springs Museum, 6075 Sandy Springs Circle, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. The Museum is open Wednesdays and Saturdays, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and by appointment. Admission to “The Civil War in Sandy Springs” is free thanks to the support of the Frances and Beverly Dubose Foundation. Several public programs will accompany the exhibit during May – July, including a Civil War Speaker Series, Brown Bag Film Series, Blue and Gray Saturdays for children and families.
For more information, visit www.heritagesandysprings.org or call 404-851-9111, ext. 2.
