Griswoldville

by BRAGG WILLIAM HARRIS

• ISBN13: 9780865546783
• ISBN10: 0865546789
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-01-01
• Publisher: Mercer Univ Pr

Summary

A small, bustling antebellum Georgia industrial center, Griswoldville won national prominence by producing superior cotton gins known for their sturdiness. After the outbreak of the Civil War, the town's founder, Samuel Griswold, turned to producing munitions for the Confederacy. First pikes, then pistols.

A tiny but valuable component of the South's military industrial complex, Griswoldville became a target of union forces in 1864. After a glancing blow by Stoneman's Raiders in late summer, the town was obliterated during Sherman's infamous march to the sea.

Based on primary sources, Griswoldville charts the rise of Connecticut Yankee Samuel Griswold from tineware peddler to industrial magnate and details the history of Griswoldville from its creation to its destruction. Special attention is paid to the two military operations most closely identified with the little town: the Stoneman Raid and the brave but fruitless stand of young boys and old men of the Georgia militia against Sherman's experienced and skilled Federals.

Author Biography

William Harris Bragg teaches history at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville.

Table of Contents

Dedication
The Rise of Samuel Griswold	3	(6)
A Handsome and Thrifty Village	9	(6)
Weapons for the War	15	(14)
Sabers in Central Georgia	29	(7)
Stoneman's Raiders at Clinton and Gordon	36	(4)
Cobb's Reserves and Brown's `Pets'	40	(11)
Griswoldvile and Macon under Fire	51	(13)
The Battle of Sunshine Church	64	(9)
The Way to Stoneman's Hill	73	(9)
Confederate Thanksgiving	82	(2)
Marching toward the Sea	84	(7)
Resisting the March	91	(4)
Clinton Occupied	95	(8)
Griswoldville Destroyed	103	(5)
General Howard's Stratagem	108	(6)
Digging In at Duncan's Farm	114	(8)
Advancing toward Disaster	122	(8)
The Battle of Griswoldville	130	(9)
The View from the Ridge	139	(4)
The Reasons Why	143	(8)
Aftermath	151	(8)
Notes	159	(16)
Selected Sources	175	(8)
Afterword and Acknowledgments	183	(2)
Index	185