Little evidence of the Battle of Atlanta remains. The Cyclorama painting, markers and a vivid imagination are a good start. Our experts weigh in on their must-sees

Sign off Memorial Drive, scene from the Cyclorama, McPherson monument and 1964 state map

People often lament Atlanta paved over its Civil War battlefields. But there are some vestiges of the fighting, and you can go to a couple museums and gaze at dozens of roadside markers to get a sense of what happened there.

Tuesday is the anniversary of the July 22, 1864, Battle of Atlanta, which led to the fall of the Southern city weeks later and likely assured the re-election of President Abraham Lincoln. 

I asked area historians, tour guides and preservationists to suggest places the interested can go to learn more about the battle and its importance. Among the suggested stops are markers where Union Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson and Confederate Gen. William H.T. Walker, a grizzled Confederate veteran nicknamed “Shot Pouch," were killed in action that day.

The following responses have been edited for context and brevity. A few sections have material from previous Civil War Picket posts. 

CHARLIE CRAWFORD, president emeritus of the Georgia Battlefields Association

Obviously, start at the Cyclorama at the Atlanta History Center. Spend at least half a day studying the painting and all the associated displays, including maps at the “War in Our Backyards” kiosk on the main floor, not far from the locomotive Texas display. It would help if you have already read related books by Albert Castel, Steve Davis, Earl Hess and Bill Scaife.

Go thereafter to the Carter Center bus parking lot and note three historical markers there, including the one for the Augustus Hurt House, which was Sherman’s HQ during the battle. 

View toward Stone Mountain in Cyclorama, which shows July 22, 1864; Decatur Road on right (Atlanta History Center)

Next, drive to Inman Park MARTA Station parking lot, start eastward on foot along DeKalb Avenue and note the Georgia historical markers, starting with the Pope House. Continue eastward on foot along DeKalb Avenue and turn north onto DeGress Avenue, which has three more markers, including a marker for the Troup Hurt House that you saw in the Cyclorama painting and a marker for the DeGress battery. 

The Old Decatur Road was more serpentine than DeKalb Avenue is now. It curved south of the railroad, then back north in the vicinity of the Confederate breakthrough. You can see this in the diorama at the base of the painting at AHC.

Return to you vehicle and drive eastward on Glenwood Ave SE and turn left (north) immediately past the I-20 interchange onto Wilkinson Drive. In 150 yards, turn left into the parking area for DeKalb Memorial Park. Walk back south to Glenwood Avenue. Note the Walker monument (upright cannon), its associated marker, and the marker across Glenwood Avenue for Terry’s Mill Pond. (Picket photo of Walker stone)

When done, walk back to your car and turn left (north) out of the parking lot until you hit Memorial Drive. Turn left (west) on Memorial Drive then take the first right onto Clay Street. Stop the car almost immediately and note the “Battle of Atlanta Began Here” marker on the west side of the street.

Safely find a way to turn around and head south, then make a right (west) on Memorial Drive. Take the second left (south) onto Maynard Terrace, and immediately after passing the I-20 interchange, turn right (west) onto McPherson Avenue. Park when you see the McPherson monument (upright cannon) on your left. Read the associated markers there. 

Not a comprehensive tour, but should be enough to prompt further research among the uninitiated.

Go to Georgia Historical Society’s marker page and read the texts ahead of time by searching DeKalb County and Fulton County markers.

JIM OGDEN, historian at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

Charlie is certainly the expert here, so I would second his recommendations and add only a couple of others.  

While not 100% historically accurate, the visual of the Cyclorama is so valuable that going there or starting there is really important. It would also be really valuable to have a printed copy of it with you while you do the walk along DeKalb Avenue, particularly for when you're along DeGress or if you maybe even walk just a bit farther east on DeKalb and then turn around and look back west, holding that portion of the Cyclorama up in front of you. 

It's a window back in time through all the 21st and 20^th century around you.  I can't remember if AHC is selling any sort of printed reproduction of it but there is the old Kurtz 30 p. booklet of it that probably can be found on the used market.

Marker at Springvale Park mentions remnant of ravine (David Seibert/HMbd.org)

This might be too obvious, but the only other thing I might note is that the many railroad tracks today on the south side of DeKalb are the modern version of the one track that is another one of the important landmarks in the Cyclorama.

For someone who might be up for a bit more of a walk, particularly if they want to do it a bit more from the perspective of the Confederate attack in the painting, would be to walk farther west on DeKalb, at least to Waverly Way, and then north to Springvale Park to see the remains of the low ground the Confederates crossed north of the railroad as they attacked east and the markers there. (Springvale Park has one of the few monuments to the battle. It has a marker as well, indicating that Manigault’s Confederate brigade reformed in the low ground there before making their final dash).

One could even go to Oakland Cemetery to the rise from which Hood watched the battle.  

Atlanta may have seemingly swallowed the July 22 battlefield, but there are still faint traces of that history to be found on the ground.

Artillery Capt. Francis DeGress trails Maj. Gen. Logan in Cyclorama scene (AHC)

PERRY BENNETT, local historian and tour guide

Perry Bennett, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, will be giving a free tour at 1 p.m. Tuesday.

The historian said the tour will start at a historical marker on the grounds of Alonzo A. Crim Open Campus High School, 256 Clifton Road SE. It is being given to the Longstreet Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans but anyone can attend. 

“I cover both sides but am focused upon when the battle began on this particular tour and what went well and what did not,” he said.

Bennett mentions markers where Bate’s Confederate division deployed, where two of his brigades were blocked during their attack and another sign indicating where Walker’s division attacked the same hill from Terry’s Mill pond. 

The tour will also make stops at the sites of McPherson’s and Walker’s killings.

Those interested can contact Bennett at lperrybennettjr@gmail.com

CHAD CARLSON, East Atlanta historian and Civil War photo collector

Chad Carlson, a historian with the Georgia Department of Transportation, suggests a stop in East Atlanta Village, at the intersection of Glenwood and Flat Shoals roads. The agency put up a Battle of Atlanta replica marker and interpretive panel in 2013 to replace a 1930s version that was removed in the 1970s. (Read about that here).

Carlson said he appreciates the simplicity of the marker, which describes military units and troops movements. It describes Confederate troops pushing Federal units back to Leggett’s Hill on July 22.

Marker about troop movements in East Atlanta (Georgia DOT)

GDOT made an exact replica but used a cheaper metal material, I think aluminum, instead of bronze, so (there is) less likelihood of it getting stolen.”

For years, local historians, Civil War buffs and the Battle of Atlanta Commemoration Organization (B*ATL) have worked to educate residents and visitors to the rich Civil War history of East Atlanta, Kirkwood and other Atlanta neighborhoods.

For decades, Gordon Jones has bridged Civil War scholarship and the public. Emerging Civil War has honored Atlanta History Center curator for his efforts

Gordon Jones has been an historian and storyteller for decades (Picket and AHC photos)

Affable and engaging, Gordon L. Jones, the senior military historian and curator at the Atlanta History Center, has for decades been instrumental in telling the story of the Civil War and its impact on place, people and memory.

Whether it has been through talks or artifacts he has researched and curated, Jones is considered the consummate public historian, according to Emerging Civil War.

He led the relocation and restoration of “The Battle of Atlanta,” the breathtaking cyclorama painting depicting the July 1864 battle, and has overseen “Turning Point: The American Civil War,” the AHC’s permanent Civil War exhibit that soon will be overhauled. Another project was the restoration of the locomotive Texas, famous for its role in the 1862 "Great Locomotive Chase."

Emerging Civil War, a collaboration of about 30 historians, recently bestowed its 2024 Award for Service in Civil War Public History to Jones at its annual meeting in Spotsylvania County, Va., saying he has had a significant impact on the field of public history by helping connect everyday people to America’s defining event.

Focal point of the Atlanta Cyclorama shows a brief Rebel breakthrough (Picket photo)

Those who know Jones say the historian richly deserves the recognition by making the history center one of the best Civil War museums in the country. He’s been on the staff since 1991. 

“Gordon's knowledge of the history, the material culture and both the history of and the practice of interpretation has meant that the museum and its exhibits haven't just been a bunch of ‘old stuff on display’ but a place of history, education, context and provocation -- the muse in museum,” Jim Ogden, historian at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, told the Civil War Picket in an email.

“So much of Atlanta's, the Civil War's story wouldn't be accessible today if it weren't for Gordon's hard and thoughtful work,” said Ogden.

Chris Mackowski, editor in chief of Emerging Civil War, said Jones has ensured the AHC tells “a full, balanced, and remarkably rich story.”

Over the years, Jones has ensured people hear different perspectives, including those that may challenge long-held beliefs.

Jackson McQuigg and Jones in North Carolina for a 2017 talk about restored Texas (AHC)

“This means a lot to me because it comes from colleagues who are involved in the same kinds of work,” Jones said of the honor in an email Friday.

“Scholarship is essential, but so is engaging the wider public. We stand on the shoulders of giants – all those collectors, scholars, teachers, reenactors, friends and comrades who came before. I've learned so much from them over the years, and that's the greatest blessing of all,” he wrote.

Jones holds a master of arts in public history from the University of South Carolina and a Ph.D. from the Institute for the Liberal Arts at Emory University.

The curator has been a fixture at Civil War shows, AHC events and the Atlanta Civil War Roundtable, which he joined in 2001 and served as president in 2016-2017. His interest in the conflict grew as he took part in reenactments as a young man.

“At a high level, Gordon’s transformational work at the Atlanta History Center has elevated their Civil War exhibitions to world-class heights, and his leadership here at the Atlanta Civil War Round Table has connected our group to original research and opened doors to other leading authorities in the field,” said Sam Moses, president of the organization, which meets monthly at the AHC.

The dark-lit "Turning Point" exhibit is a longtime Atlanta History Center fixture

“But the thing that makes Gordon a truly one-of-a-kind educator is his unique ability to bring even the most casual observer into direct contact with history,” Moses said. “Gordon leverages artifacts -- often rare (and sometimes seemingly trivial) -- to weave a thread of importance that connects through time to the present day. Without leaning on over-dramatization, his presentation style builds steadily on fundamental themes, using good humor and carefully curated objects to help audiences relate to the people of the past, and even share in their experiences so many years afterward.”

A current priority for Jones is remaking the AHC’s “Turning Point,” its core but somewhat dated Civil War exhibit. Space for exhibits will jump from 9,200 square feet to 15,400 feet.

“Among (others) things, that allows us to exhibit collections acquired since ‘Turning Point opened in 1996, including the George Wray Collection and the rest of our U.S. Colored Troops artifacts," said Jones. "All this is due for opening in 2026. Yes, much still to do.”

Flag of the 127th USCT is in the AHC collection (Photo: Morphy Auctions)

The AHC’s collection of USCT items includes a regimental flag, knapsack, swords, soldier badges and a soldier manual. The Wray collection provides a fascinating look at Confederate weapons, some well-made, and some not so much.

Jackson McQuigg, vice president of properties for the AHC, has worked with Jones for three decades, notably on the Cyclorama and Texas projects.

“One thing I've noticed is that Gordon's deep knowledge of Civil War and military history is always accompanied by a desire to learn more. Not one to rest on his existing knowledge base, Gordon remains genuinely interested in historical research, especially if it will make him a better storyteller.”

“Further, Gordon is accessible -- always. His outgoing, friendly demeanor is genuine, real and available to all. He's never met a stranger. These are qualities which make him a joy to work with and a worthy recipient of this honor.”

The Picket, which has spoken with Jones about numerous topics over 15 years, reached out to other historians and Civil War experts for their reaction to the honor:

Jones in 2021 with a rare Whitworth sniper rifle used by the South (Picket photo)

Charlie Crawford, president emeritus of the Georgia Battlefields Association

“Gordon deserves every public history award there is.”

Michael Shaffer, author of “Day by Day Through the Civil War in Georgia

“Very well-deserved. Gordon is always eager to share his wealth of knowledge with others, and remains a trusted member of the Civil War community.”

W. Todd Groce, president and CEO of the Georgia Historical Society

“This award is a well-deserved recognition of all that Gordon has accomplished over a long and productive career. He is a skillful public historian who knows how to effectively make scholarly history relevant and accessible to wide audience. I’m proud to be his friend.”

Past recipients of the ECW public history award include Civil War Trails, American Battlefield Trust; historian and author Gary Gallagher; Dave Ruth, former superintendent at Richmond National Battlefield; and the late D. P. Newton, founder of the White Oak Civil War Museum.

Emerging Civil War also honored Patrick Young, author of the Reconstruction Era blog, with the Stevenson Award for outstanding service to the organization.

On this day in 1864, a Federal counterattack saved the day in Atlanta. Who was artillery Capt. DeGress, a hero depicted in the Cyclorama?

Gen. Logan and Capt. DeGress rush toward captured cannons (Atlanta History Center)

If you are familiar with the Battle of Atlanta Cyclorama, the first image likely to come to mind is the brick Troup Hurt house, scene of a brief Confederate breakthrough during the fighting of July 22, 1864 -- 157 years ago today.

While the 370-foot circumference painting has dozens of small scenes and thousands of figures, the house is clearly the focal point of the battle – misinterpreted for years by its Southern promoters as showing a Rebel victory. Instead, something big is about to happen that will ensure this day will, in fact, see a Federal triumph.

Galloping furiously to the rescue, hat in hand, is Maj. Gen. John A. “Black Jack” Logan, head of the Army of the Tennessee. Behind him is Capt. Francis DeGress, whose artillery battery had been overrun shortly before.

Rebel breakthrough at Troup Hurt house (Picket photo)

“It is the point at which the 15^th Corps is pushed back. Like a rubber band, it springs back,” says Gordon Jones, senior military historian at the Atlanta History Center (AHC), which houses the mammoth work of art.

DeGress, already a respected veteran, is about to become a folk hero to the Northern cause. He retakes the four 20-pounder Parrott guns and turns them on the retreating Confederates.

“He is an example of the sort of mid-level officer who was a natural leader, on whom the troops really came to depend. On whom the battle depended,” said Jones, adding it is the privates, sergeants, lieutenants and captains who are controlling the battle.

Exhibits at the AHC include several DeGress artifacts, including a saber he likely carried that day, a Pond revolver he purchased a few months before the battle, a 15^th Corps badge and a bit that was used by one of the battery’s horses during the fighting. They were donated by family members. The AHC has papers related to DeGress at its Kenan Research Center.

The German-born artilleryman, commander of Company H, 1^st Illinois Light Artillery, was a veteran of several campaigns by the time he arrived in Atlanta. The 23-year-old’s battery was deployed in a vulnerable part of the Union line, east of the city and near a railroad line. (Sketch of DeGress, left, appeared in Harper's Weekly)

At 4 p.m. on July 22, the battery was firing canister as fast as it could. The determined Confederates continued to push forward and were about to be upon them.

DeGress knew the horses could not pull back the guns in time, Jones said, and he had two guns spiked. The captain and Sgt. Peter Wyman stayed with the other two weapons, firing double canister. They eventually had to flee; Wyman was killed while DeGress fled back to the collapsed Federal line.

Fast-forward to the scene depicted in the cyclorama: Logan rallying his troops and rushing toward the breach. DeGress soon regains possession of the battery and gets back into the action.

Bit that belonged to one of the battery horses (Picket photo)

The painting also depicts the death of horses that pulled guns, caissons and limbers for Company H.

“You are seeing in the painting the Confederates are killing the horses because they are about to be overrun,” says Jones. But there’s a chance that DeGress ordered some of them be shot before his retreat. It was not unusual occurrence, because armies did not want their own guns used against them.

“Perhaps the mostly skillfully rendered figures in the painting are the horses,” says Jones. “The closest the artists got to real horror, they are showing them writhing in agony.”

Among the German and Austrian artists who created the cyclorama in 1886 was Albert Richter. He painted the horses based on sketches made at a Milwaukee slaughterhouse, where he apparently paid to use dying horses as models.

Depiction of the killing of battery horses (Picket photo)

Harper’s Weekly illustrator Theodore R. Davis is largely responsible for DeGress being depicted in the painting. Davis, who traveled with the Federal army, submitted an illustration and article for the publication about the officer soon after the battle and served as an advisor to the artists in Milwaukee.

DeGress’ battery took part in the March to the Sea after Atlanta and the campaigns in South Carolina and North Carolina, and was present at the surrender of Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston near Durham in April 1865.

After the war, the soldier went into business in Mexico, with a firearms company among his ventures. He died in 1883 – three years before the cyclorama was painted -- in Mexico City and is buried there.

DeGress' revolver (Picket photo)

Charlie Crawford, president emeritus of the Georgia Battlefields Association, said it is clear DeGress was highly regarded by superiors, subordinates and fellow artillery commanders.

“One measure of this regard is how quickly he was able to reconstitute his battery (H, 1st Illinois) after his guns were reclaimed on 22 July 1864,” says Crawford. “This is a testament to his own leadership and to how readily the other artillery batteries provided horses, harnesses, limbers, caissons and other equipment.”

The cyclorama shows the moment Alabama and South Carolina troops in Brig. Gen. Arthur Manigault’s brigade punctured the Union line. The AHC has the saber Manigault carried that day.

The Troup Hurt house is long gone. A church was built on the site, and now that structure is a private residence.

Troup Hurt house was where this home was erected (Picket photo)

It’s important to note the battlefield on July 22 was much larger than what is shown in the painting. For example, troops clashed for a much longer time on Bald (Leggett’s) Hill south near current Interstate 20.

By evening, Confederate troops under Gen. John Bell Hood were repulsed with heavy losses. Fighting continued in and around Atlanta for several weeks, until the Rebels evacuated and the city fell.

Among the clashes was the little-known battle at Utoy Creek. From late July to late August, Federal troops made several thrusts toward the vital Rebel rail line in nearby East Point. Ultimately, victory had to come elsewhere.

"The War in Our Backyards": See the AJC's 2014 comprehensive interactive on the Atlanta Campaign

DeGress swords, saber at top believed used in battle (Picket photo)

Atlanta Cyclorama: Restoration, relocation will make it whole, highlight backstories

1886 photograph of painting showing Decatur Road.

The painting was cut to fit into its home at Grant Park in Atlanta.

Here is what the section looks like today before restoration. (Images: AHC)

• NEW! June 2015 update on plans for Cyclorama

If the chaos, valor and blood-letting that occurred on the afternoon of July 22, 1864, are enshrined forever by the Atlanta Cyclorama, so, too, are the fascinating backstories of what was included in the massive painting and how it has been presented over the years.

German artists created the work – which has a circumference of 358 feet – to commemorate a momentous Northern victory at the Battle of Atlanta. 

The 360-degree painting, which has been housed at the city’s Grant Park since 1921, will be restored and moved to the Atlanta History Center in Buckhead, city and museum officials announced Wednesday. Construction on a special annex at the AHC will begin in summer 2015.

Gordon L. Jones, senior military historian and curator at the Atlanta History Center, said the new home will allow visitors to see the mural hanged in the proper way, providing the visual 3-D presentation its creators had envisioned.

Unfortunately, the painting had to be trimmed to fit into the building at Grant Park and could not be properly presented. A 6-feet-wide by 50-feet-tall section of the Cyclorama that was cut out will be re-created. Experts also will create a new area of sky lost in the same process. 

Painted in Milwaukee, the Cyclorama eventually moved to the South, where it became a “living tribute to the Lost Cause” of the Confederacy, said Jones.

“This is Atlanta. This is the thing you went to see when you were kid. Now it will be able to tell some new stories.”

Preliminary sketch for what would later be painted (AHC)

Jones said there are many tidbits associated with the mural. Among them:

-- The artists created the Cyclorama in 1885-1886. While making sketches in Atlanta, they worked from a tower at Moreland and DeKalb avenues to get the proper perspective. “That is as close as to what it looked like as we will ever see,” said Jones.

-- Painters had Federal veterans show them what they wore and how they were equipped for battle.

-- The Cyclorama contains the soaring Old Abe, the eagle mascot of the 8^th Wisconsin Volunteers. Just one problem: The regiment and Old Abe were in Mississippi at the time of the battle.

-- When it was shown in Chattanooga in 1891, a promoter had a group of Confederate POWs repainted as fleeing Union soldiers. In the 1930s, Atlanta artist-historian Wilbur Kurtz put the POWs back in, but did not restore a Union soldier carrying a captured Rebel flag.

-- One of the dying soldiers (above) in the diorama in front of the painting has the face of actor Clark Gable, star of “Gone With the Wind.” Don’t worry. He and the rest of the diorama will be making the move to Buckhead. “All of Atlanta would recoil if we took Rhett Butler off the painting,” Jones told the Picket.

– As for the accuracy of the battle scene? “Not everything that happened in the painting happened all at once.” The best-recognized feature is the brick, hip-roofed Troup-Hurt house -- a little nearer in the painting than it was actually situated, according to the National Park Service. The focal point is the area around the house, with South Carolina, Mississippi and Alabama troops.

-- To reproduce the preliminary drawing of the battle scene, sets of 10 photos were made of the entire length and distributed to the artists working on the painting.  "We now have seven of the ten – a great aid to restoration – but we do not have the section covering the Decatur Road – only the photo of the finished painting," said Jones.

The restoration of the Cyclorama, which will begin at its current site and continue at the Atlanta History Center, will be the beneficiary of enhanced technology over the past three decades.

A sketch of Union Maj. Gen. John A. Logan leading the charge. (AHC)

A model is the renowned cyclorama at Gettysburg National Military Park. It received a new backing and a system for stretching the fabric, properly balancing its weight. Visitors there have been impressed by the light and sound presentation. Jones said he and others are still developing plans for the Atlanta presentation.

“The cyclorama paintings were to be 3-D experiences,” said Jones. “In order to get that … the horizon is closer to the central viewing point than the top and bottom."

While the Atlanta Cyclorama is properly secured at top, it hangs like a shower curtain, putting strain on the fabric and not permitting the desired visual effect. Attempts to address that problem have not been successful.

Experts will have to smooth wrinkles and reattach the 14 sections that make up the mural.

“The painting will be on a new backing and the backing (will) be suspended from two rings, one overhead, one at the bottom. The one at the bottom has to be weighted to properly keep its shape,” said the curator. The idea is to return the original hourglass shape.

Because of humidity and other factors, the linen fabric and its mountings will have to be adjustable, even in a state-of-the-art facility.

Jones likens the popular cycloramas of the late 19^th century to be the IMAX theaters of their day. Eventually, Nickelodeons virtually put them out of business.

Detail from "The Battle of Atlanta" at Grant Park

Patrons will be interested in the technology of such paintings and how the Civil War was interpreted at the time, Jones said.

Atlanta History Center officials said their facility has the infrastructure, expertise and financing to assure the painting’s long-term survival.

“To me, it speaks to the deep kind of heartfelt emotion that goes with the war,” Jones said. “The desire of the postwar generation to capture their experience and show it to everybody: ‘This is how we did it.’ It is different from a monument on battlefield. It is trying to show before the days of movies ‘here we fought and we saved the Union.’”

Four different teams of conservators so far have surveyed the painting and what needs to be done.

And while Jones is extremely familiar with the Cyclorama, there is more to learn from the craftsmanship and care of its German painters, who were living their own version of the American Dream.

“The more you look at it, the more you see.”

Past and present: Scenes from 2014 B*ATL

Re-enactors and patrons braved the rain on Saturday during B*ATL (Battle of Atlanta) events marking the 150th anniversary of the fighting in Atlanta neighborhoods on July 22, 1864. While there was homage to those who endured hardships of war, there also were words about the future. Abraham Lincoln portrayer Dennis Boggs encouraged children to stay in school, realize their own dreams and make a difference by helping others. The annual event included music, tours, a gala, performances and stories about the war's impact on civil rights.

Dennis Boggs, as Abraham Lincoln, discusses importance of preserving the Union.

A soggy camp at Gilliam Park in Kirkwood neighborhood

Stereoviews providing a 3D effect gave way later to View-Masters.

Wreaths were laid at monuments to two generals who fell during the battle.

Storyteller Mama Koku at East Atlanta Library

Eighth Regiment Band performs in East Atlanta fire station.

Weapons table at Gilliam Park in Kirkwood.

Beth Woodward spins cotton into yarn.

3'' ordnance rifle artillery demonstration

Re-enactor photographed for promotion for upcoming play

This weekend: Tours, talks and 'moonshine' mark 150th anniversary of Atlanta battles

One of the bike tours offered at B*ATL weekend

Perspectives that went largely unnoticed during the nation’s centennial of the Civil War – those of civilians, children, slaves and a prison guard -- are being heard this week at two major events marking the bloody conflict’s impact on Atlanta.

The Atlanta History Center in Buckhead is commemorating the Battle of Peachtree Creek from Friday night through Sunday. The weekend includes family-oriented events and one, “Civil War After Dark,” largely geared for adults.

On Sunday, the 150^th anniversary of the battle, a history center blog will be posting real-time updates, personal accounts, images and artifacts related to the clash, which occurred not far from the AHC and ended in the first of three defeats in the city for attacking Rebel troops.

The eclectic, annual event known as B*ATL began last weekend and has events throughout the week. Its prime focus is the July 22, 1864, Battle of Atlanta, which sprawled across the neighborhoods of East Atlanta, Kirkwood and Inman Park and occurred two days after Peachtree Creek. Events continue through Sunday, with Saturday featuring the most activities.

B*ATL will feature its customary van, walking and cemetery tours. But that’s not the only way to learn about the battle’s significance, said Chairman Henry Bryant.

“Someone interested in running, will learn something from the Doublequick (Saturday morning’s 5K run), as unlikely as that may sound,” Bryant said. “In some ways, they might learn more about the soldiers’ actual experience than someone riding around in an air-conditioned tour bus. And the bike tour even simulates a cavalry ride.”

The scheduled storytelling and living histories includes a slave narrative, accounts of African-American soldiers, a farm boy turned soldier and a family that could not escape war.

“A 4-year-old who knows nothing about the Civil War might learn that history can be fun and entertaining by visiting the storytelling making her want to get to know more later on,” Bryant told the Picket. “She might remember years later that she got ice cream or pizza after the story on that hot battle day.

Re-enactors will display military life at B*ATL

 

“For people who enjoy music, our concerts become an entry point to this history or it becomes something that can bring a tear for its poignancy. The plays can tickle a funny bone or bring a story to life.”

B*ATL’s “Front Lines” experience features re-enactors who demonstrate camp life, drilling and artillery fire. “It offers little boys and grown men and women the chance to get inside the frontlines and up close to soldiers . . . to hear the boom of the cannon or rifles and the smell of black powder. It can rattle your teeth.”

The “Civil War to Civil Rights” tent will feature costumed characters who bring together and connect or contrast the generational experiences from 1864 to 1964.

Bryant also recommends the wreath-laying ceremonies Saturday morning at the monuments of two generals – one Union and one Confederate – who fell that day in battle.

Many people who come to intown neighbors don’t realize they sit on a battlefield or know what happened. B*ATL is geared toward them, too, said Bryant.

“A tour guide … can take you around to the sites and help you know what all of those markers are about, while giving you a feeling for what the people felt and went through on that day, let alone some of the larger political and social implications for that day and now,” he said.

Doing the laundry wasn't quite so easy (Atlanta History Center)

The Atlanta History Center’s program begins Friday night with a musical and theatrical performance, “A Sweet Strangeness Thrills My Heart: The World of Sallie Independence Foster, 1861–1887.”

Dolores Hydock and Bobby Horton tell the story of an Alabama girl who kept a diary and wrote letters to his brothers away at the front. The performance costs $15 for members, $20 for nonmembers.

Most programs Saturday are free for members of the Atlanta History Center and are included in the general admission price for nonmembers.

Events include family activities focused on Civil War cooking, clothing crafts, music and a soldiers’ encampment. A theatrical performance also is scheduled.

At the Smith Farm, living historians portraying civilians, soldiers and enslaved workers will talk about the war’s impact on various populations.

Robert Jenkins, author of “The Battle of Peach Tree Creek: Hood’s First Sortie, July 20, 1864,” will speak Saturday afternoon.

Civil War injured await treatment (AHC)

That evening, curator Gordon L. Jones will lead a tour of the new AHC exhibit, “Confederate Odyssey: The George W. Wray Jr. Civil War Collection.” The collection features rare items made for Confederate troops.

Events continue into Saturday evening, with many aimed for the older visitor.

“The idea for the evening program is to tell about the side of the Civil War that may not be discussed in classrooms  -- details about the battlefield and hospitals, etc. -- and provide interpretation designed for more mature audiences,” said Martha Tye., AHC marketing communications manager.

Betsy Sprayberry will be in her boudoir to discuss undergarments during the Civil War.

Guests can attend an improvisational performance and a guided tour of the “Turning Point” exhibit “to learn weird superstitions and vices that soldiers had during the Civil War. Hear about the seedy underbelly of the war that texts books never taught you!” 

A cash bar will offer moonshine-themed cocktails and local beers.

The Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum in Grant Park won’t be offering adult beverages on Sunday, but is having a family fun day focused on the Battle of Atlanta and the Civil War.

The program, free with regular paid admission, includes storytelling, face painters, games and Civil War re-enactors.