Ruff's Mill: Archaeological report on July 4, 1864, battle in Ga. urges preservation, education opportunities about soldiers, slaves and citizens

Field work was conducted in late 2020; here artillery item (Lamar Institute)

A growing and diverse suburb of Atlanta should be thinking of how to preserve more portions of a Civil War battlefield and educate its residents about how the conflict affected civilians and enslaved persons, authors of an archaeological report have concluded.

Despite the loss of large parts of the Ruff’s Mill battlefield in Smyrna, Ga., to development, residents and Cobb County government have the opportunity to protect remaining areas on public and private property, the Lamar Institute wrote in a report, “Linchpin in Atlanta’s Fall.”

The Battle of Ruff’s Mill (Nickajack Creek) on July 4, 1864, occurred in what is now the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District and Heritage Park. It was one of several brief clashes waged as Union forces under Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman continued their relentless push on Atlanta after a setback at Kennesaw Mountain.

The Confederate lines taken at Ruff’s Mill 158 years ago Monday were among the few defenses taken by direct assault during the Atlanta Campaign, authors of the report say.

The Savannah-based nonprofit Lamar Institute, working with local landowner Philip Ivester and other Smyrna area residents, set out to determine the location of the fighting and more fully identify the Federal and Confederate troops involved. Much of the work was funded by the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection program, which awarded the Lamar Institute a $96,000 grant.

Researchers said they corrected some misconceptions about exactly where the battle occurred and pinpointed three battle areas and 11 trenches. They also analyzed nearly 530 artifacts.

“The project was rewarding because we were able to locate and document exact battle areas on the modern landscape, uncover a huge amount of new information from the archaeological and historical research that will be available to the public and to those entities wishing to include the information in interpretive efforts, and to work with a large number of very interested and dedicated members of the public,” Rita Elliott of the Lamar Institute told the Picket in an email.

The project team in May gave an overview of their excavations and research to about 60 preservation-minded people at the Smyrna Public Library. They also showed an accompanying 40-minute documentary entitled “Double Quick and Bayonets Fixed” detailing the Atlanta Campaign and Ruff’s Mill.

Charlie Crawford, president emeritus of the Georgia Battlefields Association, says Ruff’s Mill has gotten relatively little attention because it was a brief incident between much more notable events -- namely the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain (June 27) several miles north and the crossing of the Chattahoochee River by Federal forces (July 9) to the southeast.

After his army had repulsed Sherman at Kennesaw Mountain, Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston once again had to resort to delaying tactics and a slow retreat toward Atlanta. “Johnston occupied the Smyrna Line principally to buy time for his wagons to retreat behind the Chattahoochee, and he did not intend to hold the line once that was accomplished,” said Crawford.

Rita Elliott (in dress) and Philip Ivester with items he found (Smyrna Public Library)

On July 4, 1864, Brig. Gen. John Fuller’s brigade with the 16^th Corps, supported by Sweeney’s division, attacked works held by Rebels in Hood’s command at Ruff’s Mill. “The Southerners fell back and dug in.

Union casualties in this action totaled 140 killed and wounded. Confederate losses are not reported,” writes historian and author Stephen Davis.

That night, Johnston withdrew troops to their next position, even closer to the river.

Attack of Fuller's Ohio brigade at Ruff's Mill (Wikipedia Commons)

While the documentary is heavy on military strategy and combat, it highlights other topics, including enslaved African-Americans forced to construct Rebel defenses in and around Atlanta. The report also looked at white residents, slaves and free blacks in the community.

That part of the presentation brought “in the perspectives of … people who had been overlooked in the past,” including the formerly enslaved in Georgia who fought for the Union army, said library director Mary Moore.

Moore told the Picket about educational opportunities to get more people involved in studying Smyrna’s history, and what it means today.

About one-third of the city’s 56,000 population is African-American and there are many newcomers. “One way you build community is make people aware of what happened before you came to this community,” she said.

A local historical society, plaques, parks, arts council and the Smyrna History Museum have a role in education, she said. The Jonquil City Historical Trail, an online guide, could add compelling information generated by the report.

The popular Silver Comet Trail brings tens of thousands of walkers and bicyclists through Heritage Park each year. The project could provide an excellent opportunity to educate them about the Civil War. (Right, entrenching tool found during dig, courtesy Lamar Institute)

Philip Ivester’s interest in his neighborhood’s history and an extensive collection of Civil War bullets and other relics he’s found on his property were the spark for the archaeological survey at Ruff’s Mill.

His parents in the mid-1970s purchased the remaining 11 acres from the Martin Luker Ruff property dating to the 19^th century.

Ivester talks in the documentary about finding numerous Civil War artifacts on their land, the heart of the Federal assault. He recalls finding nine bullets in one day. Friction primers found on a knoll show where cannons were placed, he said.

He recently posted a link about the report on the Concord Covered Bridge website, saying it was available in print to members.

“Beyond the military campaign itself, the report goes in-depth into life in Cobb County in the 1860s. This report includes perspectives of women, children, African Americans (both enslaved and freed), and everyday civilians affected by the Civil War. Numerous maps, diaries, photographs, letters, and aerials supplement the narrative and make this report a valuable research tool for future use.”

The updated Smyrna History Museum a few miles away includes interpretive panels and artifacts about the Civil War in the city and Cobb County. (At left, a map painted on the museum floor, photo by Picket. Click to enlarge)

Ivester told the Picket he is planning to make a donation or loan of “artifacts with known provenance” to the facility.

While nearby Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park preserves about 3,000 acres, no such federal protection was afforded to other Civil War sites in the area, including Ruff’s Mill.

The report covers ideas for saving battlefield from relentless development.

County-owned land should be protected from looting, vandalism and inadvertent damage from visitors or recreation-related construction, it says.

“Purchasing parcels from agreeable landowners at fair market value would be a first step in the long-term preservation of the battlefield," a summary says.

Ruff's Mill is adjacent to the Concord Covered Bridge (Picket photo)

"Other options may be to work with landowners to create conservation easements and other legal mechanisms for ensuring that land parcels stay protected in perpetuity.”

Cobb County Commissioner Lisa Cupid, who is African-American, said the artifacts found at Ruff’s Mill are a tangible link to the past.

“If you can see where things were so many years ago and where things are today, maybe it even gives you a chance to appreciate how far we have come,” Cupid says in the documentary. (The Picket reached out to Cupid for additional comment but did not receive a reply.)

Patricia Burns and Cobb Commissioner Cupid at the site (Cobb County)

Moore, of the Smyrna library, said she and her son volunteered on one of the days the public was invited to take part in the archaeological digs. It brought home what occurred on hills, farmland and ravines around Ruff’s Mill.

“I have come to appreciate the legacy of the war, how disastrous it was … how it shaped (us) for a century and more afterwards. We are still dealing with the ramifications of what happened.”

You can download the report. Note: Each file is very large and takes several minutes to download. Search Ruff's Mill here for report 230.

'Deafening noise' of war: Researchers find more evidence of Battle of Ruff's Mill near Atlanta, gather artifacts and soldiers' accounts

Crew member uses ground penetrating radar (The Lamar Institute)

With the help of letters, diaries and homeowners who allowed excavations in their back yards, archaeologists are beginning to fill in details of a July 4, 1864, battle that occurred just outside Atlanta.

Analysis of November 2020 field work, including artifacts recovered at the Ruff’s Mill site, is well underway.

Thus far, the project, led by the Lamar Institute, a nonprofit archaeological group based in Savannah, has been able to document Union and Confederate positions and areas of attack and defense, trenches, possible camp areas and some boundaries of the fighting.

The Battle of Ruff’s Mill (Nickajack Creek) occurred in what is now the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District near Smyrna, Ga. It was one of several brief clashes waged as Union forces under Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman continued their relentless push on Atlanta after a setback at Kennesaw Mountain.

Recovered bullet at Ruff's Mill site (The Lamart Institute)

Rita Elliott, education coordinator for The Lamar Institute, told the Picket that research has yielded much about the plan of Federal attack. The project has located diaries and letters to and from soldiers in Ohio, Illinois and Indiana regiments and has communicated with descendants of men who took part in the battle. The team is trying to learn more about Confederate units, including those from Georgia, but they have fewer documents from which to work, she said.

“What continues to surprise me is the huge number of troops involved in the Battle of Ruff's Mill, both on the frontal assault and those large numbers backing them up,” Elliott wrote in an email.

“It is mind-boggling to imagine thousands of troops marching through the small hamlets and farms of Cobb County in 1864, attacking, defending, withdrawing and scavenging along the way. The deafening noise of the battle; the war zones of annihilated woods and trenched agricultural fields and pastures; the use of isolated farmhouses and other structures as sharpshooter outposts, headquarters, and hospitals; and the despoiling of livestock and possession would have resulted in the Ruff's Mill community becoming an unrecognizable area of unbelievable destruction.”

Much of the work is being funded by the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection, which awarded the Lamar Institute a $96,000 grant to document the boundaries and features of the battle. The work has included extensive research off-site.

The institute applied for the grant after local homeowner Philip Ivester contacted them and showed officials a collection of Civil War bullets and other relics he’s found on his property over the years.

Ivester told the Picket he assisted the Nov. 2-22 field work in neighborhoods that dot the battleground (click GBA map at left to see July 3-4, 1864 lines).

“Not having an archaeological background, I enjoyed learning the methodical process of the field work. There are a lot of details in laying out a site for GPR (ground penetrating radar) work -- slow methodical work,” Ivester wrote in an email. “It also takes a long time to record latitude, longitude, depth, etc. for metal-detected finds but it allows you to understand who was where and what they were shooting at to get a better picture of Civil War battles.”

Officials have stressed the importance of the community’s participation in the work -- by allowing access to researchers and archaeologists. And residents and private landowners came through, providing about one third of the acreage covered.

Elliott said 10 volunteers supplemented the work of three professional archaeologists. The project has been supported by the Cobb County government, historical societies, museums and volunteers.

Documenting a metal detector find

As far as procuring new information about the battle, the team located and documented numerous trenches that were not recorded on Civil War maps, or had been noted in the wrong position, Elliott said.

Charlie Crawford, president emeritus of the Georgia Battlefields Association, says Ruff’s Mill has gotten little attention because it was a brief incident between much more notable events -- namely the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain (June 27) several miles north and the crossing of the Chattahoochee River by Federal forces (July 9) to the southeast.

After his army had repulsed Sherman at Kennesaw Mountain, Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston once again had to resort to delaying tactics and a slow retreat toward Atlanta. “Johnston occupied the Smyrna Line principally to buy time for his wagons to retreat behind the Chattahoochee, and he did not intend to hold the line once that was accomplished,” said Crawford.

On July 4, 1864, Brig. Gen. John Fuller’s brigade with the 16^th Corps, supported by Sweeney’s division, attacked works held by Rebels in Hood’s command at Ruff’s Mill. “The Southerners fell back and dug in. Union casualties in this action totaled 140 killed and wounded. Confederate losses are not reported,” writes historian and author Stephen Davis.

That night, Johnston withdrew troops to their next position, even closer to the river.

Elliott said the research thus far as identified dozens of regiments from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, Kentucky and other states taking part in the battle.

Attack of Fuller's Ohio brigade at Ruff's Mill (Wikipedia Commons)

The team came across a letter from Confederate Cpl. Frank E. Blossman, of Company A, 6^th Texas Infantry in Cleburne’s division. Blossman provided a vivid account of a Federal assault in nearby Smyrna on the same day.

“They came with the best yell I ever heard come out of Yankee throats, and at first I really thought they meant to interest us but when they came within a hundred yards our boys answered with a shout of defiance. This angered the Yanks, and the officers commenced shouting: ‘Forward, men! Forward!’ Our men answered by shouting: ‘Come on, boys! Come on!’ Just then a Dutch officer shouted to the Yanks, ‘Trow avay de knapsacks!’ and our men shouted not to throw them off, as we wanted them.”

The attack ended in a Union retreat. (Interestingly, Blossman’s letter to back home did not reach his family until decades after the war, according to the 1899 Confederate Veteran magazine. Blossman was killed about a month after the battle.)

Elliott told the Picket the project’s aims include learning more about affected by the battle, including enslaved African Americans who built defenses for the Confederate army.

Artifacts collected by Philip Ivester (Courtesy of Brian Hall Photography)

“Our upcoming research will examine slave schedules and later census records to try to identify African Americans enslaved on area plantations before and during the war, and then freedmen and women in the area following the war,” she said. “This will contribute to our understanding of who may have been pressed into the service of the military building defenses or in support roles. Having these names may also help us research any records associated with them that may actually detail their roles in the war.”

A 1904 book indicated a man told Federal officers that he and about 1,000 other enslaved persons had worked to construct several miles of Confederate defensives lines outside Atlanta.

Elliott and others on the team did conduct four GPR surveys, but most of the field work involved metal detecting.

Historic bridge on Concord Road (Courtesy of Georgia Battlefields Assn.)

Ivester says individuals not from the area should not do any metal detecting; the land is either privately owned or belongs to Cobb County.

The battlefield was the scene of Rebel and Federal artillery firing, as well as small-arms fire.

“The ... obstacle to locating the battle has been the repeated metal detecting of the area over the past eight decades. This has removed many of the artifacts which have been redistributed across the SE and around the world, with no exact locations on where they were recovered or what they were,” Elliott said. “In spite of the lower density of artifacts on these sites, we were able to locate and document the exact positions of enough battle-related artifacts to uncover key components of the story.”

The archaeological team found artifacts ranging from 1 inch to 12 inches below the surface. They are mostly bullets and artillery shell fragments. The bullets will be studied for clues to their manufacture and which side used them.

“It is the location of these artifacts that undeniably tell the story of the military strategy. A limited amount of other arms and personal items were documented that help put a human face on the battle, such as a button, a pocket watch cover, an entrenching shovel,” Elliott said.

Analysis will enable the institute to create maps showing where every artifact was recovered, identifying Confederate and Union locations. “These maps can be compared with historic maps of the battle and used to corroborate, expand, or change the historical narrative, depending on what they tell us.”

Recording finds from metal detector survey (The Lamar Institute)

Elliott and her team are grateful for the support of private landowners.

“One thing we have yet to accomplish is to document a large number of artifact collections from the area,” she wrote. “If anyone has a collection from the area and can identify with certainty where their artifacts came from and would like us to document them, we would love to talk with them. We are currently in the process of documenting one extensive collection from the area. This collection is particularly important as the collector recorded the location of the finds.”

The Lamar Institute will continue its analysis and research for much of the year. After that, a draft report will be submitted to the National Park Service. The final report will include recommendations to the community on preserving sites and educating the public. A documentary film also will be made available.

Elliott said the project is thankful for all who have pitched in.

“It is an ongoing pleasure to work in a community that appreciates its historical sites and understands how archaeological documentation of its underground resources can help tell the story of our collective past -- no matter who we are.”

Near covered bridge in suburban Atlanta, archaeologists to seek evidence of Battle of Ruff's Mill, tell stories of soldiers and civilians

Historic covered bridge on Concord Road (Georgia Battlefields Association)

Artifacts collected by Philip Ivester (Courtesy of Brian Hall Photography)

Philip Ivester’s interest in his neighborhood’s history and a collection of Civil War bullets and other relics he’s found on his property are the spark for an upcoming effort to research and locate evidence of the Battle of Ruff’s Mill, an overlooked clash during the Atlanta Campaign.

The National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program has awarded The Lamar Institute, a nonprofit archaeological group, a $96,000 grant to document the boundaries and features of the July 4, 1864, battle. The institute applied for the grant after Ivester contacted them and showed the artifacts.

“As one of over 30 strategic battles in reaction to Union flanking maneuvers and Confederate defensive fighting, the Battle of Ruff’s Mill represents these important linchpin battles resulting in the fall of Atlanta,” said Rita Elliott, education coordinator for the Savannah-based institute.

“Few of these battles have been studied archaeologically; however, and many have been destroyed, making the Battle of Ruff's Mill Project additionally important to interpreting the big picture of the Civil War, through a localized lens,” she said.

Recent public meeting on the Ruff's Mill project (Courtesy of Philip Ivester)

The Battle of Ruff’s Mill (Nickajack Creek) occurred in what is now the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District near Smyrna, Ga, about 15 miles northwest of Atlanta.

Elliott told the Picket the project’s aims include identifying specific areas of fighting, any remaining earthen works, and learning more about those involved with or affected by the battle, including enslaved African Americans who built defenses for the Confederate army.

Although there are many homes and roads covering the rustic area, county officials hope the effort “will empower the community in its education and preservation efforts.”

Charlie Crawford, president of the Georgia Battlefields Association, says Ruff’s Mill has gotten little attention because it was a brief incident between much more notable events -- namely the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain (June 27) several miles north and the crossing of the Chattahoochee River by Federal forces (July 9) to the southeast.

Click map to see July 3-4 lines (Courtesy of GBA)

After his army had repulsed Union Gen. William T. Sherman at Kennesaw Mountain, Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston once again had to resort to delaying tactics and a slow retreat toward Atlanta. “Johnston occupied the Smyrna Line principally to buy time for his wagons to retreat behind the Chattahoochee, and he did not intend to hold the line once that was accomplished,” said Crawford.

On July 4, 1864, Brig. Gen. John Fuller’s brigade with the 16^th Corps, supported by Sweeney’s division, attacked works held by Rebels in Hood’s command. “The Southerners fell back and dug in. Union casualties in this action totaled 140 killed and wounded. Confederate losses are not reported,” writes historian and author Stephen Davis.

That night, Johnston withdrew troops to their next position, even closer to the Chattahoochee.

Perhaps the best-known participant at Ruff’s Mill was Colonel Edward Noyes of the 39^th Ohio. The future governor was wounded in the left ankle and subsequently lost his lower leg to amputation.  

Because the line was built and held so briefly, Crawford doesn’t expect researchers to find as much physical evidence of the battle as they might at other Atlanta Campaign sites.

“I expect (the) team will find more artifacts and perhaps some less obvious fortification sites,” said Crawford, whose group supported the awarding of the grant. “While there are accounts of the fighting from some of the participants, the project may better define the boundaries of the engagements.”

Ruins of the Concord Woolen Mills (Georgia Battlefields Assocation)

The Concord Woolen Mill ruins are the best-known artifact in the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District, which has a robust website explaining the neighborhood’s Civil War ties.

“I hope we get a better understanding of what took place in our part of Cobb County during the war. It is fascinating to see what modern archaeology can glean about events that took place so long ago,” Ivester told the Picket.

He said much of the fighting at Ruff’s Mill was in the area of Heritage Park, a passive park with hiking trails. The popular Silver Comet Trail brings tens of thousands of walkers and bicyclists through the park each year. The project could provide an excellent opportunity to educate them about the Civil War.

The Lamar Institute is conducting battle research now and will be during its principal archaeological work in April, followed by a report for the county and a video. Elliott stresses the importance of community involvement.

She told The Atlanta-Journal Constitution that the team will work on public land and seek written permission to go on private property. Residents will be asked to allow them to photograph and catalog artifacts and to share any information about the battle they’ve collected on their own.

“As far as preservation of private property goes, I think it is enough to educate landowners on what they have, and let that influence their future decisions,” said Ivester. “It is important to have landowner participation, and some owners might be reluctant if they thought it would have a negative impact on the financial value of their property down the road. I see this information as adding to the value of the land.”

Ivester stressed individuals not from the area should not do any metal detecting; the land is either privately owned or belongs to Cobb County.

A myriad of groups and landowners will be following or involved in the work.

Edward Noyes lost his lower leg

In a Cobb County press release last week, District 4 Commissioner Lisa Cupid said: “While Cobb County residents appreciate and preserve their history, they cannot preserve something until it becomes tangible and locatable,” Cupid said. “This project fulfills the need to locate and identify the battlefield and its related resources, and share the information about its significance with the community so that residents and policymakers can address the battlefield’s preservation and interpretation for the public.”

The Picket had a number of questions for Elliott with The Lamar Institute. Her emailed responses are edited for brevity.

Q. What are you hoping results from the project? Preservation or interpretation?

A. There are multiple goals for the project:

1. Locate the battle, define its boundaries, identify specific activity areas within the battlefield, and identify associated defenses and offensive works;

2. Use extensive historical research of documents and maps to uncover significant detail about the battle and its troops and develop a context for it within the broader war;

3. Identify those involved (on an individual and group level) in not only the battle, but in activities and events before and after, including African-American and white men, women, and children;

4. Collaborate with various members of the community in many phases of the project in ways the community finds beneficial;

5. Share information uncovered and derived from the project with the local community as well as the broader public;

6. Encourage this information to be used by the community to interpret all facets of its past (in K-12 and college curricula and educational programs, interpretive signage in parks, trails and other green spaces, museum exhibits, on the internet, and in public programming); and to preserve portions of the site when possible.

Public meeting on the project (Courtesy of Dan Elliott)

Q. What evidence of the battle is known to exist?

A. Physical evidence likely associated with the battle currently consists of artifacts collected from the area by local landowners as well as non-local relic collectors. Documentary evidence of the battle exists most extensively in Union records, such as military records and order books, maps, and private letters. 

Q. You mentioned to The AJC you want to learn more about people who lived in the area at the time of the battle. Why is that important and what is known about them now?

A. The battle itself reflects military history -- military strategy, warfare techniques, the movement of armies, men, munitions and supplies, and wins and losses. We know about the major generals and other officers involved in the decision-making and the actual battles.

Traditional military history; however, has tended to exclude other aspects of war, including the human face of it. We know that the miles of river line defenses, shoupades and other defenses were constructed in large part by enslaved African Americans. Yet most histories rarely address this important role of African Americans in the Civil War, nor their social history on an individual level within this enforced enterprise. Likewise, women of both races played important roles in the war and were impacted by it in many different ways. Their roles are usually treated superficially, if at all, in military histories.

Click map of several Civil War clashes in Cobb County (ABPP)

And finally, there are the children. They are almost universally ignored, in spite of the fact that they may have been the most affected by war. Children also participated in the war, not the least as drummer boys and even soldiers. This project seeks to illuminate both the specific military history of the Battle of Ruff's Mill and the more elusive civilian, human history of the battle in what is to date, America's most horrific conflict.

Q. Any other thoughts on what the institute will bring to the work?

A. The Lamar Institute has received seven National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program grants over the years, been involved in an additional five with other organizations, and worked on numerous other conflict archaeology sites. Like these, the Ruff's Mill Battle Project is a scientific study that will incorporate historical research, ground-penetrating radar, and controlled metal detection survey to document the exact GPS location of every battle-related artifact.

(Courtesy of Georgia Battlefields Assocation)

Such methodology will allow us not only to find artifacts, but to uncover their complete story, including what their locations tell us about troop movements, skirmishes, and other important details within the battlefield. We will complete a comprehensive report of our research, discoveries, interpretations, and data and make this available to Cobb County and to the public.

Cobb County and many of its residents have already shown a great interest in the project.