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| Ruins: Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy, map from NPS, marker by David Seibert, HMdb.org |
Of particular interest were water-powered mills that mostly produced textiles. But one mill east of Marietta, Ga., along Sope (sometimes spelled Soap) Creek, was a bit unusual. It made newsprint for newspapers, writing sheets and cartridge paper used for Rebel weapons, among other goods. It apparently was known as a “rag mill," due to the paper being made from linen rags and old cotton.
On July 5, 1864, elements of the famous Wilder’s (Lightning Brigade) put the torch to the Marietta Paper Mill, which got its start in the late 1850s. While the mill was rebuilt after the Civil War, it became defunct in 1902. (Photo below: Nearby pulp mill in 1907)
Time and
nature, of course, have taken a toll on the ruins. Unchecked and invasive
vegetation have spread throughout the stones, placing pressure on its delicate
walls. That’s about to change, according to an announcement this week. The
nonprofit Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy and the National Park Service
are partnering on an ambitious restoration project.
“For more than 170 years, these iconic stone ruins have stood as a
reminder of Georgia's industrial past and the pivotal role the Chattahoochee
River played in shaping our region,” the conservancy said. “After decades of
exposure to the elements and encroaching invasive vegetation, the site is ready
for critical preservation work.”
The first phase will remove invasive species, improve access
for preservation specialists and document existing conditions.
In 2027, phase two will bring in experienced historic preservation
specialists to stabilize and restore the remaining stone masonry. “Rather than
reconstructing the ruins, the work will focus on protecting and preserving the
existing structure while maintaining its historic integrity,” the conservancy
said.
Did Phillips Legion founder tweak his nose at Yankees?
Col. John T. Wilder’s brigade gained fame in 1863 for its performance at
Chickamauga, protecting the army’s flank and then launching a counterattack.
For the Atlanta Campaign, regiments were transferred to the cavalry corps.
David Evans, in his book “Sherman’s Horsemen,” wrote about the raid, and
quoted from an earlier book on Georgia places and personalities.
“An ardent secessionist, at the outbreak of the war Phillips
had raised a regiment of infantry, cavalry and artillery known as Phillips’
Legion,” Evans wrote. “The loss of an eye had forced him to retired from active
duty in 1862 but had done nothing to lessen his hatred of Yankees. Watching
from the south side of the Chattahoochee when Maj. (Jacob) Vail and his men
arrived on July 5, he sent them a message which declared, ‘The mill belonged to
a man who had fought them from the beginning of the war, and who could continue
to fight them to the bitter end; that he had been taught to hate them as
enemies to him and his, and that he would die hating them; that he did not ask
any favor from them; and they might burn to their heart’s content.’”
“It is uncertain whether Vail received the message, but his
Hoosiers put the paper mill and neighboring flour mills and machine shops to
the torch,” Evans added.
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| Wartime and postwar images of 17th Indiana drummer boy Johnny Butler ("Souvenir," a regimental history) |
Charlie Crawford, president emeritus of the Georgia Battlefields Association, cautions the Phillips quotation may be apocryphal.
Crawford in a “Georgia Outdoors” segment produced several years
ago for Georgia Public Broadcasting, talked about Sherman’s strategy.
“One of his objectives was to destroy any industry that might be of use to the Confederate government. Now in many cases, he would leave a flour mill, because he was uncertain how long his own troops would be here, and if they were here for a prolonged period of time, they might need flour,” Crawford said on the episode about mills. “And so he didn’t destroy every flour mill. But a paper mill or anything that was essentially superfluous to his efforts, but yet might aid the Confederacy, was fair game.”
Howls of protest: Women mill workers were taken north
The destruction of property, whether business or personal, was
burned into the memories of Georgians. Of particular outrage was the fate of
hundreds who worked at mills around Atlanta.
After a large Douglas County mill was torched by Union cavalry in July 1864, nearly 100 residents, mostly female workers and their children, were sent north by train -- under protest -- to spend the rest of the war. Many took an oath of allegiance to the United States.
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| Don Scarbrough at New Manchester mill site in 2017 (Picket photo) |
From the Northern perspective, the workers were
American citizens in open rebellion – a policy that outraged Southerners.
Crawford said the Sope Creek paper mill suspended
operations before the cavalry arrived, so no workers were present to be taken
into custody.
Researcher and historian Brad Quinlin said he recalled
a 2014 event to commemorate the 600 mill workers being marched in Marietta before
they were put on trains.
“We had a gentleman join us and said his
gr-grandmother was one of those mill workers from Sope Creek Mill. It was fun
to have him with us for the day and march with us to the square. He did not
have much information on his gr-grandmother and her journey after she was
shipped out of Marietta,” Quinlin wrote in an email.
Very few of those shipped north ever made it back to Georgia.
