The Battle of Allatoona Pass, 5 October 1864
Today is the 140th Anniversary of the Battle of Allatoona Pass, a small but brutal and fascinating action that occurred in the aftermath of Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign. I find the battle fascinating, and have visited the battlefield four or five times. (It’s well preserved: definitely worth a visit, at least if you are something of a nut like me :P)
I wrote an extended thread about the battle on X for those who are interested.
If you read through to the end, you’ll see that this obscure engagement left its mark on history through music–gospel and R&B.
A Troiani painting (a print of which hangs over my fireplace) of the fighting at The Star Fort:
A map of the action:
Bring those guys into 2024 & its a guarantee they would say
“We fought for this ? “
Comment by djm — October 5, 2024 @ 12:43 pm
@djm. And the Confederates are saying: “Told you.”
Comment by cpirrong — October 6, 2024 @ 5:28 pm
‘And the Confederates are saying: “Told you.”’
I suppose it’s an inevitable part of growing up – you come to realise that the triumph of a noble cause can be more damaging than the previous evil was. Partly, I suppose, because people hadn’t thought through ‘what comes next’ and partly because people don’t ask themselves how many pernicious policies would be adopted to ensure the triumph of the noble cause.
Elizabeth I was wise about such things: “I do not like war. It is costly and the outcome uncertain”.
Comment by dearieme — October 7, 2024 @ 4:57 am
The X copy correctly says. 160 but the typo in first paragraph says 140.
Comment by Margaret — October 12, 2024 @ 11:25 am