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Lovejoy in September 1864

The Massive Battle of September 2-5, 1864

The Lamar Institute reported to the Henry County board of commissioners, August 20, 2007. The report, on page 7, stated the cavalry charge on August 20th was remembered as “an epic event of the Civil War.” Read more about that here.

The next paragraph, page 7, referred to the military engagements at Lovejoy’s Station on September 2-5, 1864 as:

The massive Battle of Lovejoy’s Station that occurred a couple of weeks later on September 2-5
Following the Battle of Jonesboro on September 1 – 2, Confederate forces withdrew south toward Lovejoy’s Station and Griffin. The area from the Flint River to McDonough saw Union and Confederate troop movements and skirmishes.

READ HERE the specific communications from both Union and Confederate forces as recorded in The War of The Rebellion, Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 38, Part 5 (The Atlanta Campaign).

Also included is The Official Atlas of the Civil War, Plate 57, which depicts relative positions of the Union and Confederate forces on September 3-4, 1864. The map overlay provided by the Henry County Battlefield website is not consistent in placement of the lines of engagement in relation to present-day Nash Farm. The road configuration and relative location of the S. G. Dorsey house place the troop lines south and west of Nash property.

Although the lines of Union Gen. J. M. Schofield and Confederate Gen. S. D. Lee faced each other along and northwest of Lee’s Mill Road, there was no report of heavy engagement. However, these maps and descriptions of artillery and troop placement may support present-day discovery of canister and rifle artifacts at the northwestern quadrant of Nash Farm.

It is difficult to surmise from military communications of the day that a “massive Battle of Lovejoy’s Station” occurred during early September 1864. However, the Confederate retreat and troop movements continued until the final Union withdrawal from Atlanta in November.

The Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report on the Nation's Civil War Battlefields in1993 did not include events of September 1864 while classifying Lovejoy’s Station as a Class D battle site. The September engagements followed the fall of Jonesboro, and apparently had neither “military, economic, or social significance nor the exceptional interpretive potential” used to classify battlefields.

Comments

Mr. Stanley,

A point of clarification if you do not mind. What is a "Class D battle site"?

Sorry about that, Reggie. A Class D site means "having a limited influence on the outcome of the campaign or operation but achieving or affecting important local objectives."

I referenced the National Park Service classifications in the posted .pdf about the August 20th Cavalry Charge.

See that updated post here:
Part One and Part Two.

The criteria for battlefields, historical markers, etc. starts on page 26 of Part 2.

On Sept 2, 1864, the Mayor of Atlanta rode out to Federal troops under a white flag. He found officers at what is today the intersection of Northside Dr and Marietta St and there surrendered the city to the United States Government. A historical marker notes the spot and activity.

Dear Mr. Stanley,
Once again I would like to thank you for your thorough
search for the truth about Kilpatrick at Lovejoy. As
I have stated before I do not understand why the Henry
County Board of Commissioners went out on this limb without having a second opinion. It seems that a lot of people were caught up in this snare. At least you have vindicated a lot of good people who over the past 30 years have put forth a lot of time and effort to find these truths.

There is more to this story that probably will never see
the light of day, but it might be best if it didn't.

I have been in touch with the GHS in Savanah and they
know the truth just as I do and they remember the work
that I was involved with during the past three decades. They do not appreciate people trying to change history to suit their personal preference. They also told me that it isn't
right to tell school children that this story of the Nash Farm is historical fact when it isn't. My old employers at the U.S. Govt. know about some of these problems occurring and said they will be watching. Again you have done a great
job and the people of Henry County who pay the bills thank you for your interest and your thoroughness. This is lacking in todays society.
Sincerely,
The Doctor

It has always been easy to follow BJ Mathis and support her desire to provide good things for the county.

Nash was/is a preservation effort. That is enough for me! Does it really matter if nothing significant happened there? What does it hurt if BJ wants to call it a battlefield? If only one person shed blood or died on the property, isn't that enough?

BJ Mathis kept Nash Farm from being developed. She ran her campaign on anti-development -- she does what she says.

Henry County has plenty of 'history' where civil war troops advanced, camped, traveled or skirmished. But no place is left for preservation. Nash Farm stands as Henry's way of commemorating the civil war. Does it really hurt anything if the story about that one place was just made-up?

You do what you have to do. Now that BJ Mathis is running for commission chair we have a chance to elect a person whose integrity (or intelligence) will always come second. Isn't that what we really want??

Dear Gen. Ross,
On reading your words about Ms. Mathis one can only think that the people would not be duped twice or possibly three times.

Remember the house that was moved from McDonough that was supposed to be the home of Col. Zachry. The home was built by the Sloan family in 1840 and the Col. moved to town from the Peachstone Shoals after burning his home there known as the Castle Mound. The Col. only lived in the home for a short time before his death. He had lived in town a couple of other times prior to this but it was not built by the Col. The historical value of the home is that it was built by one of the first families of McDonough.

Back to the Nash Farm saga, the people of today either don't care or they don't understand the value of the truth. If one does not have a good word then that person is no good. Those are words of wisdom by my father. As far as Nash Farm being a symbol of the Civil War for Henry County, it shouldn't be a symbol built on a lie. Henry County as a whole should be a memorial to those who fought and supplied the Civil War. There were many who went off to war and many who protected here as the home guard. As the Union Army raided most of the County then the whole area should be recognized not just one small piece. Maybe those involved will learn a valuable lesson from this. One can only hope.

The Civil War was a terrible time in our history that can never be forgotten. It is those memories that will keep us from making the same mistakes again or one would hope. To those who died for what they believed they should be honored but not honored on false information that only diminishes their memories. It hurts to know that a lie or the fantasies of one can transcend into a cascade of ugliness that does not have to happen and should have never started.

If only the County had gotten that second opinion which they are so freely doing in other cases then the people of Henry County would not be out of so much money.
Sincerely,
The Doctor

Thank God for people like Larry who do their homework!

I wonder what BJ Mathis and her merry gang of neo-confederate race baiters are planning on doing next...perhaps they've already done it? I do seem to recall a cross-burning in some old cornfield a few nights ago as I was driving by...maybe that was them?

Dear Mr. Stanley,
I read where you needed information about Lee's Mill. The mill was located SW of where Stockbridge is today along the Rum Creek which makes Lake Spivey today.
It was between Noah's Ark Rd. and Jodeco Rd. The Lee family which owned the
mill also helped form the Mount Pleasant Methodist Church. They made up the
trustee's of the church. They were Samuel Lee and William Lee. In 1849, the church
was dissolved and reformed in 1852 as the Noah's Ark Methodist Church which is
over the Henry County line in Clayton County near Lake Jodeco and Lake Spivey.
Also in this area was the old Fleekick School.
During the Civil War Kilpatrick's Raid carried him east of Jonesboro to the Lee's Mill
area and he took the Lee's Mill Rd. SW to Lovejoy and the Dorsey House. During
the "March to the Sea" Generals Woods and Smith USA moved via Lee's Mill. General
Corse USA marched from Rough and Ready by Lee's Mill to McDonough on November
16, 1864.
The Old Lee's Mill Road bed can still be seen crossing Noah's Ark Rd. near the Henry-
Clayton County Line. The road bed passes through the property of a friend of mine
and on into the Clayton County Sprayfield. I hope this information is helpful to you
and will help you see where the mill used to be in those long ago years.
Sincerely,
The Doctor

Doctor,
Thanks for this information. I was not able to locate anything about Lee's MIll at the Jonesboro public library or the Georgia Archive. I was naturally interested because the name (of the road) figured prominently in my recent research.

I actually found a Lee's Mill Road that runs from the Atlanta airport to the intersection of Upper Riverdale Road. At that point the trail ended - although while driving that road I had hopes of finding a "passage" that would lead me to Lovejoy.

I have printed and bound the August 20th & Sept, 2-5 information if you would like a copy. So far the Archive has not rejected it -- I submitted it in hopes of it being added to the Clayton County collection.

Thanks again. I appreciate your work and all your help.