Mcmanusphotos: July 2014

July 12th, union army re-enactors set up camp in Barrington Hall grounds near the town square in Roswell as part of the commemoration of the fall and subsequent destruction of Atlanta by Sherman's troops. Sherman and his men spent some time in Roswell, but the only areas destroyed were the mill and factory making confederate uniforms. The female mill workers, who were poor white indentured servants, were accused of treason and separated from their families and transported to Indiana. Most never returned and many died. The owner of the mill, Roswell King, on his return after the war blamed the workers on the destruction and refused to help them come back.

These are some photos of the re-enactment which was very interesting. The brass band played most of the time and demonstrated how music was used to keep the army and soldiers spirits up and also help in terms of the march and the battles. The men of the union army had marched many hundreds of miles and had suffered terribly in battles on their way south to the sea. The confederate soldiers suffered also as Sherman was intent on victory through attrition, and advanced steadfastly towards Atlanta and all the way to Savannah. He spent 4 months in Atlanta systematically destroying all the factories and military targets that would help the confederate cause. He destroyed the railroads and the factory structures and set fire to buildings that he saw as military targets. The confederate soldiers as they retreated also set fire to ammunition trains which caused a lot of damage and set fire to many military and private structures as well. Most Atlantans took flight and when they returned there was basically no city left. They had to rebuild and that is why Atlanta downtown is really very new as compared to many other cities like Charleston and savannah.

Roswell was spared the worst of it and Barrington Hall, built in 1830, stands as it did back then.

The front of Barrington Hall with the Union Army Band on the porch