I have been to Roswell, Georgia on several occasions to view the ruined mill sites along Vickery Creek. In 1864, during his campaign to capture Atlanta, Sherman had his troops moved to Roswell. Troops began moving into Roswell on July 5, 1864. The mills in the small city were manufacturing uniforms for the Confederate army and they were destroyed by the Union forces beginning on July 6. On July 10, approximately 400 mill workers were captured and moved out of town to Marietta. Most of the civilian workers were women. Later the prisoners were placed on trains and moved north.
In 2000, a monument was placed in a small park where Sloan and Vickery Streets come together at the east end of the city. The address is 75 Sloan Street. In addition to the pillar, there is historic signage explaining the site. Titled “The Lost Mill Workers of Roswell” it gives an acceptable chronology of events in July of 1864, but I have heard from visitors that the title of the sign leads people to believe that the workers were executed by the Union forces. This did not happen at all.
The monument is not where the mills were and it is not in the middle of the city, which has a town square. It is in a small suburban area. It was erected in 2000 by the Sons of Confederate Veterans at a cost of reportedly $200,000. There is no parking lot at the site, but there is street parking if you want to stop and take some photos.
The day I went, there were no other people at the site which gave me an opportunity to have time with the monument. The grounds are small, but there are two benches and a nice square where the monument resides surrounded on one side by well-kept bushes.
The signage tells the story of the mill workers, from the establishment of the mills to the mills’ destruction.
Roswell was important because it manufactured cotton cloth and made uniforms for the Confederacy. It was also important because there was a bridge over the Chattahoochee River that the Union troops could use to advance against Atlanta. In July of 1864, approximately 31,000 Union troops were brought to Roswell. While the Union troops burned the mills, Confederate troops burned the key bridge. As summer drew on, the water level in the river receded and the Union troops were able to wade across it to the Atlanta side. The Union crossing began on July 13 and concluded on July 17, By July 22, the newly crossed Federal troops were engaged in the Battle of Atlanta.
The ten foot high Corinthian Column has a base which highlights the tragedy of the removal of the workers. The top of the monument is “shattered” to depict the lives torn apart by the incident. The dedication took place on July 8, 2010 and was attended by several dozen people in anticipation of the Civil War Sesquicentennial.
The mill workers were engaged in manufacturing for the Confederate Army on contracts from the Confederate government. While the workers were civilians, they were engaged in war production.
On the back of the monument there is a list of the mills destroyed by the Union Army.
Throughout the town by the river there are several ruins connected to the mills that were destroyed in 1864. If you come to view this monument, which takes just about fifteen minutes of your time, go to the river to walk through the ruins, which takes about an hour. Begin your exploration at Old Mill Park.
The monument also is dedicated to the Confederate soldiers of Roswell.
Note: All color photos in this post were taken by Patrick Young except as noted.
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