McCook Raid during Atlanta Campaign

curtis payne

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During Gen. McCook's retreat from Lovejoy Station, they crossed several creeks where the 4th Kentucky Reg. and specifically Company C. I have read the reports of Lt. West of Company C. and he states they were attacked close to the flint river at Dickson's Bridge, they retreated to Glass Bridge on the Flint River, hence retreating on the Redwine Road across Whitewater Cr. and or Line Creek. Does anyone know of the exact locations of these engagements?
 
During Gen. McCook's retreat from Lovejoy Station, they crossed several creeks where the 4th Kentucky Reg. and specifically Company C. I have read the reports of Lt. West of Company C. and he states they were attacked close to the flint river at Dickson's Bridge, they retreated to Glass Bridge on the Flint River, hence retreating on the Redwine Road across Whitewater Cr. and or Line Creek. Does anyone know of the exact locations of these engagements?

Was just reading this. I know where Glass Bridge is. Just crossed it last week. When you say Redwine Road, is that modern day Redwine Road that runs in Fayetteville or was there another Redwine Road in those days? White Water Creek does pass under Redwine Road just south of Fayetteville. I can't tell you where these engagements took place but I know exactly where these roads are.
 
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Well I am looking for the location of White Water Creek where Company C of the 4th Kentucky Vol. Mounted Infantry acted as the rear guard during the McCook Raid, it's supposed to be about 3 miles East of Shakerag. Also is there any museum in that area with artifacts from the McCook Raid. Thanks for your response.
 
Shakerag is now Peachtree City. There is a marker on Ebenezer Road that denotes this skirmish. It is supposed to be at the site where it happened. It is a private residence now. This site is about two minutes from my house. I took a metal detector into the woods across the street but found nothing but old fencing nails. There is no museum. The Fayette County Historical Society is the closest thing we have for Civil War information but all they have is what is on the marker. There is also a "battlefield" at what was once Browns Mill nearby in Newnan. I have been there but if you didn't know it was a battlefield you wouldn't know it other than a solitary grave marker. Sorry I couldn't be more help. I know exactly where the Dickson and Glass bridges are. At Glass bridge now is a water treatment plant. I know exactly where Whitewater Creek crosses Redwine Road, my mom lives on Redwine. There is a subdivision on the east side of Redwine at that location but woods remain on the west side. Don't know for how long though. May try to run a metal detector through those woods this coming winter. To many copperheads in there right now. There is also another story of a mule wagon train that was bringing down supplies from Atlanta that was burning. Supposedly there were around 800 mules with several hundred wagons. They stopped for the night between 2 and 5 miles west of Fayetteville. McCook's brigade found the wagon train, killed all the mules, and burned the wagons. I am still trying to figure out the exact spot that happened. Have a couple of ideas but it's all speculation. The problem is the geography is a lot different now than it was in those days and there are no maps I have found that say "x" marks the spot. I just know it was 2 to 5 miles west of F'ville somewhere between here, Tyrone and Palmetto.
The maker reads:
It reads: "SKIRMISH AT SHAKERAG. Just before dawn, July 30, 1864, during a daring cavalry raid to cut the last two railroads supplying Atlanta, Union Brig. Gen. Edward M. McCook ordered the 4th Kentucky Mounted Infantry to halt near the Asa Mitchell house at Shakerag. While two companies dismounted and began barricading the road where it crested this ridge, Lt. Col. Robert Kelly deployed the rest of his men to hold any pursuing Confederates at bay until daylight. When hoof beats approached in the darkness, they opened fire. Recoiling before "a murderous volley," Confederate Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler ordered Lt. Col. Paul Anderson's 4th Tennessee Cavalry to dismount and attack on foot while troopers from the 8th Texas, 1st Tennessee, and the 9th Tennessee Battalion spurred toward both flanks. Kelly's men repulsed five separate assaults. Both sides suffered many casualties before Wheeler led a headlong charge that broke the Union line, capturing Kelly, about 200 of his men, and routing the rest. These heavy losses destroyed McCook's rear guard. Leaving the wounded with local families, Wheeler continued his relentless pursuit of the raiders toward Newnan. FAYETTE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY"

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I'm unfamiliar with this one....the name 'McCook' got my attention...A night engagement? Rather rare during the ACW.
McCook went into central Georgia to disable rail lines. Browns Mill was one of his stops. He was defeated by the Confederates and one of his brigades happened onto the wagon train and burned it. I don't think it was a planned event. I'm not a historian obviously, just recounting the way it is told here. There was an illustration about it in Harpers Weekly.

wagon.jpg
 
Shakerag is now Peachtree City. There is a marker on Ebenezer Road that denotes this skirmish. It is supposed to be at the site where it happened. It is a private residence now. This site is about two minutes from my house. I took a metal detector into the woods across the street but found nothing but old fencing nails. There is no museum. The Fayette County Historical Society is the closest thing we have for Civil War information but all they have is what is on the marker. There is also a "battlefield" at what was once Browns Mill nearby in Newnan. I have been there but if you didn't know it was a battlefield you wouldn't know it other than a solitary grave marker. Sorry I couldn't be more help. I know exactly where the Dickson and Glass bridges are. At Glass bridge now is a water treatment plant. I know exactly where Whitewater Creek crosses Redwine Road, my mom lives on Redwine. There is a subdivision on the east side of Redwine at that location but woods remain on the west side. Don't know for how long though. May try to run a metal detector through those woods this coming winter. To many copperheads in there right now. There is also another story of a mule wagon train that was bringing down supplies from Atlanta that was burning. Supposedly there were around 800 mules with several hundred wagons. They stopped for the night between 2 and 5 miles west of Fayetteville. McCook's brigade found the wagon train, killed all the mules, and burned the wagons. I am still trying to figure out the exact spot that happened. Have a couple of ideas but it's all speculation. The problem is the geography is a lot different now than it was in those days and there are no maps I have found that say "x" marks the spot. I just know it was 2 to 5 miles west of F'ville somewhere between here, Tyrone and Palmetto.
The maker reads:
It reads: "SKIRMISH AT SHAKERAG. Just before dawn, July 30, 1864, during a daring cavalry raid to cut the last two railroads supplying Atlanta, Union Brig. Gen. Edward M. McCook ordered the 4th Kentucky Mounted Infantry to halt near the Asa Mitchell house at Shakerag. While two companies dismounted and began barricading the road where it crested this ridge, Lt. Col. Robert Kelly deployed the rest of his men to hold any pursuing Confederates at bay until daylight. When hoof beats approached in the darkness, they opened fire. Recoiling before "a murderous volley," Confederate Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler ordered Lt. Col. Paul Anderson's 4th Tennessee Cavalry to dismount and attack on foot while troopers from the 8th Texas, 1st Tennessee, and the 9th Tennessee Battalion spurred toward both flanks. Kelly's men repulsed five separate assaults. Both sides suffered many casualties before Wheeler led a headlong charge that broke the Union line, capturing Kelly, about 200 of his men, and routing the rest. These heavy losses destroyed McCook's rear guard. Leaving the wounded with local families, Wheeler continued his relentless pursuit of the raiders toward Newnan. FAYETTE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY"

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Wow that is cool that you live so close to Shakerag. It's interesting you didn't find any artifacts, makes me wonder if they have the correct location. There was a good battle at the bridge over Whitewater Creek as well I consider that part of the Shakerag attack. The Yankees attempted to burn the bridge, but were not successful. I am coming in oct. to view this line of march. My Great Grandfather was captured somewhere during this raid. Conf. records have him being captured near Jonesboro, but they did not go there, the closest would be their engagement at the Lovejoy station location which lasted 3 to 4 hours. I was told by a relative who knew him that he said he was captured while attempting to fill their canteens. If you come up with anything more I would like to hear about it.
 
I'm unfamiliar with this one....the name 'McCook' got my attention...A night engagement? Rather rare during the ACW.
It was during the McCook Raid in late July. It was a running fight with the Yankees burning wagons, and killing mules and horses, and burning any depot buildings, and tearing up rr tracks. They were supposed to join up with Stoneman at the area of Lovejoy Station, Stoneman wanted to advance to Andersonville and take it over and free the Union prisoners there. Stoneman and McCook were supposed to jointly make the raid, but poor communication and other factors led to a different result. McCook would lose about half his command, approx. 1200 of his perhaps 3,000 troops he commanded, most ended up in POW camps. My ancestor Abner Bowling being one of them. He was with the 4th Kentucky Mounted Vol. Infantry co. C.
 
McCook went into central Georgia to disable rail lines. Browns Mill was one of his stops. He was defeated by the Confederates and one of his brigades happened onto the wagon train and burned it. I don't think it was a planned event. I'm not a historian obviously, just recounting the way it is told here. There was an illustration about it in Harpers Weekly.

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You can find all the written reports covering the raid in the O.R.'s Vol. 38, pt. 1 & 3.
 
There's an excellent account of the raid in Sherman's Horsemen: Union Cavalry Operations in the Atlanta Campaign by David Evans.
 
I don't know what that is...
The OR's are the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. It contains the reports written about the various engagements. It's one of the best primary sources on the civil war you can find.
 
The OR's are the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. It contains the reports written about the various engagements. It's one of the best primary sources on the civil war you can find.

Where do you get this?
 
Let me know if you find anything.
Went to Whitewater Creek and Redwine road today for a few hours. Only thing picked up with the metal detector was barb wire, very common around here. It is heavily grown over but there were a few bare spots but no luck finding anything, this trip anyway.
 
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