Battlefield Landmark
Clayton County, Clayton County, Georgia
Marker Inscription
Battlefield Landmark. One of the few natural landmarks of the battle fought here Aug. 31, 1864, is the deep gully S. of marker -- the bed of a small stream flowing W. to Flint River. N. of, & parallel to it, was the refused line of Harrow's div. of the 15th, prolonged by Rice's brigade (Corse's div.), 16th A.C. (USA) facing S. & extending W. to the river. Cleburne's, Maney's & Bate's divs., Hardee's A.C. (CSA) attacked the refused line from south of the gully, only to find it a fatal obstacle to a concerted assault on the intrenched lines & artillery of Harrow & Rice. Hardee's attack was the signal for advance of S.D. Lee's A.C. on the 15th corps front facing Jonesboro. 031-27 GEORGIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION 1958
Erected by Georgia Historical Commission
The Story
The deep gully south of this marker — the bed of a small stream running to the Flint River — was one of the few natural landmarks of the fighting here on August 31, 1864. Along and north of it, Union divisions of the 15th and 16th Corps formed a refused line bent back to the river. When Hardee's Confederate divisions attacked from south of the gully, the ravine became a fatal obstacle, breaking up their assault against the entrenched Federal infantry and artillery near Jonesboro.
Why it matters
The repulse here was part of the Battle of Jonesborough, the decisive blow that cut Atlanta's last rail lifeline and sealed the city's surrender.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
By the last day of August 1864, the fate of Atlanta hung on its railroads. Union armies under Sherman had spent the summer battering at the city, and the Confederacy's hold depended on the rail lines that fed it men and supplies. When the fighting shifted south toward Jonesboro, it was because the last of those vital lines ran through there—and both sides knew it.
The country here in what is now Clayton County was working farmland cut by small streams draining toward the Flint River. Such ground rarely makes headlines, but in battle its creeks, gullies, and ridges become matters of life and death. A deep, stream-cut gully—dry ravine or running branch—could stop an attack as surely as a wall.
On August 31, 1864, the armies met here in the opening day of the Battle of Jonesborough. The marker preserves one of the few natural landmarks of that fight: the deep gully just to its south, the bed of a small stream flowing west to the Flint River.
People & events
The action turned on that gully and the way the two lines faced off across it. North of the ravine, and parallel to it, the Federals had bent back—"refused"—part of their line: Harrow's division of the 15th Corps, extended by Rice's brigade of the 16th Corps, faced south and reached westward all the way to the river. A refused line is a defensive elbow, folded back to guard against exactly the kind of flanking blow the Confederates intended.
Against that position came the Confederate divisions of Patrick Cleburne, Maney, and William B. Bate, of Hardee's corps, attacking from south of the gully. But the ground betrayed them. The deep ravine broke up their advance, turning what was meant to be a concerted assault into a fatal struggle against entrenched infantry and artillery. Against Harrow's and Rice's dug-in men and their guns, the terrain proved a costlier obstacle than the enemy alone.
Hardee's attack was also the signal for the rest of the Confederate effort: it was meant to trigger the advance of Stephen D. Lee's corps against the 15th Corps front facing Jonesboro. The marker thus captures the choreography of a large battle—one command's assault cueing another's—all of it hinging on a single stream bed.
Its place in the American story
The repulse recorded here was part of the Battle of Jonesborough, and Jonesborough was the blow that decided Atlanta's fate. When the Confederate attacks failed and the Federals pressed on, they cut the last rail line supplying the city. With that lifeline severed, Atlanta could not be held, and its surrender followed.
The fall of Atlanta echoed far beyond Georgia. It handed the North a decisive victory at a moment when Northern will was flagging, bolstered morale during a critical presidential election, and signaled that the Confederacy's heartland could be pierced. Sherman's subsequent march would carry the war's destruction across Georgia, but it was the severing of the railroads at Jonesboro that opened the door.
So this quiet gully carries an outsized weight. The failure of a well-planned assault, broken up by a stream bed, was one of the immediate causes of a strategic disaster for the Confederacy—proof of how the largest consequences in history can turn on the smallest features of the ground.
If you visit
Look first for the gully. It is, as the marker says, one of the few natural landmarks of the battle to survive, and it is the key to understanding everything that happened here. Trace how it runs west toward the Flint River and picture attacking troops meeting that sudden, steep obstacle in the middle of a charge.
Then orient yourself to the lines. The Federals were dug in north of the ravine, their flank bent back toward the river; the Confederate assault came up from the south. Standing between, you can feel why the ground favored the defenders—why entrenched men and artillery on the far side made the gully a killing obstacle rather than a mere inconvenience.
This is battlefield country, best appreciated on foot and slowly. The site fits into a broader tour of the Atlanta Campaign and the Jonesborough fighting, where markers and preserved ground let you follow the last desperate days before the city fell. Bring patience and imagination: the drama here is written in the contours of the land, and the gully is where the story is easiest to read.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Art-Haus14.3 mi away · 332 Ormond Street Southeast, Atlanta, GA
Attractions
- Boeing 747-400 Ship 63019.6 mi away
- McDonnell Douglas DC-9 Ship 98809.6 mi away
- The Walking Dead - Kingdom filming location13.4 mi away
- Zoo Atlanta14.3 mi away
- The Walking Dead - Terminus filming location14.4 mi away
Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.
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Related people
- · Patrick Cleburne
- · William B. Bate
- · William J. Hardee
- · Stephen D. Lee
Related events
- · Battle of Jonesborough
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Attack by Lee's Corps
Jonesboro, GA
When Gen. John Bell Hood tried to protect Atlanta's last open railroad, the fighting at Jonesboro on August 31 and September 1, 1864, decided the city's fate. On August 31, the corps of Hardee and S.D. Lee attacked the entrenched Federal 15th Corps between the town and the Flint River. Lee's three divisions struck the Union line at the river but, lacking support on their left, were driven back.
Battle of Jonesboro: The First Day
Clayton County, GA
On August 31, 1864, the opening day of the Battle of Jonesboro, Gen. O.O. Howard's Army of the Tennessee entrenched along the Flint River after marching up from Fairburn. Confederate corps under S.D. Lee and Hardee attacked the Union lines but could not break them, leaving the contest drawn and unresolved until the following day.
Battle of Jonesboro: The Second Day
Jonesboro, GA
On September 1, 1864, the final pitched battle of the Atlanta Campaign was fought around Jonesboro. Hardee's Confederate corps, posted in a salient near the Warren house, was assaulted late in the day by three divisions of Davis's 14th Corps, aided by Stanley's 4th Corps advancing down the railroad. With nightfall Hardee withdrew south to Lovejoy's Station.
Bethsaida Baptist Church and Cemetery
Fulton County, GA
Bethsaida Baptist Church was formed in 1829 and served for decades under Pastor John S. Dodd, who led it for 50 years. In 1864 Union forces occupied the original wooden church as a headquarters, reportedly using its pews as horse troughs. The sanctuary later burned, the congregation merged with another to form United Baptist Church, and the Bethsaida site eventually closed, leaving behind a cemetery with graves dating to the 1800s.