Blountsville
Jones County, Jones County, Georgia
Marker Inscription
Blountsville. On Nov. 18, 1864, Blair's 17th Corps of the Right Wing of Gen. Sherman's army [USA], which had left Atlanta on Nov. 15th on its destructive March to the Sea, crossed the Ocmulgee River at Seven Islands (12 mi. N.W. of Hillsboro) and marched via Monticello and Blountsville toward Gordon. The more direct roads were already crowded with the troops and trains of the 15th Corps and Kilpatrick's cavalry division. On the night of the 20th, the 17th Corps camped at Blountsville and along the road to Haddock with its advance guard near Fortville, well abreast of the 15th Corps which had reached Clinton that day. 084-16 GEORGIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION 1957
Erected by Georgia Historical Commission
The Story
In November 1864, Blountsville lay in the path of Sherman's March to the Sea. Blair's 17th Corps, part of the army's right wing, crossed the Ocmulgee at Seven Islands and marched through Monticello and Blountsville toward Gordon, camping here on the night of the 20th. The move kept pace with the 15th Corps and Kilpatrick's cavalry along Georgia's crowded backroads.
Why it matters
This quiet crossroads marks a step in one of the Civil War's most consequential campaigns, Sherman's march that cut the Confederacy's heartland in two.
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Related people
- · William T. Sherman
- · Frank Blair
- · Judson Kilpatrick
Related events
- · March to the Sea
Themes & tags
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