On urban battlefield, history meets hipsters

There were more than 12,000 casualties, and one of the Union’s highest-ranking generals was killed.

Atlanta soon after fell into Yankee hands. Specifically, Gen. Sherman’s, which were full of kerosene and matches.

It’s not exactly a pretty history. But it’s East Atlanta’s nonetheless. No matter what else you may have heard.

“People say, ‘It happened on Peachtree Street or at the Carter Center [site], didn’t it?’ ” sighs Henry Bryant. Bryant is chairman of B*ATL, the organization behind next weekend’s sixth annual commemoration of the Battle of Atlanta via a highly original, totally homegrown lineup of events and activities. “Even the Cyclorama moved the center of the battle to the railroad tracks, where it wasn’t.”

The reasons for that are a tale for another day. This story tells a different tale, about average citizens from diverse neighborhoods and backgrounds working together to reclaim a moment of history as their own — in their indisputably unique way.

‘History underfoot’

When longtime East Atlantan Bryant and others wanted to introduce people to the history beneath their feet a few years ago, they didn’t stage a re-enactment or sponsor a symposium of stuffy academicians. Instead, they hit on the idea of offering tours of the modern-day battleground environs — piggybacked onto an already-scheduled East Atlanta Village pub crawl.

Whereas commemorations at Antietam and Gettysburg tend to be solemn, sometimes painstakingly anachronistic affairs, the annual B*ATL event — billed as “an explosion of food, fun and history” — mixes elements including a fun run, a gala at East Lake Golf Club and even quirky performance art like “Gone With the Wind in 20 Minutes” with respectful wreath-laying ceremonies and a “living history” battlefield re-creation.

And when time inexorably marches on in their bustling city neighborhoods, so do the B*ATL folks. They may have had to relocate this year’s event headquarters on the fly (the site they’d been loaned was foreclosed on), but they can appreciate it for what it is: A reminder of how their highly urbanized and residential Civil War battleground is unlike any other.

“The history we have here, it runs from Civil War to civil rights,” said Wayne Carey, a Kirkwood resident and the driving force behind the 90-foot earthen “breastwork” where costumed Union and Confederate soldiers will re-create a battlefield encampment next weekend.

“What we ultimately hope to do is get people to realize that history is always underfoot, that someone always came before you and someone will always come after you,” he said. “Especially in our neighborhoods, you don’t have to look very far to see it. History has a long, continuous line here.”

Hipsters and history

That line is very inclusive. When a B*ATL organizing committee was forming six years ago, representatives came from neighborhood associations stretching from Kirkwood and Reynoldstown to East Atlanta and Lake Claire. (In Cabbagetown, Oakland Cemetery stepped up to offer expertise and tours — this year’s twilight tour is free with an advance ticket).

East Lake resident and then-state Rep. JoAnn McClinton was among the original organizers, and she and her husband hosted an early B*ATL gala in their family’s historic home. The silent auction at this year’s gala is being organized by the McClintons’ daughter, Valencia, who sees no incongruity between her being African-American and involved with B*ATL. “I don’t know why we would not be happy that the war happened because without it, slavery would have become an institution and the South would be a separate nation,” she said.

“Any history is good to know,” added McClinton, who grew up in Cascade Heights and was surprised to learn of East Lake’s connections to the battle when her family moved there. “It gives you a sense of belonging and a sense of place.”

But what if that “place” also includes some neighborhoods — Kirkwood and East Atlanta in particular — securely located on the hipster cutting edge? It’s doubtful anything resembling Little Five Points sits a mile or so from Shiloh, as is the case with B*ATL’s Flat Shoals Avenue headquarters.

More’s the pity for the folks in Shiloh, suggested Virginia Hollmann, who moved to East Atlanta several years ago and works at Midway Pub there.

“I know it’s seen as if we’re all artists and musicians hanging out, but there are also a lot of younger people here who are interested in history,” said Hollmann, who’s in her early 30s.

“Part of that is because there are [historic] signs everywhere in the neighborhood. But there’s also just so much in our current culture that’s about doing things right now. When you’re involved in art, tattoos, anything permanent like that, you don’t look for trends. You look for farther-reaching things, things with deeper meaning.”

Too hot to trot?

Hollmann, who’s interested in theater, was recruited at the last minute last year to help organize B*ATL’s storytelling and “living history” activities. This year, she’s putting together a lineup of actors depicting key figures — soldiers’ wives, the namesake of Atlanta’s early free black neighborhood in Reynoldstown, street car conductors — from the area’s 100-year arc tracing from the Civil War to the civil rights era.

During breaks, the costumed actors will thread their way among East Atlanta Village’s colorful mix of stores and coffee shops — a walking advertisement for Carey’s contention about the area’s “long continuous line” of history. Then there’s Saturday morning’s “Double Quick Race,” a 5K fun run/walk across the battleground that will “begin as the battle began, with Union troops firing the first shot.”

Talk about introducing people to the rich history right beneath their feet!

Yet lest anyone think organizers are having too much fun with this somber chapter in our nation’s past, a 3.1-mile “fun” run in hot, humid mid-July should set them straight.

“We say, ‘Imagine we were doing this in wool uniforms with backpacks,’ ” said B*ATL chairman Bryant. “You hear silence.”

Sounds a little like respect.

B*ATL 2010 event highlights

Commemorating the 146th anniversary of the Battle of Atlanta. All events take place Saturday, unless otherwise noted. For updated information, to buy tickets or to register for events in advance, go online to www.batlevent.org .

5K Run/Walk "Battle of Atlanta 'Double Quick'" 8:30 a.m. (Registration, number pickup begins 7:30 a.m.) $18 before Thursday, $22 Thursday-Saturday. Branham Park, 2051 Delano Ave., Atlanta.

Bicycle Tour Eight-mile ride from East Atlanta through intown neighborhoods including Reynoldstown, Cabbagetown and Ormewood. 9:30 a.m. Starts at B*ATL headquarters, 449 Flat Shoals Ave. S.E., Atlanta. $40 ($45 on Saturday) Information and tickets: www.batlevent.or

Van Tours Two different tours, "Front Line Attack" and "McPherson's Last Ride," start at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., respectively, and repeat three more times until 5 p.m. $10 each ($15 on Saturday). Start at B*ATL headquarters, 449 Flat Shoals Ave. S.E., Atlanta.

Walking Tour Battle of Atlanta. 10 a.m. (repeats at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. $10 ($15 on Saturday) Start at B*ATL headquarters, 449 Flat Shoals Ave. S.E., Atlanta

Pete the Cat Songs and stories for children. 10:15-11 a.m. Free (limited seating). East Atlanta Library, 457 Flat Shoals Ave. S.E., Atlanta. 404-730-5438. www.af.public.lib.ga.us

One-woman slave narrative Josie Bailey tells the real-life story of a local slave. 10:30 a.m. Free (limited seating). Civil War to Civil Rights Tent, near B*ATL headquarters. 404-377-6471. www.af.public.lib.ga.us

Twilight Tour of Oakland Cemetery 7 p.m. Free with advance ticket. 248 Oakland Ave. S.E., Atlanta. 404-688-2107. www.oaklandcemetery.com

Book talk Russell S. Bonds, author of "War Like the Thunderbolt: The Battle and Burning of Atlanta." 7 p.m. July 25. Free. Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum, 800 Cherokee Ave., Atlanta. 404-658-7625. www.atlantacyclorama.org

Frontlines Encampment Living history encampment of Confederate and Union troop re-enactors. Friday evening through Sunday morning. Free. Near Gilliam Park, Clifton and Wade roads off Hosea Williams Drive N.E., Atlanta.