Q: What was General Sherman's actual factual path of destruction in Georgia?
--Andy Frame, Jackson, Miss.
A:Unfortunately for Sherman, interstates and Kroger weren't around in 1864, so he had to figure out a way to move his army the great distance between Atlanta and Savannah, and keep it fed at the same time. So he split his 62,000 men into two wings and headed for the coast. The left part of his column went through Decatur, Conyers, Covington, Social Circle, Madison, Eatonton, Milledgeville, Sandersville, Louisville, Millen, Sylvania and Springfield, according to Noah Andre Trudeau's book, "Southern Storm, Sherman's March to the Sea." The right side marched through Jonesboro, McDonough, Jackson, Monticello, Gordon, Irwinton, Wrightsville, Statesboro and Pooler before reaching Savannah. Sherman's cavalry visited other towns, like Waynesboro, where it fought a small battle on Dec. 4. Railroads, industrial buildings and anything of value to the Confederate war effort were the main targets of Sherman's torches, although individual homes and farms often were destroyed as the Federal troops ravaged the land searching for food and looting valuable personal possessions, Trudeau wrote.
Q: I saw in one of your answers where McDonough was named after a War of 1812 hero. Isn’t Lawrenceville named after one, too?
A:The name of Gwinnett County's largest city and county seat honors Capt. James Lawrence, who was a native of New Jersey and commanded the USS Chesapeake in a battle with a British ship near Boston in June 1813. Lawrence was mortally wounded and reportedly gave the order: "Tell the men to fire faster and not to give up the ship; fight her till she sinks!" Somebody else had another idea, because despite that command, the Chesapeake was captured and Lawrence died a couple of days later. Lawrenceville was incorporated on Dec. 15, 1821. A couple of years later, McDonough was incorporated and took its name from Thomas MacDonough, who won the Battle of Lake Champlain in 1814.
Q: Is it true that Berry College has the world’s largest campus?
A: There is plenty of room to roam for the 1,900 students at the Rome school, which claims it has the largest campus in the world. Most of Berry's 26,000 acres is natural, and includes woodlands, streams, a reservoir, hiking and cycling trails and what seems like a million deer.
What do you want to know?
If you’re new in town or just have questions about this special place we call home, ask us! E-mail Andy Johnston at q&a@ajc.com.
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