Evidence of Civil War battle could soon be uncovered near Cobb County’s Concord Road covered bridge.
The National Parks Service has awarded The Lamar Institute a Battlefield Preservation Planning Grant in the amount of $95,887 to locate and document the boundaries of the 1864 Battle of Ruff's Mill near Smyrna.
The Institute, a non-profit organization based in Savannah, is hoping to involve local land owners and archaeologists in the project.
The battle took place on July 4, 1864 following the Union Army's failed assault on Kennesaw Mountain. According to the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District's website, the battle of Ruff's Mill was fought along Concord Road during Confederate General Joseph Johnston's retreat to Atlanta.
Rita Elliott, education coordinator and research associate with the Savannah-based institute, said the organization was approached about 18 months ago by Philip Ivester, a local property owner who found some artifacts on his land, including old bullets believed to be from the Civil War era.
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After looking over Ivester’s collection, Lamar Institute members agreed the area should be studied. The organization applied for the grant, and was awarded the money in August.
“We were very excited to get the grant and to be working in the community,” Elliott said. “We want to involve the local community to participate in various aspects of the project.”
Battleground archaeologists will use metal detectors and ground-penetrating radar to determine where to conduct the study. Craters left by artillery, trenches and rifle pits are typically found in old battlegrounds.
Elliott said the project not only hopes to uncover information about the battlefield, but also about the personal stories of the people who were on hand for the fighting. She said the organization is particularly interested in the stories of “African Americans who were enslaved and forced to construct these defenses for an army that was holding them captive.”
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Institute members will do historical research between now and April about the area and the battle. In April the group will work to locate the boundaries of the battlefield, see what’s been preserved and what’s been lost to development. After that research is complete, the group will draft a report to present to the county and will create a video documentary of the project.
“It’s a long process, but we want to get all the details and want to get it right,” Elliott said.
Elliott told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the work will have no impact on the lives of residents who live along or around the Concord Road covered bridge. Researchers won’t be allowed to go on anyone’s property without written permission. Nearby residents are asked to participate by allowing researchers to photograph and catalogue any artifacts they may have or offer any information they’ve collected on their own.
Cobb’s rapid growth continues to threaten its historic sites, Elliott said. “It hits home when you see local evidence of our national history right in your backyard,” she added.
Ivester, the local property owner who spurred the Institute’s interest, said he’s found antique bullets and other items over the years on his land located on Concord Road just north of the covered bridge. He began doing research and found that despite his findings near his own home, not much had been written about the effect Civil War battles had on this area.
“It’s very interesting to bring history home to you in a way that classroom lectures don’t do,” he said.
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