Sope Creek
Encyclopedia
Sope Creek is an 11.6 miles (18.7 km) stream
located in Cobb County
, Georgia
, United States. It is a significant tributary
of the Chattahoochee River
, and under high water levels it can be used for extreme whitewater kayaking
. It was originally known as Soap Creek during the 19th century.
proper, on the West side of Interstate 75
, on the northeastern portion of Georgia State Route 120 Alternate (former northern half of 120 Loop
. The creek travels east, parallel with 120 Alt, turning southeast around the same point as the road. It then separates from road, continuing southeast, as the road bends south. It crosses Roswell Road (the main Georgia 120
), and travels in a sidewinder fashion to the east for the next 4 miles (6 km). Along the way, Sewell Mill Creek and Bishop Creek empty into Sope Creek. At this point, the creek turns south-southeast and crosses Lower Roswell Road. It travels in this direction for the next 2 miles (3 km), crossing Paper Mill Road and Columns Drive, before emptying into the Chattahoochee River. From beginning to end, Sope Creek falls nearly 300 foot over the course of approximately 12 miles (19.3 km). In the last two miles, Sope Creek cuts through the palisades that formed on both sides of the Chattahoochee, forming a small gorge based around the creek.
The most important feature of the creek is its name recognition. With one exception, Sope Creek is usually not treated as a major entity until the last two miles. The exception is an apartment complex close to the crossing of Roswell Road, near the 6 miles (9.7 km) mark. Near the end of the creek, the name of Sope Creek has more appeal to the public, and therefore, it is seen in names, such as Sope Creek Elementary School, Sope Creek Nature Trails, and Sope Creek Homes.
on Sope Creek (MARG1) is mounted to the south side of the Lower Roswell Road bridge, at 33°57′14"N 84°26′36"W (NAD83). This is 881.37 feet (268.6 m) above sea level (NGVD29), and receives flow from a drainage area of 29.2 square miles (75.6 km²).
The gauge on Sewell Mill Creek (SMCG1) is located at Roswell Road (Georgia 120) at 33°58′45"N 84°27′08"W (NAD27), where it has an area of 12.57 square miles (32.6 km²), and an elevation of 920 feet (280 m) above sea level (NGVD29).
. The Sope Creek Bridge was a state-declared historic structure and only had a weight capacity of 2000 pounds (one U.S. ton
). In 1963, a grossly overweight truck crossed the bridge and damaged the support structure. That summer, the structure was reinforced with steel shanks. On March 29, 1964, the covered bridge burned to the ground, leaving behind only the steel shanks and masonry. Arson
was suspected, as the Nickajack Covered Bridge (now known as Concord Covered Bridge) had been partially burned only a few weeks prior.
The beauty of the area that was lost is beyond measure. The Atlanta Journal once said of the area, “Sope Creek, particularly in the springtime, is a place of unusual beauty. A quaint old covered bridge spans the stream just below where the log dam used to be. The stream is strewn with great boulders and the water dashes over these in a series of cascades, causing such masses of foam
that they look like soapsuds.”
plant, flour mill and hydroelectric power plant occupied an area about one mile long.
The paper mill at Sope Creek was run by Marietta Paper Mills, which were incorporated on December 19, 1859, possibly by Andrew Schofield Edmondston and Saxon A. Anderson. Facilities at the paper mill included a mill, oil room, office, mill sluice (raceway), storeroom, dam, machine shop, pulp-grinding mill, and two shelters.
The Daily Intelligencer
of Atlanta printed a letter dated September 10, 1863, from Mr. A.S. Edmonston [sic]. In it, Mr. Edmondston pleads with the Intelligencer, letting them know that while they are the newspaper’s main source of paper, they can only send them so much due to war constraints. Edmondston writes:
Edmondston goes on to complain about the fact that while the Confederate
government demands paper, he is shorthanded because paper workers were not considered vital to the war effort. Edmondston says, “You know Paper makers are not to be had South, and are not like Shoe-Makers, and many other callings which give exemptions to so many thousands, and cannot be learned after the Conscript officer takes after a fellow.”
In 1933, the Atlanta Journal printed an article reminiscing about the Marietta Paper Mills. In an editorial note that accompanied the article, a senior staff member at the Journal, H.H. Cabaniss, recalled that the Marietta Paper Mills, under the ownership of Saxon A. Anderson, supplied paper for a great many of the Atlanta area daily newspapers. In 1867, Cabaniss had been the business manager for the Atlanta New Era and bought his paper in rolls from the Marietta Paper Mills.
The paper supply became even harder to come by when on July 5, 1864, Union
soldiers under the command of General Gerrard burned the Marietta Paper Mill, along with Denmead’s Flour Mill. The paper mill was rebuilt in 1865, only to burn again in 1870 and be rebuilt in 1871. The mill struggled to survive the years immediately following the second rebuilding. The mills were sold at a public sale in 1873 and restructured as the Marietta Paper Manufacturing Company. In 1888 and 1889, a wood pulp mill and a twine factory were added to the site, respectively. Finally, in 1902, production at that location stopped.
The Atlanta Constitution printed a picture of the Paper Mill ruins on the banks of the Soap creek [sic] in May 1932. The caption read “GREAT WALLS BUILT BY SLAVE LABOR… Before the Civil War this building housed a large paper mill.” This is the only reference to slavery
in the material concerning the Sope Creek Industrial Area. It should also be noted that the language of this caption infers that the paper mill never recovered from the burning by Gerrard’s men, when in fact it had.
Along with the paper mill was Denmead’s Flour Mill. Founded in 1855, Edward Denmead had built a flour mill on the west bank about 200 yards up from where Paper Mill Road and Sope Creek intersect. Denmead apparently ran this operation and shared a road off of Paper Mill Road with the Marietta Paper Mills. The flour mill was burnt at the same time as the paper mill, but apparently was never rebuilt.
In 1922, a hydroelectric dam and a power plant were built on the west side of the creek 900 yards (~820m) upstream from where Paper Mill Road crosses. As of 1973, this dam was inoperable.
When the GHC submitted its report in March 1973, they gave great detail to the purpose of every remaining structure. Additionally, the description of the layout of the site was accurate enough that someone could attempt to locate and identify all remaining structures. The mill room was “The largest structure remaining is the mill building downstream from Paper Mill Road approximately ¼ mile on the east bank of the Creek. It contained five rooms and is approximately 300 feet long.” The oil room and office was “nearby… just across a small creek.” The pulp-grinding mill was “just south of Paper Mill Road. It is two stories high and approximately 100 feet long.” Denmead’s flourmill was described, although evidence is difficult to spot today, due to construction. Even the foundations of an old bridge, which lay near the aforementioned dam, were identified.
In the GHC report there is no mention of a printing press. In the all the articles concerning the ruins at Sope Creek, never once is there any mention of printing press. More specifically, there is never any mention of a mint. The idea that the Confederate States of America used to print money on the banks of the Sope Creek had to have developed somewhere.
One single article mentions money printing. The New York Times printed an article on May 31, 1968, written by Lincoln A. Werden, describing the Atlanta Golf Classic being played at Atlanta Country Club. The Atlanta Country Club abuts Sope Creek about a third of a mile from the Sope Creek entrance to the Chattahoochee. Werden writes “The par-3 13th, a 135-yard hole, is a photographer’s delight. The tee is on high ground and Soap Creek, a fast moving muddy stream, runs in front of the green. To the left is a waterfall and off to the right of the green is the site of a former Confederate mint.”
Outside of the golfers themselves, the only source Werden quoted was the tournament director, Jack Tuthill. At that time, Atlanta Country Club was only four years old and hosting a major tournament event.
, troops first crossed the Chattahoochee at Sope Creek.
On May 4, 1864, Major-General William T. Sherman took control of the Military Division of the Mississippi
and began to engage Confederate General Joseph Johnston
and his Army of Tennessee
. From the beginning, Johnston was persistent in his effort to fight a defensive battle, rather than offensive. Rightly so, as Sherman had a two-to-one advantage on Johnston. Additionally, Johnston claimed he was waiting for the right opportunity when Sherman would leave himself exposed. Sherman, unwilling to charge headlong against Johnston, decided to outmaneuver Johnston. Thus, every time Johnston found a superior defensive position, Sherman would maneuver around Johnston, forcing Johnston to retreat to a tactically superior position. The two engaged in this ‘dance’ for nearly two months, with one exception, the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
, in which Sherman lost his nerve, attacked head on, and suffered a bloody defeat.
Author David Conyngham best described it in his book Sherman’s March Through the South, when he wrote “True, such movements would not break up Johnston’s Army, but it gave us a victory; besides, Sherman and Johnston were watching each other’s movements, like two expert wrestlers, to know who would make a slip, for they knew that to attack an intrenched [sic] position was likely to prove a defeat.”
Even though this was the strategically sound theory, this was a personal gamble for Johnston, for every time he retreated, despite the fact that he was outmanned by Sherman, he aggravated Confederate President Jefferson Davis
.
Sherman’s troops were divided into three armies. These were the Army of the Cumberland
, the Army of the Ohio
, and the Army of the Tennessee
, commanded by Major Generals George H. Thomas, John M. Schofield, and James B. McPherson
, respectively. Johnston was waiting for one of these three armies to be exposed. While they all moved together, they were in fact, three separate units.
The largest body of water between Chattanooga
, where Sherman started, and Atlanta, was the Chattahoochee River. If there was any time in which the one portion of the Army of the Mississippi could become separated, and therefore vulnerable, crossing the Chattahoochee was it.
As the Union Army approached the Chattahoochee, they moved in from the west and took up positions at Vinings Station
. Johnston held the bridgehead on the west side of the river, and had a majority of his troops just across the railroad bridge. On the night of July 7, Sherman gave orders to Schofield to move his troops around and to the left, bypassing Johnston. Sherman had given Schofield orders to find a location between Roswell
and Sope Creek in which to ford the Chattahoochee. Sherman said, “I wish you to make an examination thereabouts and secure a foothold, fortified on the other side, anywhere about Roswell or mouth of Soap Creek. I also know that Johnston's cavalry has moved to the south flank. It is important to do this at once, for the fords are very important to us.” Schofield located a ford on the Chattahoochee one half mile upstream of the mouth of Sope Creek.
He then sent to Sherman the following:
Sherman decided that McPherson would hold his position across from Johnston, and at the last moment, swing around in the same fashion as Schofield and cross the Chattahoochee at Shallow Ford, what is today known as Shallowford Road. Sherman wrote to Schofield saying:
You may move to the neighborhood of the mouth of Soap Creek. Mask well your command and make a lodgment across the Chattahoochee, but do not attempt it until you have a ford nearby by which to reinforce the party first sent, or by which it may be necessary to retire. We can, after lodgement [sic], make roads to the crossing and may add pontoon bridges, of which we have enough for four bridges. After securing a point opposite Soap Creek, Roswell will follow as a matter of course, and will be additional. The moment I hear that General Garrard has made a lodgment at Roswell, I will send a division of General McPherson to hold fast all he makes. With Roswell and mouth of Soap Creek, we have plenty of room, with Marietta as the depot. I will go down to General McPherson's and stir them up in the morning by way of diversion.
Schofield advanced a division across the river at the ford and instructed them to take up positions opposite of the mouth of Sope Creek. There, they would support bridge-building operations and provide cover while the engineers constructed a pontoon bridge at Isom’s Ferry.
For nearly thirty-six hours, Schofield’s troops were isolated on the other side of the Chattahoochee. Even at the end of that time, when McPherson was on the east bank of the river, he was still miles away from Schofield in Roswell. The opportunity for a counter-offensive that Johnston had been waiting for the previous two months presented itself in those thirty-six hours. Instead of a counter-offensive, Johnston was caught complete by surprise and therefore out of position. The majority of his forces were still in defensive positions at Vinings Station on the east side of the Chattahoochee. Schofield reported to Sherman:
By 8:30 p.m. on the night of July 8, Schofield had laid a bridge crossing the Chattahoochee at Isom’s Ferry and had relocated four divisions to the east bank. Fearing a flanking maneuver by Sherman, Johnston had no alternative but to abandon the west side of the river. He withdrew into Atlanta, burning the railroad bridge behind him.
It was after this debacle that Jefferson Davis decided to replace Johnston with General John B. Hood.
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
located in Cobb County
Cobb County, Georgia
Cobb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat and largest city is Marietta, which is located in the center of the county. The county was named for Thomas Willis Cobb, who in the early 19th century was a United States representative and senator from Georgia...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, United States. It is a significant tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Chattahoochee River
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...
, and under high water levels it can be used for extreme whitewater kayaking
Whitewater kayaking
Whitewater kayaking is the sport of paddling a kayak on a moving body of water, typically a whitewater river. Whitewater kayaking can range from simple, carefree gently moving water, to demanding, dangerous whitewater. River rapids are graded like ski runs according to the difficulty, danger or...
. It was originally known as Soap Creek during the 19th century.
Geography
Sope Creek starts within the city of MariettaMarietta, Georgia
Marietta is a city located in central Cobb County, Georgia, United States, and is its county seat.As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 56,579, making it one of metro Atlanta's largest suburbs...
proper, on the West side of Interstate 75
Interstate 75 in Georgia
In the U.S. state of Georgia, Interstate 75 runs north–south along the U.S. Route 41 corridor on the western side of the state, passing through the cities of Valdosta, Macon and Atlanta. It is also designated — but not signed — as State Route 401...
, on the northeastern portion of Georgia State Route 120 Alternate (former northern half of 120 Loop
Georgia State Route 120 Loop
North and South Marietta Parkway form a ring road in Marietta, Georgia that was once designated as Georgia State Route 120 Loop before route realignments in 2007. The full loop is approximately 9 miles in circumference and intersects Interstate 75 twice, once on the north side of Marietta and once...
. The creek travels east, parallel with 120 Alt, turning southeast around the same point as the road. It then separates from road, continuing southeast, as the road bends south. It crosses Roswell Road (the main Georgia 120
Georgia State Route 120
State Route 120 begins at SR 100 near Tallapoosa and ends at West Crogan Street in Lawrenceville.In Marietta, SR 120 has a spur route , which acts as a perimeter for the northern part city. In Paulding County, the highway cosigns with the following highways . Then it cosigns with through Dallas...
), and travels in a sidewinder fashion to the east for the next 4 miles (6 km). Along the way, Sewell Mill Creek and Bishop Creek empty into Sope Creek. At this point, the creek turns south-southeast and crosses Lower Roswell Road. It travels in this direction for the next 2 miles (3 km), crossing Paper Mill Road and Columns Drive, before emptying into the Chattahoochee River. From beginning to end, Sope Creek falls nearly 300 foot over the course of approximately 12 miles (19.3 km). In the last two miles, Sope Creek cuts through the palisades that formed on both sides of the Chattahoochee, forming a small gorge based around the creek.
The most important feature of the creek is its name recognition. With one exception, Sope Creek is usually not treated as a major entity until the last two miles. The exception is an apartment complex close to the crossing of Roswell Road, near the 6 miles (9.7 km) mark. Near the end of the creek, the name of Sope Creek has more appeal to the public, and therefore, it is seen in names, such as Sope Creek Elementary School, Sope Creek Nature Trails, and Sope Creek Homes.
Stream gauges
The stream gaugeStream gauge
A stream gauge, stream gage or gauging station is a location used by hydrologists or environmental scientists to monitor and test terrestrial bodies of water. Hydrometric measurements of water surface elevation and/or volumetric discharge are generally taken and observations of biota may also be...
on Sope Creek (MARG1) is mounted to the south side of the Lower Roswell Road bridge, at 33°57′14"N 84°26′36"W (NAD83). This is 881.37 feet (268.6 m) above sea level (NGVD29), and receives flow from a drainage area of 29.2 square miles (75.6 km²).
The gauge on Sewell Mill Creek (SMCG1) is located at Roswell Road (Georgia 120) at 33°58′45"N 84°27′08"W (NAD27), where it has an area of 12.57 square miles (32.6 km²), and an elevation of 920 feet (280 m) above sea level (NGVD29).
The old covered bridge
Paper Mill Road crosses the creek about one mile upstream from the point where the Sope empties into the Chattahoochee. Paper Mill Road has to wind down the gorge in order to cross over the creek. At the crossing, circa 1960, lay one of Cobb County’s two remaining covered bridges; the other crossed Nickajack Creek near SmyrnaSmyrna, Georgia
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 40,999 people, 18,372 households, and 9,498 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,949.9 people per square mile . There were 19,633 housing units at an average density of 1,412.6 per square mile...
. The Sope Creek Bridge was a state-declared historic structure and only had a weight capacity of 2000 pounds (one U.S. ton
Ton
The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...
). In 1963, a grossly overweight truck crossed the bridge and damaged the support structure. That summer, the structure was reinforced with steel shanks. On March 29, 1964, the covered bridge burned to the ground, leaving behind only the steel shanks and masonry. Arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
was suspected, as the Nickajack Covered Bridge (now known as Concord Covered Bridge) had been partially burned only a few weeks prior.
The beauty of the area that was lost is beyond measure. The Atlanta Journal once said of the area, “Sope Creek, particularly in the springtime, is a place of unusual beauty. A quaint old covered bridge spans the stream just below where the log dam used to be. The stream is strewn with great boulders and the water dashes over these in a series of cascades, causing such masses of foam
Foam
-Definition:A foam is a substance that is formed by trapping gas in a liquid or solid in a divided form, i.e. by forming gas regions inside liquid regions, leading to different kinds of dispersed media...
that they look like soapsuds.”
The industrial center and Confederate money
Located at the intersection of Paper Mill Road and Sope Creek are old industrial ruins. These ruins used to be the center of an industrial center based on the waterpower that the creek produced. During the period from 1850 to 1940, a paper mill, twineTwine
Twine is a light string or strong thread composed of two or more smaller strands or yarns twisted together. More generally, the term can be applied to any thin cord....
plant, flour mill and hydroelectric power plant occupied an area about one mile long.
The paper mill at Sope Creek was run by Marietta Paper Mills, which were incorporated on December 19, 1859, possibly by Andrew Schofield Edmondston and Saxon A. Anderson. Facilities at the paper mill included a mill, oil room, office, mill sluice (raceway), storeroom, dam, machine shop, pulp-grinding mill, and two shelters.
The Daily Intelligencer
Daily Intelligencer
The Daily Intelligencer was first published on June 1, 1849 as the young city of Atlanta's first successful daily newspaper.The founders were Benjamin Bomar, Z.A. Rice, Jonathan Norcross and I.O...
of Atlanta printed a letter dated September 10, 1863, from Mr. A.S. Edmonston [sic]. In it, Mr. Edmondston pleads with the Intelligencer, letting them know that while they are the newspaper’s main source of paper, they can only send them so much due to war constraints. Edmondston writes:
I have on hand a few bundles of paper, which I will ship you, and this will be the last for some time; for when we shall resume again I cannot tell. My hands volunteered in the Home Guard, to protect the country against raids, and are now called out to guard stores and prepare the defences [sic] of your city, I understand. In the first instance, at the commencement of the war, I was disposed to aid all in my power and encouraged two of the hands to volunteer in Confederate service. This left hardly hands enough to get along with when all were well. Afterwards we lost two or three hands, and this left us short of hands, and one machine has only run when our hands have worked eighteen hours in the day.--We applied for the detail of the hands which has not been done, though the Government has been urgent for paper, and we have strained every nerve to supply. Shorthanded, we have done the best we could, and now all our hands are taken, of course we are obliged to stop.
Edmondston goes on to complain about the fact that while the Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
government demands paper, he is shorthanded because paper workers were not considered vital to the war effort. Edmondston says, “You know Paper makers are not to be had South, and are not like Shoe-Makers, and many other callings which give exemptions to so many thousands, and cannot be learned after the Conscript officer takes after a fellow.”
In 1933, the Atlanta Journal printed an article reminiscing about the Marietta Paper Mills. In an editorial note that accompanied the article, a senior staff member at the Journal, H.H. Cabaniss, recalled that the Marietta Paper Mills, under the ownership of Saxon A. Anderson, supplied paper for a great many of the Atlanta area daily newspapers. In 1867, Cabaniss had been the business manager for the Atlanta New Era and bought his paper in rolls from the Marietta Paper Mills.
The paper supply became even harder to come by when on July 5, 1864, Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
soldiers under the command of General Gerrard burned the Marietta Paper Mill, along with Denmead’s Flour Mill. The paper mill was rebuilt in 1865, only to burn again in 1870 and be rebuilt in 1871. The mill struggled to survive the years immediately following the second rebuilding. The mills were sold at a public sale in 1873 and restructured as the Marietta Paper Manufacturing Company. In 1888 and 1889, a wood pulp mill and a twine factory were added to the site, respectively. Finally, in 1902, production at that location stopped.
The Atlanta Constitution printed a picture of the Paper Mill ruins on the banks of the Soap creek [sic] in May 1932. The caption read “GREAT WALLS BUILT BY SLAVE LABOR… Before the Civil War this building housed a large paper mill.” This is the only reference to slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
in the material concerning the Sope Creek Industrial Area. It should also be noted that the language of this caption infers that the paper mill never recovered from the burning by Gerrard’s men, when in fact it had.
Along with the paper mill was Denmead’s Flour Mill. Founded in 1855, Edward Denmead had built a flour mill on the west bank about 200 yards up from where Paper Mill Road and Sope Creek intersect. Denmead apparently ran this operation and shared a road off of Paper Mill Road with the Marietta Paper Mills. The flour mill was burnt at the same time as the paper mill, but apparently was never rebuilt.
In 1922, a hydroelectric dam and a power plant were built on the west side of the creek 900 yards (~820m) upstream from where Paper Mill Road crosses. As of 1973, this dam was inoperable.
When the GHC submitted its report in March 1973, they gave great detail to the purpose of every remaining structure. Additionally, the description of the layout of the site was accurate enough that someone could attempt to locate and identify all remaining structures. The mill room was “The largest structure remaining is the mill building downstream from Paper Mill Road approximately ¼ mile on the east bank of the Creek. It contained five rooms and is approximately 300 feet long.” The oil room and office was “nearby… just across a small creek.” The pulp-grinding mill was “just south of Paper Mill Road. It is two stories high and approximately 100 feet long.” Denmead’s flourmill was described, although evidence is difficult to spot today, due to construction. Even the foundations of an old bridge, which lay near the aforementioned dam, were identified.
In the GHC report there is no mention of a printing press. In the all the articles concerning the ruins at Sope Creek, never once is there any mention of printing press. More specifically, there is never any mention of a mint. The idea that the Confederate States of America used to print money on the banks of the Sope Creek had to have developed somewhere.
One single article mentions money printing. The New York Times printed an article on May 31, 1968, written by Lincoln A. Werden, describing the Atlanta Golf Classic being played at Atlanta Country Club. The Atlanta Country Club abuts Sope Creek about a third of a mile from the Sope Creek entrance to the Chattahoochee. Werden writes “The par-3 13th, a 135-yard hole, is a photographer’s delight. The tee is on high ground and Soap Creek, a fast moving muddy stream, runs in front of the green. To the left is a waterfall and off to the right of the green is the site of a former Confederate mint.”
Outside of the golfers themselves, the only source Werden quoted was the tournament director, Jack Tuthill. At that time, Atlanta Country Club was only four years old and hosting a major tournament event.
Ferry at Sope Creek
In 1851, James Isom founded a ferry that crossed the Chattahoochee at the mouth of Sope Creek, and came to own a great deal of land and three slaves, and to be considered wealthy. He died in 1866, and his son-in-law John Heard took over the operations, running the ferry as Heard’s Ferry until 1890.Civil War history
During Sherman's March to the SeaSherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea is the name commonly given to the Savannah Campaign conducted around Georgia from November 15, 1864 to December 21, 1864 by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army in the American Civil War...
, troops first crossed the Chattahoochee at Sope Creek.
On May 4, 1864, Major-General William T. Sherman took control of the Military Division of the Mississippi
Military Division of the Mississippi
The Military Division of the Mississippi was an administrative division of the United States Army during the American Civil War that controlled all military operations in the Western Theater.-History:...
and began to engage Confederate General Joseph Johnston
Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career U.S. Army officer, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
and his Army of Tennessee
Army of Tennessee
The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in most of the significant battles in the Western Theater...
. From the beginning, Johnston was persistent in his effort to fight a defensive battle, rather than offensive. Rightly so, as Sherman had a two-to-one advantage on Johnston. Additionally, Johnston claimed he was waiting for the right opportunity when Sherman would leave himself exposed. Sherman, unwilling to charge headlong against Johnston, decided to outmaneuver Johnston. Thus, every time Johnston found a superior defensive position, Sherman would maneuver around Johnston, forcing Johnston to retreat to a tactically superior position. The two engaged in this ‘dance’ for nearly two months, with one exception, the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was fought on June 27, 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the most significant frontal assault launched by Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman against the Confederate Army of Tennessee under Gen. Joseph E...
, in which Sherman lost his nerve, attacked head on, and suffered a bloody defeat.
Author David Conyngham best described it in his book Sherman’s March Through the South, when he wrote “True, such movements would not break up Johnston’s Army, but it gave us a victory; besides, Sherman and Johnston were watching each other’s movements, like two expert wrestlers, to know who would make a slip, for they knew that to attack an intrenched [sic] position was likely to prove a defeat.”
Even though this was the strategically sound theory, this was a personal gamble for Johnston, for every time he retreated, despite the fact that he was outmanned by Sherman, he aggravated Confederate President Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
.
Sherman’s troops were divided into three armies. These were the Army of the Cumberland
Army of the Cumberland
The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio.-History:...
, the Army of the Ohio
Army of the Ohio
The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863.-History:...
, and the Army of the Tennessee
Army of the Tennessee
The Army of the Tennessee was a Union army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, named for the Tennessee River. It should not be confused with the similarly named Army of Tennessee, a Confederate army named after the State of Tennessee....
, commanded by Major Generals George H. Thomas, John M. Schofield, and James B. McPherson
James B. McPherson
James Birdseye McPherson was a career United States Army officer who served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
, respectively. Johnston was waiting for one of these three armies to be exposed. While they all moved together, they were in fact, three separate units.
The largest body of water between Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
, where Sherman started, and Atlanta, was the Chattahoochee River. If there was any time in which the one portion of the Army of the Mississippi could become separated, and therefore vulnerable, crossing the Chattahoochee was it.
As the Union Army approached the Chattahoochee, they moved in from the west and took up positions at Vinings Station
Vinings, Georgia
Vinings is a census-designated place and an unincorporated town in Cobb County, Georgia, just across the Chattahoochee River from Atlanta. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 9,734. It is located between the affluent West Paces Ferry section of Buckhead in northwest Atlanta,...
. Johnston held the bridgehead on the west side of the river, and had a majority of his troops just across the railroad bridge. On the night of July 7, Sherman gave orders to Schofield to move his troops around and to the left, bypassing Johnston. Sherman had given Schofield orders to find a location between Roswell
Roswell, Georgia
Roswell is a city located in northern Fulton County; it is a suburb of northern Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The 2010 Census population was 88,346. It is the eighth largest city in Georgia...
and Sope Creek in which to ford the Chattahoochee. Sherman said, “I wish you to make an examination thereabouts and secure a foothold, fortified on the other side, anywhere about Roswell or mouth of Soap Creek. I also know that Johnston's cavalry has moved to the south flank. It is important to do this at once, for the fords are very important to us.” Schofield located a ford on the Chattahoochee one half mile upstream of the mouth of Sope Creek.
He then sent to Sherman the following:
I have not been able to reconnoiter as far as Roswell to-day. I find a pretty good crossing near mouth of Soap Creek. Half a mile above the creek is a shallow ford where infantry can cross easily, but there is no road leading to it and it would be difficult to make one. Isham's [sic] Ferry just below mouth of the creek is a good place for a bridge. About 400 yards from the river on east side is a commanding ridge very favorable for a bridge-head. The crossing would be very difficult if that ridge were held in force; but there appears at present only a squad of cavalry and one or two pieces of artillery. If there be no greater force to oppose it, the crossing can be effected very easily by crossing infantry at the ford above, to clear the ridge and cover the construction of the bridge. The ground on this side is favorable for our artillery. Johnston's cavalry being gone, I take it for granted that I can cross at Roswell without difficulty. The higher up the river the less probability of serious opposition; therefore I think we may choose whichever point you deem it most desirable to have. I propose to move at daylight and cross the river with as little delay as possible, and believe there is very little chance of failure, no matter which point you select.
Sherman decided that McPherson would hold his position across from Johnston, and at the last moment, swing around in the same fashion as Schofield and cross the Chattahoochee at Shallow Ford, what is today known as Shallowford Road. Sherman wrote to Schofield saying:
You may move to the neighborhood of the mouth of Soap Creek. Mask well your command and make a lodgment across the Chattahoochee, but do not attempt it until you have a ford nearby by which to reinforce the party first sent, or by which it may be necessary to retire. We can, after lodgement [sic], make roads to the crossing and may add pontoon bridges, of which we have enough for four bridges. After securing a point opposite Soap Creek, Roswell will follow as a matter of course, and will be additional. The moment I hear that General Garrard has made a lodgment at Roswell, I will send a division of General McPherson to hold fast all he makes. With Roswell and mouth of Soap Creek, we have plenty of room, with Marietta as the depot. I will go down to General McPherson's and stir them up in the morning by way of diversion.
Schofield advanced a division across the river at the ford and instructed them to take up positions opposite of the mouth of Sope Creek. There, they would support bridge-building operations and provide cover while the engineers constructed a pontoon bridge at Isom’s Ferry.
For nearly thirty-six hours, Schofield’s troops were isolated on the other side of the Chattahoochee. Even at the end of that time, when McPherson was on the east bank of the river, he was still miles away from Schofield in Roswell. The opportunity for a counter-offensive that Johnston had been waiting for the previous two months presented itself in those thirty-six hours. Instead of a counter-offensive, Johnston was caught complete by surprise and therefore out of position. The majority of his forces were still in defensive positions at Vinings Station on the east side of the Chattahoochee. Schofield reported to Sherman:
I have a division (General Cox's) [Author’s note: General Cox’s 23rd Army Corps consisted of four divisions, at the time of this letter, only one was known to be across] across the river at this place. It has a good position, and is rapidly intrenching [sic]. Colonel Buell has laid one bridge and will have another across to-night. I spent most of the day in reconnoitering and perfecting arrangements to make success sure. All was done so quietly that they enemy was taken entirely by surprise, so that when my artillery and infantry opened from the west bank the enemy fled, leaving a piece of artillery, which fell into our hands. My men crossed by the ford and in boats at the same time without losing a single man. The enemy used his artillery upon our officers while reconnoitering during the day, but when we opened upon them they fired but a single shot and fled. I presume they were Brown's militia. We have gained the desired point, captured one piece of artillery and nobody hurt. I will give you information concerning roads, etc., beyond the river as soon as possible.
By 8:30 p.m. on the night of July 8, Schofield had laid a bridge crossing the Chattahoochee at Isom’s Ferry and had relocated four divisions to the east bank. Fearing a flanking maneuver by Sherman, Johnston had no alternative but to abandon the west side of the river. He withdrew into Atlanta, burning the railroad bridge behind him.
It was after this debacle that Jefferson Davis decided to replace Johnston with General John B. Hood.