This Day in Georgia History
September 11, 1864
Union Army Began Removing Atlanta Citizens
After Hood had been unable to persuade Sherman to allow Atlanta residents to continue living in their homes during the occupation, Atlanta families began registering with Union authorities for their removal. Over the next nine days, 446 families and their furniture and household goods were loaded into Union Army covered wagons and moved southward to Rough and Ready. There, Atlanta refugees were met by Confederate forces who transported them to Lovejoy’s Station, where they caught trains to Macon and other locations. A total of 79 slaves accompanied their masters, though most ex-slaves decided to stay with the Union Army.
