By Henry Bryant
The Battle of Atlanta began with Confederate forces moving in from the south along the area that is now Bouldercrest Drive, Flat Shoals Road, and Fayetteville Road. They moved into the rural area that is today part of the East Atlanta neighborhood, with some troops first splitting up at the Fayetteville and Bouldercrest fork and others breaking off near Blake Avenue to move northward through the Union picket line at Glenwood Avenue.
Gen. James B. McPherson heard the initial gunfire of the battle as it broke out along Memorial Drive at Clay Street. He galloped off on his horse from where he was having lunch with his fellow Union generals near the present-day Edgewood-Candler Park MARTA Station. When he got to Memorial Drive, things had quieted down there but cannons were booming from over in what is now East Atlanta Village and he set out again to inspect what was going on along his front lines on Flat Shoals.
None of these street names were in place at the time of The Battle of Atlanta. Flat Shoals, which had long existed as a Native American trail, was called the Middle McDonough Road. There were three McDonough Roads back then, and Gen. McPherson did not make it to the one in East Atlanta that day. He was stopped by Confederate troops at McPherson and Monument Avenues. Today that spot holds one of only two historic Civil War monuments in the city. It was put there to mark the spot where the general breathed his last. That was July 22,1864. On that day, just before McPherson died, Confederate Gen. William H. T. Walker was also killed nearby where Glenwood now crosses I-20. A bookend monument was placed to mark that historic site. Very few other battles had two generals killed in them, so the Battle of Atlanta is distinctive in that respect.
On July 18, the Saturday before the battle’s anniversary, the Battle of Atlanta Commemoration Organization (BATL) will feature retired Col. Perry Bennett speaking about the battle at the two monuments. Bennett was born in East Point and now lives in Atlanta. He is considered an expert historian on the Battle of Atlanta. He will be at the Walker Monument at 1:00pm and at the McPherson monument at 2:00pm. The public may attend one or both of these talks for free, and it’s only a short drive between the sites. Parking is along the street (Wilkinson at Walker and Monument and McPherson at McPherson) at both monuments. There are shady spots at both monuments, but bring an umbrella if rain is in the forecast. Keep in mind that it was brutally hot back in 1864 and the soldiers were dressed in wool uniforms. You can wear shorts and a T-shirt. The McPherson monument is located in the East Atlanta Neighborhood, and although the Walker Monument is technically in Kirkwood, it is on the border (I-20) with East Atlanta.
