[ngg_images source=”galleries” container_ids=”39″ exclusions=”719,720,721,722,723,724,725,726,727,728,730,731,732,733″ display_type=”photocrati-nextgen_basic_thumbnails” override_thumbnail_settings=”0″ thumbnail_width=”360″ thumbnail_height=”490″ thumbnail_crop=”1″ images_per_page=”0″ number_of_columns=”0″ ajax_pagination=”0″ show_all_in_lightbox=”0″ use_imagebrowser_effect=”0″ show_slideshow_link=”1″ slideshow_link_text=”[Show as slideshow]” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]By Henry Bryant
The Thanksgiving holiday seems to be growing to take in the entire week of the turkey day feast. This year the Battle of Atlanta Commemoration Organization (BATL) will be offering its “Battle Began Here” tour on Saturday, November 19 at 10:00am. If you have out-of-town company that weekend, or just want an outing for the kids who are out of school, this could be it. The tour takes a look at the battle from a slightly different viewpoint that includes the lead up to the battle from the Union side, and the unexpected clash that began the conflict on July 22, 1864. It is an easy walk and would be appropriate for elementary school students who are beginning to study American History and the Civil War. It is also great for anyone who wants to hear the stories of the people who fought and died here, and also those who lived here at the time of the battle and since.
Another BATL walking tour will be offered for the Christmas Holidays on the weekend of December 31. This tour will visit the “Frontlines of the Battle of Atlanta”, where there was major fighting and cannon fire on a much warmer day in July of 1864. The tour will assemble in the East Atlanta Village visiting several important sites and revealing interesting facts about the conflict, the area, and the people.
In January, BATL will offer a “Battlefield Bike Tour” on January 21, at 1:00pm. The tour will leave from the East Atlanta Village and cover approximately eight miles over typically hilly urban terrain with some stops along the way at important sites. Noted tour guide and author Jonah McDonald will lead it. This has been a very popular ride in the past (even in the blazingly hot month of July), and spaces will be limited. Crossing the battlefield astride a bike saddle is much more like the experience of the soldiers in 1864 than other modern modes of travel. Bikers will need to provide their own bicycles and helmets. In case of inclement weather, the rain date will be January 28. The deadline for ticket purchase will be January 19, to allow for weather considerations.
For Black History month in February, BATL will offer its “Civil War to Civil Rights Tour” on Saturday, February 25, at 1:00pm. This tour visits the site where Confederate troops arrived on the east side of town in 1864 to attack the encamped and entrenched Union forces. It also visits several major sites of Georgia’s Civil Rights struggle. The easy walking tour will assemble near Memorial Drive near East Atlanta and Kirkwood. East Atlanta and Battle of Atlanta historian, Henry Bryant, will lead this tour.
In March, on a date that is not yet been finalized, BATL will again participate in Phoenix Flies, an annual event sponsored by the Atlanta Preservation Center.
Tour Committee Chair, Valerie Molyneaux, noted recently, “Many people say they have planned for years to take a BATL tour, but then never do because it never gets on their schedule. A ticket reservation now will alleviate that problem by getting a fun and informative outing on the schedule before it’s too late.”
All of these tours will be listed on the BATL website with more information can be found about each at www.batlevent.org. Tickets can be purchased on line as well. BATL is scheduling one tour a month of the battlefield for 2017. There are several different tours that will rotate from month to month. More information is also available by calling 404-377-6148.
BATL Tours – 2016-17
November 19, 10:00am – The Frontlines Tour
New Year’s Holiday Frontlines Tour – time and date being finalized
January 21, 1:00pm – Battle of Atlanta Battlefield Bike Tour (Bad Weather Date January 28)
February 25, 1:00pm – Civil War to Civil Rights Battlefield Tour
March – Atlanta Preservation Center Phoenix Flies Tour, TBA
April – December, look for coming announcements for these and all tours at www.batlevent.org.
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