Union Army Occupies Historic William Root House

Join us at the William Root House Museum & Garden as we travel back to July 1864, when the Root family fled from Marietta, leaving their home to the advancing Union Army. Visit the disheveled parlor and dining room to see what the family may have left behind after rushing to leave. Head outside to meet with Union soldiers as they take over the house, constructing a headquarters and attempting to recruit new soldiers.

WHAT: Civil War on the Homefront
WHEN: July 8, 2017 10:00am – 4:00pm
WHERE: William Root House Museum & Garden

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Union Major General William T. Sherman invaded Georgia in May 1864. Moving into Georgia from the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tennessee, the Union Army was on a mission to occupy Atlanta, and would follow the Western and Atlantic Railroad all the way down. As the Union Army approached Marietta, William Root made plans for his family to refugee south. The Root family gathered their most treasured belongings and made their way to Washington, Georgia. The Root family would remain in Washington through the end of the war and would not return to Marietta until 1865.

The Union Army occupied Marietta on Sunday, July 3, 1864. While most of Marietta’s citizens had refugeed south, some had stayed behind. A northern news correspondent observed that “probably not more than twenty houses are occupied.” As reported in the Lamoille Newsdealer on August 10, 1864, “throngs of soldiers are now roaming over the half destroyed gardens, or strolling through the mutilated mansions, thumbing on the ruined piano and lolling on the sofas…” Used as a supply hub, the city was occupied by Union troops until November 13, 1864. That evening Union Major General William T. Sherman was returning to Marietta from a visit to the nearby village of Allatoona. When he arrived he found the Cobb County Courthouse ablaze, with fires spreading to other structures around the Square.

This program is included with the cost of regular museum admission and free for Cobb Landmarks members. Special thanks to the Sons Union Veterans, Sons Confederate Veterans, and the 30th Ohio Vol. Inf. Regiment for their support of this program.