Georgia Natural Wonder #97 – Rocky Face - Dug Gap – Whitfield County (Part 1). 720

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Georgia Natural Wonder #97 – Rocky Face - Dug Gap – Whitfield County (Part 1)

Now this is a place I was exploring for Civil War history and I ended up scrambling on this incredible rock formation for a half mile. Views majestic for Georgia. Then you intertwine the Civil War history. The one sided whupping of the Yankees. The next time you are driving up to Chattanooga, take an hour and scoot up the hill to explore this spot. These are almost all my personal photographs today.



Directions: I-75 exit 333 (Walnut Avenue). Go west on Dug Gap Battle Road for 1.7 miles. Wind and turn and reach the crest of the road and it’s on your right. A small parking area on the road may be used if the gate is closed. Note: Exiting this park is difficult because drivers routinely speed on this portion of Dug Gap Road.



The Battle of Rocky Face Ridge was fought May 7–13, 1864, in Whitfield County, Georgia, during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. The Union army was led by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman and the Confederate army by Gen. Joseph E. Johnston.



When Sherman approached, he demonstrated against this position with two columns while he sent a third one through Snake Creek Gap, to the south, to hit the Western & Atlantic Railroad at Resaca.



After defeating the Rebel skirmishers at Tunnel Hill, Army of the Cumberland Commander George Thomas decided to probe Rocky Face. He felt "Buzzard's Roost" was too heavily fortified so he sent troops under "Fighting Joe" Hooker to Dug Gap, 2.5 miles south of Mill Creek.



On the afternoon of May 8, 1864, Major General John W. Geary ordered troops under his command to advance and attack a well entrenched Confederate line behind a stone wall. General Johnston had entrenched his army on the long, steep Rocky Face Ridge and eastward across Crow Valley.



The Rebels, under the command of Lieutenant General William J. Hardee outnumbered at times by ten to one, had spent 5 months preparing for the attack. The park contains over 1200 feet of the original stone wall the Confederates built between November, 1863 and May, 1864 in a 2.5 acre park. Adventurous souls may decide to venture further up the mountain from the park and see the Rebel entrenchments that line the crest of Rocky Face



Not only had the wall been constructed, but a number of large boulders had been propped up at the top of the gap. They used the boulders to roll down the steep incline on the attackers.



The Battle for Dug Gap occurred on May 08, 1864. At 3:00 p.m., Gen. Geary deployed his 2 brigades, Buschbeck´s brigade on the right, Candy´s on the left, to storm Dug Gap. The Pennsylvania Battery (3 inch Rodman guns) commanded by Capt. James D. McGill, was sited near Joel Babb´s house to support the assault.



As Geary's men advanced the Confederate defenders released the boulders, killing many soldiers and demoralizing the rest.



A second attack at the same spot later in the day was repulsed when the Rebels were reinforced by General Hiram Granbury's infantry brigade.



The attacking Federal Forces suffered more than three hundred casualties in this battle fought over extremely rugged terrain.



The Congressional Medal of Honor was awarded to two members of the 154th New York regiment, 2d Div, 20th A. C.



The first two columns engaged the enemy at Buzzard Roost (Mill Creek Gap) and at Dug Gap while the third column, under Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson, passed through Snake Creek Gap and on the May 9 advanced to the outskirts of Resaca, where it found Confederates entrenched. Fearing the strength of the enemy, McPherson pulled his column back to Snake Creek Gap.



On May 10, Sherman decided to join McPherson in an effort to take Resaca. The next morning, Sherman's army withdrew from in front of Rocky Face Ridge. Discovering Sherman's movement, Johnston retired south towards Resaca on May 12. Confederates were forced to evacuate their strong position due to a Union flanking movement.



In 2016, the Civil War Trust (a division of the American Battlefield Trust) and its partners acquired, for purposes of preservation, 301 acres of the Rocky Face Ridge Battlefield, including surviving earthworks and the remains of a continuous entrenchment more than 2,000 feet long. That purchase expanded the total battlefield acreage acquired and preserved by the Trust and its partners to 926 acres.



Mill Creek was back down by I-75. Found several historical markers.



Located on Dug Gap Mountain, the Battle Park offers a magnificent view of Whitfield County and a glimpse into the rich Civil War history of our area. Not only do you see the breastworks built by Confederate soldiers during the Atlanta Campaign, you get the rocky ridge which is why I am putting this in the top 100 GNW's in the first place,  The park is free and open during daylight hours. You come up on the boulders from the parking in just about 200 yards.



Now you either go right to the battle rocks we’ve shown, or you go left to this rugged natural ridge.



Now Confederate troops were manning this natural ridge and the Union boys were attacking here too, but traces of any battle have been reclaimed by nature, what a fun crawl across this sharp edge.



Can’t find many net pictures this Rocky Face Ridge. Can’t find many detailed hike descriptions to copy and paste. But this is damn sure a neat spot to explore.



The face of Rocky Face.



Ridge went for half mile then came back to Dug Gap Road.



Not sure what it is called, always thought the rocky looking mountain east of I-75 was Rocky Face. Tried to explore those rocks several times, but the cul-de-sac ends on all private property. There once was a pull off from I-75 but that is blocked off now.



But this is Rocky Face, and it sure lives up to it's name.



I did find some net images.



Rocks, views, 300 Yankees dead. What's not to like about this place as a top 100 wonder?



Tomorrow we tangent on Whitfield County. Today's GNW gal a cutie from Dalton.


Could have been our First Lady.