Anyone interested in Civil War Tours and history knows that the year 1864 was a tough one for Newton County, Georgia. Here is another video by Blair on the Square that tells about the destruction that Covington, Georgia faced during the Civil War brought on by the Cavalry of Brigadier General Garrard.
The year 1864 was a terrible year for Newton County. Nature and the Union army brought fear, hunger and destruction to the county. A very cold, rainy winter pressed on into March and April. Dolly Burge, of Burge Plantation, wrote in her diary in 1864 that she didn’t have any food in the garden. They had felt pain throughout the whole year due to not being able to transport enough supplies to their solders. Things got worse when Brigadier General Kenner Garrard commanded a cavalry division under Major General William T Sherman. Garrard’s troops were scattered around Roswell in July 1864 when he received orders to destroy bridges and roads in Covington. They were to isolate Atlanta from receiving supplies by destroying the railroad from Lithonia at East Covington, specifically the Yellow River Bridge this side of Covington and the railroad bridge over the Yellow River after they had passed. He was supposed to capture locomotives and cars as needed, but only take horses and mules as necessary without impending on the poor. Garrard was given permission by General Sherman to ride rough shot over any forces by destroying railroads and bridges around Covington on July 20, 1864.
