Course Description

Instructor:  Michael K. Shaffer

Georgia, the “Empire State of the South,” was home during the Civil War era to some of the country’s most brilliant political minds, yet as a crisis loomed, Governor Joseph E. Brown, Howell Cobb, Alexander Stephens, Robert Toombs, and others could not avert secession and war. The Census of 1860 indicated 1,023,801 people resided in the state, including 447,082 African Americans, most held in bondage. Georgia led the South in the textile industry. Her 1,400 miles of rail provided ample movement of goods during the early years of the war. As the conflict continued, the condition of the railroads deteriorated, the blockade of the coast tightened, and folks on the home front and those on the front lines started to feel the squeeze.
When Georgia left the Union on January 19, 1861, various units eagerly volunteered, and Governor Brown took quick action to secure vital positions and ensure Georgia possessed the needed matériel. In this course, the fourth in a series, students will learn about the famous and not-so-famous events and personalities of the Civil War in Georgia.