Griswoldville, GA

Date(s): November 22, 1864

Location: Please click on link below for map.

Campaign(s): Savannah Campaign [1864]  

Battles in Campaign:

Situation:

Commanders:

• Union: Brig. Gen. Charles C. Walcutt

• Confederate: Brig. Gen. Pleasant J. Philips and Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler

Principal Forces:

• Union: 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, XV Corps, Army of the Tennessee and two regiments of cavalry

• Confederate: 1st Division Georgia Militia and Cavalry Corps, Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida

Description:

• Brig. Gen. Charles Walcutt was ordered to make a demonstration, with the six infantry regiments and one battery that comprised his brigade, toward Macon to ascertain the disposition of enemy troops in that direction.

• He set out on the morning of November 22, and after a short march he ran into some of Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler’s cavalry and drove them beyond Griswoldville.

• Having accomplished his mission, Walcutt retired to a position at Duncan’s Farm and fortified it with logs and rails to meet an expected Confederate attack force composed of three brigades of Georgia State Militia.

• The Georgia Militia had been ordered from Macon to Augusta, thinking the latter was Sherman’s next objective, and accidentally collided with Walcutt’s force.

• The Union force withstood three determined charges before receiving reinforcements of one regiment of infantry and two regiments of cavalry.

• The Confederates did not attack again and soon retired.

Photo Gallery:²

Description of the Battle of Griswoldville	Description of the Battle of Griswoldville	Map of the Battle of Griswoldville	Map of the Battle of Griswoldville
Map of the Battle of Griswoldville	Battlefield marker showing positions of Confederate and Union forces	Battlefield marker showing positions of Confederate and Union forces	Comments by Confederate artillery officer Col. Charles C. Jones on the battle
Annotations for the map showing troop dispositions	Annotations for the map showing troop dispositions	Annotations for the map showing troop dispositions
Description of cavalry skirmish on night of November 21, 1864	Description of troop deployments and assaults
Description of Battle of Griswoldville	Description of the iron foundaries and cotton gin located in Griswoldville	Description of the Confederate advance from east Macon	Description of the 1862 conversion of a cotton gin to manufacture the Griswold and Colt revolver
Diorama of the Battle of Griswoldville at Jarrell Plantation Historic Site	Diorama of the Battle of Griswoldville at Jarrell Plantation Historic Site	Points of interest on the diorama of the Battle of Griswoldville	Diorama of the Battle of Griswoldville at Jarrell Plantation Historic Site

Classification³: B

Casualties⁴:

• Union: 62

• Confederate: 650

Results: Union Victory

Battlefield Websites: 

Recommended Resources:

¹ National Park Service summary.

² Please click on the image to enlarge it. You may copy the images if you include the following note and link with each image: "Courtesy of civil-war-journeys.org."

³ Classification:

• A - having a decisive influence on a campaign and a direct impact on the course of the war

• B - having a direct and decisive influence on their campaign

• C - having observable influence on the outcome of a campaign

• D - having a limited influence on the outcome of their campaign or operation but achieving or affecting important local objectives

⁴ Casualties are someone killed, injured, wounded, captured or  missing.

Revised 04/04/2009