Sunshine Church Battlefield: July 31, 1864

 battlefield, interesting place, historical layer / disappeared object

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Battle of Sunshine Church. Site of the climax of Stoneman's abortive cavalry raid in late July 1864. Stoneman's cavalry division (US) had left Decatur, GA with the goal's of either 1.) wrecking the Macon-Atlanta RR, or 2.) liberate Union prisoners at Andersonville and/or Macon. Failing at both, Stoneman attempted to withdraw northwards back to Union lines around Atlanta when his force was intercepted by three Confederate brigades under Alfred Iverson at this point. Late in the afternoon as Confederate forces began to gain the upper hand, Stoneman authorized a breakout attempt by two of his brigades under Silas Adams and Horace Capron to the east and thence north. Stoneman himself remained with the remnants of his last brigade (Biddle's) covering the breakout. Withdrawing to a small hill to the south & east that today bears his name, Stoneman and about 600 surviving troopers surrendered at around 4:00pm. Adams & Capron succeed in their breakout, but eventually Capron's brigade is surprised and scattered at Kings Tanyard near Winder, GA several days later. Only fragments of Adams brigade make it back across the Chattahoochee River to Union lines.