Constructed in 1848 by Reverend Clisby Austin, Meadowlawn was a prime example of an antebellum style home, with a wooden plank walkway extending to the nearby Western and Atlantic Railroad Depot. When Civil War hostilities approached Tunnel Hill in 1863, the town became an integral part of the Confederate Army hospital system, and after the casualties of Chickamauga in September overwhelmed limited Confederate resources, the house was converted for the care of the wounded, including General John Bell Hood, whose right leg is thought to be buried nearby. The dwelling later served as headquarters for General William T. Sherman, who stayed there for a week in May 1864 during the opening actions of the Atlanta Campaign and, mistakenly believing he had surrounded his opponent, pounded the supper table and declared, "I've got Johnston dead." During the war, Clisby Austin sold the house and surrounding acreage and moved his family back to the relative safety of East Tennessee.

Photo: Bradley Owen

Photo: Bradley Owen

Photo: Bradley Owen