War Comes to the Brothertons

At the time of the Battle of Chickamauga, George and Mary Brotherton and their children lived in a log house here, grazing cattle and growing corn and hay in the surrounding fields. To escape the fighting, some of the Brothertons and other local families took refuge in a ravine about a mile from here, where they endured hunger and cold and prayed for their boys serving in the Confederate army. Tom Brotherton, one of the sons, played a key role in the battle because General Longstreet, commander of the Confederate left wing, employed him as a scout since he “knew every pig trail through these woods.” Tom served with pride, telling his brother Jim, “It’s a sorry lad that won’t fight for his own home.” Jim Brotherton also fought for the South. After the battle, Adaline Brotherton, the youngest daughter, returned to the cabin in search of food and, after finding four of their cows that had miraculously survived, prepared milk for the refugee families, but the hundreds of wounded Union and Confederate soldiers she saw here aroused her sympathy, and she gave the milk to them.

Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia · United States