On Nov. 15, 1864, after destroying Atlanta and cutting his communications with the North, Maj. Gen. W.T. Sherman, USA, began his destructive campaign for Savannah, the March to the Sea. He divided his army into two wings. The Right Wing marched south from Atlanta, to feint at Macon but to cross the Ocmulgee River above the city and concentrate at Gordon. The Left Wing, the 14th and 20th Corps under Maj. Gen. H.W. Slocum, USA, marched through Decatur, with the 20th Corps continuing east to Social Circle and Madison. The 14th Corps, under Maj. Gen. J.C. Davis, USA, accompanied by General Sherman and his staff, marched from Atlanta the next morning toward Covington and Milledgeville. That night, the 14th Corps camped along this road with its advance at Lithonia, 3.5 miles east, and its rear guard west of Snapfinger Creek, 1.5 miles west. General Sherman’s headquarters were established here at Latimer’s Crossroads, also called Belmont. The next morning, the 14th Corps marched toward Covington and halted for the night at Yellow River. En route, the tracks, depots, water tanks, and other facilities of the Georgia Railroad were destroyed between Lithonia and the river, approximately 14 miles. Between Atlanta and Milledgeville, the movement of the Left Wing was almost unopposed, because the few Confederate troops available were employed against the Right Wing to protect Macon, a principal arsenal center, and the Central Georgia Railway.