In July 1864, Union General William T. Sherman ordered the arrest and deportation of more than 400 women and children from the villages of Roswell and New Manchester, Georgia. Branded as traitors for their work in the cotton mills that supplied much needed material to the Confederacy, these civilians were shipped to cities in the North (already crowded with refugees) and left to fend for themselves.
This work details the little known story of the hardships these women and children endured before and—most especially—after they were forcibly taken from their homes. Beginning with the founding of Roswell, it examines the pre-Civil War circumstances that created this class of women. The main focus is on what befell the women at the hands of Sherman’s army and what they faced once they reached such states as Illinois and Indiana. An appendix details the roll of political prisoners from Sweetwater (New Manchester).

Mary Deborah Petite lives in Santa Clara, California.

Mary Deborah Petite
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 197
Bibliographic Info: 32 photos, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2010 [2008]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6114-1
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0431-2
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1
Introduction      5

1. Roswell King      9
2. The Colony      15
3. Roswell Mills      21
4. Roswell Grey (1861–1863)      35
5. Sherman Takes Command      49
6. Innocent Pawns      61
7. Hopeful to the Last      69
8. “The Women Will Howl”      75
9. Sweetwater Factory      99
10. Precious Cargo: Marietta to Louisville      113
11. Land of Plenty      125
12. News from the Home Front      133
13. Return to Roswell      137
14. The Mystery of the Lost Mill Workers      143

Epilogue      157
Appendix: List of Mill Workers Arrested      161
Chapter Notes      163
Bibliography      177
Index      185

“excellent” —The Lone Star.