Dr. Castel sent a copy of the following letter to me with an accompanying note of the same date.
September 15, 1999
The Honorable Roy Barnes
Governor
State of Georgia
Dear Governor Barnes,
I am a professional historian (Ph.D. University of Chicago, 1955) and author of Decision in the West: The Atlanta Campaign of 1864 (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1992). This book is the most detailed history of its subject yet to be published and has been fortunate to receive a number of honors, among them the Lincoln Prize for best Civil War book published in 1992 and a prize for the same from the Atlanta Civil War Round Table. It has also resulted in my becoming known to many Georgians who are interested in the Civil War and especially the Atlanta Campaign.
Recently one of them, W. Keith Beason of Adairsville, asked me if I would be willing to write you in support of an effort by the state of Georgia to acquire a large portion of the battlefield of Resaca for the purpose of transforming it into a battlefield park. I replied that I would be glad to do so provided he supplied me with evidence demonstrating that this acquisition for this purpose would be justified. He sent me a large collection of documents and newspaper clippings pertaining to this matter. After reading them I became thoroughly convinced that my endorsement of this project would be justified and that it was my duty as an historian to write you the letter requested.
(1) The Battle of Resaca (May 13 – 16, 1864) was the first major battle of the Atlanta Campaign, with c. 60,000 Confederate troops facing c. 100,000 Union soldiers.
(2) More troops of both armies engaged in actual fighting during this battle than in any of the other battles of the entire Atlanta Campaign.
(3) That portion of the battlefield which state of Georgia seeks to acquire was the scene of a large-scale attack by three Union divisions which suffered c. 600 casualties.
(4) This portion of the battlefield contains, in remarkably well-preserved condition, the actual entrenchments occupied by the Confederates. Such entrenchments in such condition are extremely rare on Civil War battlefields, many of which (such as those around Atlanta – or, rather, in it) have been completely obliterated. Moreover, where entrenchments of this type do exist they tend to be in out-of-the-way, hard-to-find places. Those at Resaca are, or could be made, easily accessible.
(5) Located as it is in the scenic and rapidly growing Chattanooga – Atlanta “corridor” on I-75, a battlefield park at Resaca will attract many visitors and also become a popular place for Civil War re-enactments and encampments.
(6) The statements made by those opposing the creation of a battlefield park at Resaca – that the Battle of Resaca lacks historical importance, that the real fighting took place elsewhere than the area the state of Georgia seeks to acquire, and that only “skirmishing” took place in that area – are totally and demonstrably false. If these opponents are sincere in making these statements, then they are badly, sadly misinformed about the Battle of Resaca.
(7) It is clear that the state of Georgia has offered the present owner of this area very fair terms and concessions, only to be rebuffed in an arrogant, even insulting fashion. I think, therefore, that the state of Georgia would be fully justified in employing its right of eminent domain to acquire this land and that it should proceed to do so if the present owner continues to conduct himself as he has in the past.
I hope someday to visit the state of Georgia battlefield park at Resaca.
Sincerely,
Albert Castel
NOTE: The copy of the letter sent to me by Dr. Castel included a personal note which read, in part: "Enclosed is a photocopy of my letter of Governor Barnes. I hope it will do some good. The lies – the deliberate lies – of those who, for whatever reason, oppose converting Fletcher’s tract into a battlefield park are disgusting. Fletcher himself obviously could not care less about the historical value of the land – or anything having to do with history.
"I am sending a copy of my letter to Frances Kennedy, head of the Conservation Fund, Civil War Battlefield Campaign, plus copies of some of the materials you sent me."
