Rock Eagle Effigy - Eatonton, Georgia

One of the most remarkable places in Georgia is a hilltop just north of Eatonton, where some 2,000 years ago prehistoric Native Americans built the effigy of a gigantic bird..

Rock Eagle Effigy Mound is a magnificent stone effigy that measures more than 100 feet both from wingtip to wingtip and from the top of the head to the bottom of the feat. Its breast rises more than 8 feet above the surface of the dirt on the hilltop.

Now a park area adjoining the Rock Eagle 4-H Center, the effigy can be visited daily during normal business hours. There is no charge to see it, making it one of the most amazing free attractions anywhere in the country.

Despite years of research, very little is known of exactly when and why the prehistoric people of the area build the effigy. It is thought to date from around 100-300 A.D., although others hold that it is much older. It is also thought to hold ceremonial significance, an obvious conclusion, and archaeologists did find cremated human burials in it.  It seems to be paired in someway with the nearby Rock Hawk (also called the Little Rock Eagle effigy), which is located east of Eatonton. The two are the only known rock effigy mounds east of the Mississippi River.

To read more about the Rock Eagle and see additional photos, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/rockeagle.

The Cannonball House - Macon, Georgia

An outstanding example of Greek Revival architecture, the beautiful old Cannonball House in Macon is one of the most charming structures of its type in Georgia.

Built in 1853 by Judge Asa Holt, the house earned its name on July 30, 1864, when it was struck by a Union cannonball fired from across the Ocmulgee River during the Battle of Dunlap Hill (also called Dunlap's Farm). The iron ball hit the sand walkway in front of the house, bounced up and smashed through a column before going into the house and landing in a hallway where it left a permanent dent in the flooring.

The cannon that fired on Macon were located in the yard of the Dunlap House across the river (now part of Ocmulgee National Monument). Union troops led by General George Stoneman had failed in their effort to enter Macon to free the Federal prisoners of war held at Camp Oglethorpe. Realizing that they could not storm through the Confederate troops that had swarmed to meet them, they turned their cannon on civilian areas of Macon. The accounts and reports of Union officers indicate that they fired intentionally on civilian targets in the city, obviously knowing that women, children, slaves and other noncombatants could be killed or maimed.

The Cannonball House stands today as a reminder of that day. A museum owned by the Sidney Lanier Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, it is open to the public and visitors can still see the damage caused by the cannonball. To learn more about this fascinating house and museum, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/cannonballhouse.

Battle of Sunshine Church - Round Oak, Georgia

During the last days of July 1864, the Union army launched a daring attempt to liberate the Federal prisoners of war being held at Camp Oglethorpe in Macon and Camp Sumter at Andersonville. The effort ended in disaster on July 31st at the Battle of Sunshine Church.

Remembered today as Stoneman's Raid because it was led by General George Stoneman, the raid had been launched at Stoneman's request amid much fretting by his commanding officer, General William Tecumseh Sherman. Stoneman made it as far as Macon before realizing there was no way he would be able to fight his way through to either Camp Oglethorpe or Andersonville. He did destroy miles of railroad track, loot homes, steal livestock and otherwise terrorize the people of Middle Georgia, but he did not fight his way across the Ocmulgee River at Macon.

Falling back after the Battle of Dunlap's Hill at Macon, Stoneman began a desperate effort to make it back to Sherman's lines at Atlanta. He failed. Confederate General Arthur Iverson had been born and raised in the area and used his knowledge of roads and trails to block Stoneman's path at a little country chapel called Sunshine Church. The Federal cavalry arrived there to find Iverson's men dug in along a commanding ridge with cannon aimed straight up the main road.

The Battle of Sunshine Church was a desperate affair and although two brigades of Federals were able to break out of the Confederate trap, Stoneman and hundreds of his men could not. In the end they were forced to lay down their arms and surrender. The Union general and the remnant of his command were marched off to the very prisons they had expected to attack.

Often overlooked, the Battle of Sunshine Church was a critical moment of the War between the States in Georgia. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/sunshinechurch.