Ghost of Allatoona Pass - A Georgia Ghost Story

Railroad near Allatoona Pass

With October here and Halloween approaching, I thought you might enjoy an interesting little Georgia ghost story. It developed along the railroad between Atlanta and Chattanooga in the latter half of the 19th century.
The story first surfaced in 1872, when Georgia newspapers wrote of a mysterious "rider" on trains making their way between Allatoona Pass (near Cartersville) and the crossing at Tilton (near Dalton). Employees on the Western & Atlantic (W&A) Railroad would look back along the tops of the trains and see a strange man sitting up there:

Deep Cut in the 19th Century

...This individual appears suddenly on top of the freight cars, takes a seat and remains there for many miles, then the unknown brakesman disappears. Conductors, seeing him, have often gone out to collect his fare, but on nearing him, he would vanish like mist. - Atlanta Journal, December 1872.

The spectre was often spotted as the train made its way through the "Deep Cut" at Allatoona Pass. Other times he would disappear when then trains reached that point.  This prompted some speculation that he was the ghost of a soldier killed there during the Civil War.

The Deep Cut Today

The "Deep Cut" was the scene of the Battle of Allatoona Pass, fought for control of the vital railroad choke point on October 5, 1864. Confederate forces under General Samuel G. French tried to storm the Union forts built to protect the pass. The Federal troops could not be dislodged, despite a bloody battle that left more than 1,600 men killed, wounded or captured.  The fight inspired the famed Christian hymn, "Hold the Fort."

The connection between the ghost and Allatoona Pass prompted much speculation that he might have been killed there during the battle.

So common did his appearance on the trains become for a time, that a bold engineer decided to get to the bottom of the mystery. To read what happened in his 19th century "Ghostbusting" effort, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/allatoonaghost.

You can read more about the Battle of Allatoona Pass at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/allatoonapass.

The Battle of Allatoona Pass - Bartow County, Georgia

Star Fort at Allatoona Pass

Just outside Cartersville, a small parking lot serves as the trailhead for one of the most remarkable historic sites in Georgia - the Allatoona Pass Battlefield.

Developed by the Etowah Valley Historical Society and now maintained by Red Top Mountain State Park, the battlefield is open daily during daylight hours. It preserves the scene of the bloody fight for possession of the "Deep Cut" at Allatoona Pass during the opening days of the Franklin & Nashville Campaign.

Sherman had taken Atlanta after months of marching and fighting on September 2, 1864. Confederate General John Bell Hood, now commanding the Army of Tennesee, decided that instead of continuing to oppose Sherman's larger army around Atlanta he would turn west and then north to invade Tennessee and strike Nashville before Union reinforcements could be moved to the vital city.

Railroad Cut at Allatoona Pass

As the first step in this campaign, he sent General Samuel G. French to seize the Union forts at Allatoona Pass and fill the 175-foot deep railroad cut. French was then to fall back a short distance to the Etowah River and destroy the bridge there, before turning back to reunite with Hood's main army at New Hope Church. Unfortunately for French, Hood gave him only his own 3,276 man division and two days to accomplish this herculean task.

True to his orders, though, French marched immediately on Allatoona. Learning of his movement, General Sherman had messages sent to the post using signal flags waved from a tower on the top of Kennesaw Mountain.  These messages, which urged the Federal troops at Allatoona Pass to hold on until reinforcements could reach them, later inspired the Christian hymn "Hold the Fort."

Infantry Trench at Allatoona Pass

The Battle of Allatoona Pass opened on the morning of October 5, 1864, when French attached the strongly built Union defenses from the north and west. Although he was able to overrun an advanced position, at no point were his hard-fighting men able to break the Federal lines.  They charged the key Star Fort four times over open ground, but could not take the fiercely defended position. 

When the smoke cleared, the Confederate general had sustained higher than 30 percent casualties. The 2,000 or so Union soldiers defending the forts on the high ridge at Allatoona Pass were also badly bloodied. In fact, it would take nearly three weeks to locate and bury all of the dead from both sides.

To learn more about the battle and view a new online tour of the battlefield, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/allatoonapass.