The mansion was owned by Judge Asa Holt and built in 1853 on the heights overlooking Macon on Mulberry Street. Eyewitnesses to the hit said the cannonball first hit a sand sidewalk, bounced up and through the column and into the home.
Traces can still be seen on the repainted column, the patched parlor plaster and a large dent in the floor.
Stoneman and his men were captured a few days later.
The Holt family left Macon after the incident and moved to their farm in Jefferson County, which put them right in the path of Sherman's March to the Sea. Sometimes you just can't stay out of the war.
When Sherman's Army came through, livestock at the farm were killed, barns burned, food and goods stolen and even the well bucket was destroyed to make it difficult to get water from it.
Sherman's troops were sure that there must be gold and treasure hidden somewhere on the property and hanged Judge Holt from a tree to force him to reveal the location. They repeated the hanging three times until the judge passed out, but servants were able to revive him.
His mansion in Macon is now owned by the Sidney Lanier Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy at 856 Mulberry Street.
There is also a cannon on the grounds made at the Macon Arsenal in 1864.
What Did the North Have Against the Judge? --Old B-R'er
No comments:
Post a Comment