The Nancy Harts Militia-- Part 1: To Defend While the Men Were Away

From the New Georgia Encyclopedia.

On March 4th, I wrote about the Nancy Harts, a female group who stood up to Union cavalry in the closing days of the war in LaGrange, Georgia.  This was featured in the Mort Kunstler 2017 Civil War calendar for the month of March.

The Nancy Harts were formed in LaGrange, Georgia, at the onset of the war.  They were an all-female military unit organized by the wives of Confederate soldiers with the realization that their men would not be there to protect them.

On April 26, 1861, the Liberty Light Guards of the 4th Georgia Infantry Regiment, composed of local men, mustered and marched off to war.  Over the course of the war, some 1,300 left for Confederate military service.

It was obvious that LaGrange would be of some military importance as it was located half way between Atlanta and the first Confederate capital at Montgomery, Alabama.  Plus, it had rail connections.

--Old Secesh