Wednesday, May 2, 2001
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Wednesday, May 2, 2001 |
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West Fayette saw Civil War action By CAROLYN CARY The name "Wynne" has had a significance in the area now known as Peachtree City since the early 1840s. The Wynne family came from England and were early settlers of Virginia. John Wynne moved to Oglethorpe County, served as a major in the American Revolutionary War, married and moved to Coweta County. He purchased land on Line Creek which encompassed a large area in both Fayette and Coweta counties. A son, Glen Owen Wynne, came to the area in 1841, having served in the Indian wars of 1836. He purchased land from his father, served as a representative in 1855 and as a senator for Coweta County in 1858 in the Georgia Legislature. I had the privilege about 30 years ago of speaking to one of the last Wynnes to live here, Miss Ruby Wynne, a granddaughter of Glen. I asked her to tell me about her life, but thinking back made her so sad she couldn't speak for crying. I had hoped that she could tell me about her grandfather finding a mound on the creek that contained many Indian relics. It is believed to have been about the spot where the Wynnes also had a mill, sitting to the left as you cross on Ga. Highway 54 into Coweta County. Further north of this point was a wooden bridge, crossing over Wynne's Pond. It was this bridge that played a role in the Civil War. At the end of July 1864, Union General George McCook, commanding a division of about 2,100 cavalry, was traveling southeast from the Palmetto-Fairburn area and happened upon a Confederate wagon train consisting of about 500 wagons and 2,000 horses and mules. It was camped for the night about where the Olde Mill Restaurant is located, some two miles west of Fayetteville. McCook's forces burned the wagons with its supplies of uniforms, food and payroll and garrisoned the Confederate prisoners on the old courthouse lawn. About this time both Confederate generals Sul Ross, commanding a brigade of Texas cavalry, and Joseph Wheeler, commanding a division of cavalry, had been ordered south from Palmetto and Atlanta respectively in McCook's direction. With their impending arrival, the Confederate prisoners were let go. McCook then headed for Lovejoy, where he received word that Confederate forces were headed in his direction. He called a retreat and, fearing that he would be intercepted going back the way he had come from Fayetteville, proceeded west through the general area of Inman near Harp's Crossing and on to Ebenezer Road. Records indicate that some fierce skirmishing and hard riding took place at this point in the retreat. Wheeler chased the remaining Federals through what is now Peachtree City. The Federals fired the bridge over Wynne's Pond, but the Confederates were so close behind that the fire had little effect. This action proceeded towards Newnan and resulted in the Battle of Brown's Mill near that city. Almost all of McCook's command were captured at this time. Fast forward to 1973, when the developers of Peachtree City created a subdivision named Wynnmeade (without the "e" in Wynne's name). The first homes were built in 1974 and the area filled with so many homes, a traffic light was installed in 1996 at its entrance on Hwy. 54. This homesite on Wynne's Pond continues to grow and that traffic light is soon to be moved just eastward. It is doubtful, however, that on July 30, 1864, traffic lights would have slowed down the cavalry action of Union and Confederate troops thundering through this area and across Wynne's Pond. (In appreciation: Coweta County Chronicles, History of Coweta County, Georgia, Confederate historians Bobby Kerlin and John Lynch.) [Carolyn Cary is Fayette County's official historian and editor of "The History of Fayette County," published by the Fayette County Historical Society. Her e-mail address is ccary@TheCitizenNews.com.]
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