Resaca — A Defensible Position

Resaca — A Defensible Position. . In the 1840s when construction on the Western and Atlantic Railroad began, plantations and farms existed in this portion of Gordon County. This construction brought Irish immigrants to the area. They built temporary cottages and called the area Dublin. With the completion of the railroad, the W and A constructed a terminal on the river's north side near the bridge. Soldiers returning shortly after the Mexican-American War renamed the village Resaca in honor of their victory at Resaca de la Palma, Texas, in 1846. By the 1860s, approximately 200 residents called Resaca home., Resaca's location along a steep ridge, the railroad, and its bridges across the Oostanaula River made Resaca a defensible, strategic position. Like Rocky Face Ridge, the ridges at Resaca gave Southern forces an advantage over the Union's superior strength and numbers. Union forces would need to fight across Camp Creek Valley and up the ridge. Rebel fortifications, including Fort Wayne, along with rifle pits and an artillery battery along the bluff secured the area. As the battle approached, Southern forces also constructed additional trench lines., Resaca's residents learned of the approaching armies from Confederate scouts riding through the area, the telegraph at Resaca, and messages delivered by incoming trains. Many, who were able, fled the village long before the battle began. Others on outlying farms were caught up in the cross fire and unable to escape once the opposing armies arrived., After the battle, Resaca was occupied by Union forces for the remainder of the war., , Captions: , Top: Harper's Weekly illustration of Resaca, 1864 , Bottom left: The map below shows how Resaca was defended by Johnston's forces. The roads leading to Resaca from the northwest came into the valley through deep gaps in the mountains and then passed through cultivated farmlands dotted with isolated farm houses. , Bottom right: Above is the 1864 map prepared for the Western and Atlantic Rail Road Company.