Tunnel Hill in Whitfield County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Captain Key & Key's Battery
Photographed by Bradley Owen, October 27, 2022
1. Captain Key & Key's Battery Marker
Captain Thomas Jefferson Key earned a reputation as an audacious battery commander, often running his guns up close to the enemy in advance of the infantry. Many reports and correspondence mention the incredibly fast loading and firing that characterized the Helena Artillery under Key's command. Area battles in which Key's Battery fought included the Battle of Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Ringgold Gap and Tunnel Hill as well as Hood's ill-fated campaign in Tennessee.
During the Atlanta Campaign, Key's Battery was assigned to the Hochkiss' Battalion, part of Major General Cleburne's Division. Key's Battery was the first to fire on a Union Brigade involved in the demonstration against Dalton, Georgia on February 25, 1864.
In the "hundred days" fighting between Dalton and Atlanta, Georgia, he won the rank of Major and was in the fiercest of the battles. Key finished the war fighting in General Joseph Johnston's army in North Carolina.
At the end of the war, the Helena Artillery under the command of Captain (now Major) Thomas Jefferson Key surrendered at Macon, Georgia on April 20, 1865.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is February 25, 1864.
Location. 34° 50.27′ N, 85° 2.333′ W. Marker is in
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Mountains. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Reverend Clisby Austin Sr. (within shouting distance of this marker); The Clisby Austin House (within shouting distance of this marker); Remembering the General Stores (within shouting distance of this marker); The Leg of Hood (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Building a Tunnel (about 600 feet away); The Excavation (approx. 0.2 miles away); Tunnel Hill (approx. 0.2 miles away); What are Sherman Neckties? (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tunnel Hill.
Photographed by Bradley Owen, October 27, 2022
2. Captain Key & Key's Battery Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on November 2, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 2, 2022, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. This page has been viewed 676 times since then and 84 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 2, 2022, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
