Indian Springs

Indian Springs. A Fortuitous Delay. As the “Right Wing” of Union Major General William T. Sherman's army marched from Atlanta to Savannah they encountered three major physical barriers: the Ocmulgee, Oconee and Ogeechee Rivers. The Ocmulgee River, about six miles east of Indian Springs, was the first to be reached. The Federal 17th Corps and two divisions of the 15th Corps marched toward the river through nearby Jackson and other communities further north. Meanwhile, the 15th Corps divisions of Brigadier Generals Charles R. Woods and William B. Hazen marched farther south, feinting toward Macon to deceive Confederates defending that city, before turning east. They camped on November 17, 1864 at Liberty Church, seven miles southwest of Indian Springs, before arriving here on Friday, November 18th. Their immediate goal, and for the entire Right Wing, was to reach the Ocmulgee River as rapidly as possible and cross it at a small mill town called Seven Islands. Yet a cold, soaking rain turned dirt roads to mud and steep river banks into mire. This caused a brief fortuitous delay at Indian Springs for the two divisions of approximately 8,000 Federal infantrymen, their horses and other livestock. , For centuries a natural artesian spring and its mineral water attracted Native Americans to this future resort. Seven stagecoach trails crossed here. William McIntosh, a half-Scottish and half-Muscogee (Creek) chief, constructed the Indian Spring Hotel in 1823. Two years later he signed a treaty in the hotel ceding all Creek land east of the Chattahoochee River. Strongly opposed by other Creek leaders, McIntosh and other signatories were subsequently executed. , Indian Spring Hotel was sold to the Varner family. Several prominent future Confederate leaders, including Benjamin H. Hill, Alexander H. Stephens and Robert Toombs, were among their guests. During the Civil War the hotel was a boarding house, dining hall and ballroom. According to Amanda Varner's diary, she and her sister Josephine (“Miss Joe”) had “been nursing [sick and wounded] soldiers since the beginning of the war.” Confederate soldiers sought refuge at the hotel and from the adjacent “healing waters” before the arrival of Federal soldiers in November 1864. , Because of the pounding rain and occasional snow, Indian Spring Hotel became a Federal soldier's hospital, kitchen and dining hall. Fresh water was plentiful from the spring. The Varners also conceded their hotel's rooms, gardens, baths and saloon for use by soldiers. Cooking and nursing duties spared the burning of the hotel. One unlucky newlywed couple who were present when Federal soldiers arrived was forced to exchange their fine carriage horses for two footsore nags. After the war the Varners submitted a request to the Federal government for reparations of $2,000 but were denied. , On Saturday, November 19th, Generals Woods' and Hazen's divisions departed Indian Springs and crossed the Ocmulgee River on a pontoon bridge. All other Right Wing units crossed by the 20th, marching toward Monticello and Hillsboro. Indian Spring Hotel still stands, and the spring still flows through what in 1927 became Georgia's first state park, Indian Springs State Park. , [Captions] , . The “March to the Sea” through Butts County (Lloyd's Topographical Map of Georgia, 1864) , . Chief William McIntosh , . Indian Spring Hotel , . Union Brigadier General William B. Hazen Commander, 2nd Div., 15th Corps (after promotion to Major General) , . Sisters Josephine (“Miss Joe”) and Amanda Varner in the late 1800s (Varner Collection, Georgia Historical Society)