A small, bustling antebellum Georgia industrial center, Griswoldville won national prominence by producing superior cotton gins known for their sturdiness. After the outbreak of the Civil War, the town’s founder, Samuel Griswold, turned to producing munitions for the Confederacy. First pikes, then pistols.A tiny but valuable component of the South’s military industrial complex, Griswoldville became a target of union forces in 1864. After a glancing blow by Stoneman’s Raiders in late summer, the town was obliterated during Sherman’s infamous march to the sea.

Based on primary sources, Griswoldville charts the rise of Connecticut Yankee Samuel Griswold from tineware peddler to industrial magnate and details the history of Griswoldville from its creation to its destruction. Special attention is paid to the two military operations most closely identified with the little town: the Stoneman Raid and the brave but fruitless stand of young boys and old men of the Georgia militia against Sherman’s experienced and skilled Federals.