A monument to the lives lost at the 1864 Battle of Griswoldville was dedicated last week with the sounds of bagpipes playing and the singing of “Dixie.”

The dedication took place Dec. 1, and the monument can be found at the battlefield park site located off of Griswoldville Road.

The Battle of Griswoldville took place Nov. 22, 1864, and was marked by local Civil War historians with a re-enactment on the battleground two weeks ago. The Sons of Confederate Veterans and the United Daughters of the Confederacy were on the hallowed grounds again Saturday to dedicate a monument to the confederate soldiers who gave their lives in the battle.

The 14-foot obelisk was designed by Martin Bell, and the cost of the monument was $29,000. It is engraved with the names of the Confederate forces involved and the pavers contain some of the individual names of the soldiers. The monument was surrounded by 124 small Confederate flags, which is the estimated number of soldiers who died in the battle.

The Battle of Griswoldville is re-enacted each year in Gray during War Days, which takes place the first Saturday in May. Gen. William Sherman’s troops were on their March to the Sea when they encountered the Home Guard at Griswoldville that consisted of mainly young boys and old men armed with muskets. The Confederate soldiers were no match for the Union troops, who not only outnumbered them but were armed with new repeating rifles.

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