An open email letter sent to our BOC from Larry Stanley regarding Nash Farm,not one of the BOC have commented or called Larry on this as of this post.

Date: Monday, November 30, 2009 4:41 PM
From: Larry Stanley
To: mathiselizabeth@bellsouth.net, Randy Stamey , 'Reid Bowman' , John Basler , Warren Holder
Cc: editor@henrycountytimes.com
Subject: Nash Farm Resolution
Size: 21 KB

Dear Board Members,

I wish to address the resolution now before the commissioners regarding Nash Farm. "NOW THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the master plan shall refer to the park as Nash Farm with an area set aside for preservation as Nash Farm Battlefield and the remainder designated for passive recreation. "

The Henry County government is again making a mockery of the honesty and integrity of the people they are supposed to serve. Continued promotion of the T. E. Nash property as the site of The Battle of Lovejoy, or the location of engagements in September-November 1864, is disgraceful. In April 2008 Citizens saw the board of commissioners reverse course on this multi-million dollar cover-up to justify wrongful use of eminent domain.

Continued participation is this fraud cannot bode well for any elected official wishing to maintain respectability. I fervently urge you now to forsake the lies and scandal brought onto the county. Remove the signage designating the property as a battlefield. And, stop the farce proliferated by resolutions that promote the lies.

Specifically the historical significance of the T. E. Nash property has been the subject of controversy because of historically invalid claims and partial truths. The LAMAR Institute report remains highly dubious and Mr. Pollard's stories reveal no scholarly, historical research. Even the quotations from recognized historical documents were used in part, not giving the full meaning or text of the works. Even the board of commissioners, on April 9, 2008, voted to remove the ‘battlefield’ designation and rename the park.

Please note the versions of history portrayed by Mr. Elliott and Mr. Pollard changed over time. As the Nash property became more politically important to certain officials and constituent groups, the "history" was molded and the "artifacts" became the Holy Grail.
The Henry County Board of Commissioners held a Public Meeting at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, August 20, 2007

Mr. Dan Elliott, President of LAMAR Institute, stated August 20th is the anniversary of one of the most famous Calvary Battles in the Civil War at Nash Farms. Henry County has done a great justice to history and heritage by saving the property at Nash Farm. The archeological work was performed in the winter and the results have been reported and the artifacts are ready for permanent curation; the artifacts will be turned over to Henry County. In the research it was discovered there were four (4) battles in Lovejoy. The first battle was July 29th a Calvary action near the railroad and it may or may not have involved the Nash Farm property. The main battle was the August 20th battle; Mark Pollard has also done research on this battle. Most of the relics found pertained to the August 20th battle. The third battle was a major battle that is hardly known called “The Battle of Lovejoy” that took place September 2nd to the 5th. Tens of thousands of soldiers were at this battle. There are no physical traces of this battle on the Nash Farm property. The fourth battle is another little unknown battle. There was a lot of research to find out who was involved in the battles on the different sides so that personalities can be developed for the future museum.

I hope each of you will review research and restating of valid historical records concerning the Battle of Lovejoy Station on August 20, 1864: Henry Borrows from Clayton’s Heritage. Read an analysis, Part One and Part Two, of the county's depiction of the events on August 20th 1864, including the Lamar Institute's report of August 2007, the county website at www.henrybattlefield.com and published comments by the county's Official Civil War Historian.

The analysis resulted from research at the offices and websites of Henry and Clayton counties, the Georgia Department of Archives and History, work compiled by the Atlanta Historical Society. As well as correspondence and quotations from the National Park Service, Civil War Sites Advisory Commission, Georgia Historical Society, and the Georgia Battlefields Association.

Worthy of note are the troop positions drawn by Edward Ruger. The route was south from Jonesboro along the Macon & Western Railroad. The target was the depot and tracks at Lovejoy’s Station. Ruger’s depiction showed the Crawford-Dorsey house to the east, and McDonough-Fayetteville Road to the west.

There was a reason two land lots surrounding Lovejoy’s Station were annexed into Clayton County in 1877. There is reason the history and tradition is so well documented for places like Jonesboro and Lovejoy. The aftermath did spill into Henry County, but the facts are clear: the railroad was the primary target, and the battle on August 20, 1864 occurred in Clayton County.

A personal email to Mr. Dan Elliott asked for comments concerning apparent inconsistencies between (1) Mark Pollard's tale about the engagement on September 2, 1864 and (2) Mr. Elliott's comments (posted at www.jasonpye.com) stating, "NO entrenchments from the September or November battles have been identified on the Nash Farm property."

This point is key to the truth of that day's events. Excerpts from War of the Rebellion Official Records, Series 1, Vol. 38, Part 5 (The Atlanta Campaign) and Autobiography of Oliver Otis Howard, Major General, US:

The Confederate line entrenchments were described as immediately in front of McDonough road and behind Walnut Creek. That is north of McDonough Road and west of Nash property.

General Howard said, "Confederate works, which, strange to say, were as well constructed and as strong as if the Confederates had had a week to prepare them." Like the ones located, charted and documented on the Dorsey property.

The full text is posted here.

Surely there were Confederates camped on, or crossing, the property between July and November and they may have left some relics - or maybe someone else did. But no record says there was a battle on Nash property. Skirmishes stretching along McDonough Road to the east, orders not to engage.... Even General Hardee said there was “lively cannonading and sharpshooting along the lines, but with no important results.”

In closing please recall Mr. Pollards famous stories about finding the cannon shell in the eaves of the Nash farmhouse. That folktale is interesting because the house was built in 1920. Mr. Charlie Crawford, president of the Georgia Battlefields Association stated, “The Nash Farm buildings are post war.” Historical analysis, therefore, cannot accept the claim the J. P. S. Nash farmhouse was constructed prior to the Civil War. Furthermore, the house could not have been used by J. P. S. Nash and his wife during the war. They were married in 1868 – after the war.


Larry Stanley