This is a post which I've been meaning to write for a couple of weeks!
A couple of weeks ago I decided I needed a break from studying and so, after Googling 'things to do in Atlanta' decided on a visit to the Atlanta Cyclorama - a 360° oil painting of the Battle of Atlanta which took place in 1864 during the American Civil War. The painting was done by German artists in the 1880's. The Cyclorama is situated in Grant Park which is also home to Atlanta Zoo - a somewhat odd mix I thought - but it was a beautiful park to walk round even if you weren't visiting the zoo or the Cyclorama.
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| The Texas |
Entering the building you are first treated to a museum with various exhibits and paintings of the Civil War and also a steam locomotive called the
Texas which was involved in the Great Locomotive Chase. In 1862 Unionists (northern states) hijacked a Confederate (southern states) train in Georgia and was driving it and trying to destroy the train line as it went to cut off Confederate supply chains. The
Texas was one of the trains used by the Confederates to chase the Unionist hijackers. The Unionists were eventually caught and some of them executed as spies.
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| Uniform of a Confederate |
After looking round the museum I was called in with the other visitors to see the Cyclorama. Before going in to see it we were shown a short film about the Civil War in general to place the Battle of Atlanta into context. I then imagined that we would then walk into a room and walk around the painting to look at it, with maybe the help of our guide. However, this is America and they know how to put on a good show...
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| Part of the Cyclorama |
So you go in and take a seat in the middle of the room. All the benches are tiered to enable all to see, and the painting is in front of us and goes from floor to ceiling. It is apparently 42 feet tall and 358 feet in circumference. What is more, the seating is on a turn table so that you sit and rotate round to look at the painting. You rotate twice - once as the audio guide tells you the story of the battle, and the other time when they give the history of the painting. Not only was there the painting to look at, but there was also a diorama coming out of it.
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| Another part of the Cyclorama |
Maybe it is my British nature coming out which supports the underdog, and sympathises with the defeated, but I couldn't help feeling some allegiance towards the Confederates. This is probably a useful thing living in Georgia. Whilst I don't agree with the pro-slavery, pro-white position that they held, I can understand that there also were feelings of injustice as to the gap in wealth and opportunity between northern and southern states in America. It is important, I believe in Britain to recognise that some of that still exists in the North/South divide and should not be ignored. I also feel that the complete destruction of Atlanta which ensued after the Unionist defeat is an unjust action on the part of the victors. However, the abiding image is one of abject terror and destruction on both sides. Each side lost over 30,000 men in the wider Atlanta campaign which lasted for many months during 1864.
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| The Plaque commemorating the officers of both sides |
The final photo is a plaque with the flags of the Unionists and Confederates along with photos of the commanders of each army. Next to it, the explanation about the plaque says that many of these officers trained together and knew each other prior to the War. This shows that in civil war particularly there can be no victory because even in winning, you lose friends and brothers. What I find interesting in my time in Georgia so far is there willingness to acknowledge the War and still remember the dead of both sides. Around Atlanta and Decatur there are plaques commemorating significant events that happened at these specific places; and the Decatur war memorial was originally erected to mark the deaths of Confederate soldiers from the city. This was not a light, fun day out, but it was an interesting one to shed light on an important part of American history, certainly for this region, and it was definitely a good break from studying!
