Civil War Activities

Streight's Raid through Cherokee County is considered by local historians to be one of the most dramatic episodes of the Civil War. A 67-mile local historic trail through the Coosa River Valley commemorates the actions of "Citizen-Soldier" John Wisdom who rode from Gadsden to Rome to warn citizens of the impending Union Raid. Confederate General Nathan B. Forrest pursued Streight and forced him to surrender 1,600 troops to his smaller force of 600 men on May 3, 1863, near Cedar Bluff. Later in 1863, elements of Union General Rosecran's army prior to the battle of Chickamauga were sent across Lookout Mountain in an attempt to cut off Braxton Bragg's army from its supply lines to Atlanta. 

Little River Canyon had previously been known as May's Gulf, due to a Civil War battle that occurred at the Canyon's rim in 1864. Union General Andrew May was leading his troops eastward across northern Alabama to meet up with General William Sherman, who was gathering forces for what was to become his famous march across Georgia. Closing in pursuit of May's troops was the Confederate Army. As General May and his men crossed over Lookout Mountain they encountered a canyon so expansive that they were unable to find a way across. It was there that the Confederate troops were able to close in on the Union soldiers. General May was able to survive and escape from the ensuing battle with many of his troops, and in his report of the events he referred to the canyon as May's Gulf. 

Following the 1864 Atlanta Campaign, the area was once again the scene of Civil War activities. After General W.T. Sherman claimed Atlanta, he skirmished with Hood's forces across Little River. Sherman eventually arrived in Gaylesville on October 21, 1864, and reported he had about 60,000 men in the Little River-Gaylesville area. Sherman's forces withdrew from the Little River area on October 29, 1864. It was here that Sherman finalized his plans for a march through Georgia.