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Farmer's Bridge
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Farmer's Bridge, situated on the Summerville Road 8 miles north of Rome and spanning Armuchee Creek, was no larger than any of the other bridges General Minty, 1st Brigade, 2nd Division Cavalry Commander had encountered. The bridge was also not any smaller. Farmer's Bridge was but another obstacle in Sherman's relentless march from Dalton south. On May 14, 1864 General Sherman ordered his 2nd Division Cavalry Commander, General Kenner Garrard, to " ... take 3000 cavalry and an artillery battery to Farmer's Bridge that crosses the Oostanaula River and secure said bridge." Supported by nine 4th Michigan Cavalry companies, the 7th Pennsylvania and the 4th United States, General Minty found out the next day the bridge actually crossed Armuchee Creek, a swift-moving passage of water that was a creek in name only. On that fateful Sunday morning at 9 AM, the 93-men strong Co G, 12th Alabama Cavalry, Martin's Division, which was stationed at the south end of Farmer's Bridge on a hill overlooking the bridge with rifle pits along the creek banks, was preparing for dress parade when they were suddenly attacked. Captain W T Lokey and his 37 battle veterans, along with 56 young men under the watchful leadership of 4 veteran officers, held General Garrard's infinitely mightier force at bay for 2 hours, a force that was actually counted to be closer to 3200 by one of Colonel Cameron's scouts. During this valiantly hopeless battle, a courier was sent to Rome in hopes of reinforcements. Alas, none were to come. With the end of the battle came the realization that Captain Lokey and 9 brave Southern boys lay dead. A stately, yet lonely, cemetery now marks the top of a knoll but yards from the site of the bridge where 93 brave Alabama warriors once withstood the onslaught of 3200 of the enemy. On a cool, crisp day in the spring of 1998, SCV Camp 469 held a Confederate Memorial Service honoring the heroes of The Battle of Farmer's Bridge and dedicating a rock marker in their memory. |