William Franklin Millar (1839 - 1864)

Ancestors

Died 18 May 1864 at age 25 in Georgia, United States

Biography

Frank died from wounds sustained after the Battle of Adairsville - Civil War /Pleasant Hill, Georgia.

There is a memorial erected by his parents in Chicago, Heights, Bloom Township, Illinois to their son. He was originally buried on the battlefield with five fellow soldiers in a mass grave and later reinterred to Marietta National Cemetery in Marietta, Georgia under the name Frank Miller.^[1]

Died from wounds after the Battle of Adairsville - Civil War /Pleasant Hill, Georgia.

This monument is a memorial. He was buried on the battlefield with five fellow soldiers in a mass grave and later reinterred to Marietta National Cemetery in Marietta, Georgia.

Following account of the battle as written by Harry Searles:

The Battle of Adairsville was an encounter between Union forces commanded by Major General William T. Sherman and Confederate forces commanded by General Joseph E. Johnston during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. The engagement took place in Bartow County, Georgia, near the town of Adairsville, on May 17, 1864. The battle was perhaps more significant for what did not happen than what did. Union forces were spared the possibility of a costly defeat when Confederate leaders failed to spring a well-laid trap after Sherman had divided his armies.

Between May 7-15, 1864, Sherman's forces engaged the Army of Tennessee in the Battle of Rocky Face Ridge near Dalton, Georgia and then at the Battle of Recasa, near Recasa, Georgia. Although the fighting was inconclusive, Sherman outflanked the Confederate defenders in each case, forcing Johnston to pull back to the south toward Atlanta.

Finding the terrain unsuitable for establishing a strong defensive line near Calhoun, Georgia, Johnston continued south to Adairsville. As Sherman continued his pursuit of Johnston, the armies engaged again near Adairsville, Georgia on May 17. The battle consisted of a series a skirmishes throughout the day, which amounted to little more than a delaying action to allow Johnston to move farther south toward Cassville.

The Battle of Adairsville was perhaps more significant for what did not happen than what did. When Johnston withdrew from Adairsville, he sent one corps of his army to nearby Kingston to create a diversion, while the bulk of his army moved south toward Cassville. Johnston hoped that Sherman would believe that he was preparing to do battle at Kingston and mass the majority of Union soldiers there, while sending a smaller contingent to follow the Rebels headed for Cassville. Confederate forces commanded by Leonidas Polk and John Bell Hood would then ambush and destroy the Federals moving toward Cassville. Sherman took the bait and sent the Army of the Ohio, along with one corps of the Army of the Cumberland, in pursuit of the retreating Rebels. As Hood was moving his men into position, he discovered some Union soldiers near his rear. Fearing being caught between two columns of Federal soldiers, Hood fell back and rejoined Polk, failing to spring the trap. Thus, Sherman was spared the possibility of a costly defeat.^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 28 February 2020), memorial page for William Franklin “Frank” Millar (1838–18 May 1864), Find A Grave: Memorial #113150517, citing Bloom Presbyterian Cemetery, Chicago Heights, Cook County, Illinois, USA ; Maintained by Lawrence Varkalis (contributor 47085150) .
2. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 28 February 2020), memorial page for William Franklin “Frank” Millar (1838–18 May 1864), Find A Grave: Memorial #3953730, citing Marietta National Cemetery, Marietta, Cobb County, Georgia, USA ; Maintained by US Veterans Affairs Office (contributor 5) .

• Family Record created by Tory Tyler Millar, copy in possession of Robin Shaules