DALTON, Ga. -- The city's historic Fort Hill tells a unique story from the Civil War that will soon be commemorated with an interpretive sign.
It was there that the Confederate offensive, pushing back north after losing Atlanta in 1864, forced the surrender of about 750 Union soldiers guarding Dalton's railroad tracks.
Manyof the captured soldiers were in the 44th U.S. Colored Infantry from the Chattanooga area, according to draft interpretive text written by Dr. Jim Burran, former president at Dalton State College.
"What happened there is one of the main stories about African-Americans in the Civil War," said Kathryn Sellers, board member of the Dalton Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Unfortunately the story is bad. They were mistreated ... some of them were shot."
City officials agreed at a meeting Monday to pay $5,000 to have a historic marker placed at Fort Hill.
"It tells a story that's obviously special to the history of Dalton, but certainly it's a part of Civil War history that probably has not gotten the public treatment that other parts of the story have," said Councilman Charlie Bethel.
The historic marker will be among seven placed in the county as part of the Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails program.
"(It's) a statewide project with, to date, over 130 markers that will be placed telling the story of the Civil War throughout Georgia," said Ms. Sellers. "It will be on the ground by the time the sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) comes in 2011 to 2014."
Other county sites to be marked for the trail include Tunnel Hill, Mill Creek Gap, Hamilton House, Dalton Confederate Cemetery, Dug Gap Battle Park and Crow Valley, according to Ms. Sellers.
The Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails program began about 2002, she said. It was funded through a $1 million federal Transportation Enhancement grant and matching contributions from local communities.
Local government contributed $2,500 for each of the first five sites. The county paid $5,000 to add Crow Valley later, said Ms. Sellers.