A preliminary archaeological reconnaissance, carried out for the City of Atlanta under P.O 17657, was performed on the Southside Park area in December, 1975. The reconnaissance identified a number of scattered rifle pits dating to 1864. Research of the OFFICIAL RECORDS OF THE UNION AND CONFEDERATE ARMIES failed to associate any major engagement or maneuvers specifically with these military features. Maps accompanying the OFFICIAL RECORDS do not indicate their recordation as being of major tactical or strategic importance. The rifle pits, in fact, represent a single night’s encampment and were part of the normal and routine military security measure taken to avoid surprise attack. The pits are duplicated over many pieces of intact terrain in the area of the Battles of Atlanta dating from 1864.
Testing of several of the rifle pits during the course of the reconnaissance did reveal the fact that some of the pits are capable of yielding military hardware and perhaps personal items, discarded during the one-night’s encampment of lost by chance during the work of construction which probably took place at the end of a long day’s march. The total yield of artifacts present in all the pits is to predict, but it will probably be minor compared to a site of major conflict or long-term encampment.
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