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The Civil War Years
 In
1860 Augusta, with a population of 12,493 was one of 102 cities
in the United States with 10,000 or more inhabitants. It was
the second largest city in Georgia, and its investment of
one million dollars in manufacturing topped that of any other
town in the state.
The city's industry included textile factories, a powder
plant, a paper company, a machine shop, and scores of lesser
establishments. A medical college and many private academies
lent an air of culture to the community.
Then came the war. Crowds cheered lustily as the Oglethorpe
Infantry, the Montgomery Guards, the Richmond Hussars, the
Clinch Rifles, and other volunteer companies departed exuberantly
for the field of battle. Governor Joe Brown, who had predicted
confidently that the Yankees would not fight, came down to
take over the Federal arsenal for state use. The period of
mobilization was a gay, festive time, with now and then a
tear shed for the war-bound Confederates.
 Optimism
and gaiety carried Augustans into the second year of the conflict.
Conversion of old businesses and establishments of many new
ones to meet the enormous demands of war brought boom times
to the little city. The most important government establishment
was the Confederate Powder Works, a large facility erected
in world record time along the Augusta Canal by the brilliant
ordnance expert George Washington Rains. Under his supervision
this plant made nearly 3 million pounds of superior gunpowder
for Confederate use.
After the summer of 1863, life in Augusta became increasingly
less pleasant and zestful. Refugees coming in from areas threatened
by invasion swelled the population and led to shortages in
housing and provisions. Mounting inflation brought ever soaring
prices, and wages always lagged far behind. The threatening
nearness of Sherman's avenging forces in late 1864 and early
1865 created a frenzy bordering on panic. The eventual arrival
of the Yankees in May, 1865, brought a measure of relief from
the nightmare of dread which preceded the event.
Provided by: Augusta
Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau
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