Wayside Hospital

Wayside Hospital This is a tribute page to the 14 ladies that established the Wayside Hospital in 1862 in Union Point,Georgia. They treated Confederate and Union soldiers.

They also had help from children and many unnamed citizens. As the war raged on and the South saw more and more men leave home the ladies in the towns,plantations and farms had to take on more and more responsibilities of everyday life. Union Point,Georgia had three railroad lines that met at the depot. As a result of this thousands of Confederate and Union soldiers came through the community. The

town was flooded with injured,sick
and weary soldiers. Sometimes the layover would be a day or two. In September of 1862 fourteen ladies of Union Point felt the need to minister to these men. They were referred to as angels of mercy by the soldiers. They used an old donated store building near the railroad depot and would give refreshment and rest to the soldiers. As more and more wounded entered town the store was no longer big enough. The ladies opened the Wayside Hospital and at times even this was not enough. The ladies even used their homes when they had no room in the hospital. The names that were recorded of the soldiers number in the thousands. The detail of the record book is incredible with rank and company,both Confederate and Union. Today the original is in a northern Bible college having arrived there after first,being stolen and sold on the black market to an unscrupulous collector. Union Point does have a copy of it. There were other Wayside Hospitals in the South but none quite like the Wayside Hospital of Union Point.

Union Point,Georgia Museum has a wonderful display and tribute to The Wayside Hospital. These are a few of the displays.
01/20/2025

Union Point,Georgia Museum has a wonderful display and tribute to The Wayside Hospital. These are a few of the displays.

In honor of Georgia's soldiers.
09/16/2018

In honor of Georgia's soldiers.

Honoring and remembering the 23 soldiers of the 38th Georgia Regiment who were killed, or mortally wounded, in the battle of Sharpsburg, Maryland, also known as Antietam, on Sept. 17th, 1862.

Inscribed on the monument dedicated to Georgia's Confederate soldiers at Antietam:

"We sleep here in obedience to law; When duty called, we came, When country called, we died."

Casualty list of those killed, or mortally wounded, from my book, "Hurrah for Georgia! The History of the 38th Georgia Regiment"

Killed or Mortally Wounded - Antietam (or Sharpsburg), Sept 17th, 1862

Company A, “The Murphy Guards,” DeKalb County, Georgia
1. Private William F. Austin - Killed, 9/17/1862.
2. 5th Sergeant George Washington Gaddy - Killed, 9/17/1862.
3. Private David Young Miller - Killed, 9/17/1862.
4. 3rd Corporal John A. Sellers - Killed, 9/17/1862.

Company B, “The Milton Guards,” Milton County, Georgia (Currently Fulton County)
5. Private Mack V. Bruce - Killed, 9/17/1862.
6. Private Lewis Burgess - Killed, 9/17/1862.
7. Private John W. Nix - Killed, 9/17/1862.

Company C, “The Ben Hill Guards,” Bulloch & Emanuel counties, Georgia
8. 1st Corporal Mathew M. Coleman - Wounded and captured, 9/17/1862. Federal records state he died at White House Hospital near Sharpsburg and also at Line's Farm Hospital.

Company D, "The McCullough Rifles," DeKalb & Fulton counties
9. Private Charles Thomas Akins (or Aiken) - Killed, 9/17/1862.
10. Private Francis Marion Baxter - Killed, 9/17/1862.
11. 3rd Corporal Josiah Wheeler Gresham - Killed, 9/17/1862.
12. Private John T. Tucker - Killed, 9/17/1862.

Company E, “The Tom Cobb Infantry,” Oglethorpe County, Georgia
13. Private Robert H. (or Robert A.) Mathis - Killed, 9/17/1862.
14. Private William S. Shearer - Wounded, 9/17/1862. Died of wounds, 11/20/1862.
15. 1st Sergeant William James “Willie” Smith - Killed, 9/17/1862.

Company G, “The Battey Guards,” Jefferson County, Georgia
16. Captain William Henry Battey - Killed, 9/17/1862.
17. Private Thomas J. Jordan - Wounded, 9/17/1862. Died at Richmond, Virginia, 10/17/1862.

Company I (New Company I) Henry County, Alabama
18. Private John A. Hawkins - Wounded and captured at Antietam, 9/17/1862. Died of wounds in U. S. A. General Hospital at Frederick City, Maryland, 10/28/1862.

Company K, “The Bartow Avengers,” DeKalb and Fulton counties, Georgia
19. 2nd Corporal James E. Chandler - Killed, 9/17/1862.
20. Private Gideon F. Grogan - Killed, 9/17/1862.
21. Private Joseph D. Grogan - Killed, 9/17/1862.
22. Private Joshua “Josh” T. Hammond - Killed, 9/17/1862.
23. Private Ellis W. Wiggins - Killed, 9/17/1862.

May they rest in Peace and never be forgotten. Amen.

07/07/2013

I want to thank Barbie Hoy for the wonderful photos of the people who portrayed the historical characters. I did not have a camera and she generously sent me the photos of the day of the event.

07/07/2013

Thanks to all of y'all that have responded. My idea for this page is to make it active. I plan to learn more about this and other Wayside Hospitals in the South. Their stories are waiting to be told. If any of you have any information or can point me in the direction of more historically correct or even folklore please let me know. These hospitals have so many stories and more needs to be done. This is my small way of helping.

07/05/2013

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Union Point, GA

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