This was once the residence of William Thames (1796-1892): pioneer citizen of Clayton County, veteran of the War of 1812, owner of a saw & grist mill on Flint River, and pastor of Tanners Road Baptist Church. Marching east from Red Oak on August 31, 1864, troops of the 23rd Corps and 4th Corps (US) under the commands of Major General John Schofield and Major General David S. Stanley respectively, encamped on Thames’ land while enroute to the Macon & Western (later the Central of Georgia Railway), which was seized at points above and below Quick Station (now Forest Park). This move severed the last of the railroads entering Atlanta and forced Lieutenant General John B. Hood, commanding the Army of the Tennessee (CS), to abandon the city on the night of September 1. The seizure of the railroad coincided with the first of the two battles of Jonesboro between Major General William T. Sherman’s army (US) and Lieutenant General William J. Hardee’s corps (CS).
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This marker is part of the Georgia Historical Marker Program, administered by the Georgia Historical Society. Marker texts and locations come from the Society's own marker database.