Columbus, GA news and local guide

During the Civil War Columbus ranked second only to Richmond in making supplies for the Confederate army, including uniforms, cannon, firearms and swords. On Easter Sunday, April 16, 1865, Union cavalry under Major General James H. Wilson attacked the city's defenses, broke through, took 1,200 prisoners and burned many of its industrial buildings. John Stith Pemberton, who later developed Coca-Cola in Columbus, was wounded in the battle. In 1866 the Ladies Memorial Association of Columbus resolved to set aside a day each year to honor the Confederate dead and invited women across the South to join, the beginning of Confederate Memorial Day observances. After the war the Eagle and Phenix Mills were revived and the Springer Opera House was built; the Springer is now the official State Theater of Georgia. Mayor Lucius Chappell brought an army training camp to the area during World War I, and it grew into Fort Benning. Sources Wikipedia: Columbus, Georgia The Historical Marker Database: Battle of Columbus (Historical Society of Columbus, Georgia)