A firing demonstration from the July 2014 Battle of Atlanta commemoration event. Photo provided by Chris Billingsley

The Battle of Atlanta Commemorative Organization pulled out all the stops last year for the 150th anniversary of the battle that changed the course of the Civil War.

This year B*ATL is planning to mark the event, but will do so with less pomp and circumstance.

According to the Kirkwood Neighbors’ Organization newsletter, “If you have heard that there will not be a BATL Battle of Atlanta commemoration event this year, it is not true.”

“The B*ATL organization did decide after the big 150th anniversary event last year that they would cut back to concentrate on raising money to restore the two battlefield monuments,” the newsletter says. “They have been busy with that effort since last summer, and have raised over half of the $195,000 necessary to reach that goal. However, there still will be a B*ATL commemoration this year on July 25 featuring several fun and interesting programs.”

In July of 1864, the battle that began in Kirkwood helped to propel President Abraham Lincoln to a second term in office. Thousands of men died during one afternoon of fighting in what became known as the Battle of Atlanta. President Lincoln’s Democratic opponent, George McClellan, pledged to make peace with the Confederates. The success of the battle gave Lincoln a much better case for continuing the fight, Bryant said. If the Union had lost, things might look very different today.

B*ATL is participating in the July 11 Civil War symposium put on by the DeKalb History Center, and group members will participate in a panel discussion as well as lead walking tour. On July 25, the group will conduct  “The Battle Starts Here Tour”, described as “an easy hike through the Kirkwood neighborhood.” It starts at 11:30 a.m.

“It begins near the railroad cut and DeKalb Avenue and meanders toward the spot where the Battle of Atlanta actually began on July 22,1864, outlining the activities in the area that led up to that confrontation,” the KNO newsletter says. “Kirkwood has seen a resurgence in recent years and visitors get to see evidence of this up close in this tour on a built-on battlefield.”

B*ATL will also lead the Frontlines Battle Tour, described as “the oldest walking tour” and one of the most popular. It begins at 5 p.m. on July 25.

According to the KNO newsletter, “the tour ponders the historic action on the frontlines along Flat Shoals in the East Atlanta Village before there was a Village or an East Atlanta neighborhood.”

Tours cost $15 and require advance registration. You can purchase a ticket by visiting www.batlevent.org or emailing [email protected]

B*ATL will conduct a wreath-laying ceremony at the Walker Monument at 10 a.m. on July 25. According to KNO newsletter, the monument is located on Glenwood Avenue at Wilkinson Drive in a small city park near the I-20 bridge and ramps at Glenwood. There will be another ceremony at the McPherson Monument at 10:45 a.m. That’s located at the intersection McPherson Avenue (off of Moreland Avenue) and Monument Avenue (off of Glenwood Avenue), the newsletter says. Both generals died during the Battle of Atlanta. Both of these events are free.

For more details, read the KNO newsletter by clicking here.