James M. Calhoun (February 12, 1811–October 1, 1875) was mayor of Atlanta, Georgia during the Civil War. February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1811 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in Leap years). ... 1875 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... City nickname(s): The A-T-L, The Horizon City, The Capital of the South, The Phoenix City, The City Too Busy to Hate, Hotlanta, A-Town, The Big A, The New York of the South County Fulton County, Georgia Area  - Total  - Water 343. ... The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the United States – forces coming mostly from the 23 northern states of the Union – and the newly-formed Confederate States of America, which consisted of 11 southern states that had declared their secession. ...

He was born in South Carolina (his father was a cousin of John C. Calhoun) and his parents died when he was 18. He moved to Decatur, Georgia to live with his older brother Ezkiel N. Calhoun who was a lawyer. He begain studying law in 1831 and passed the bar February 22, 1832. Politically, he was a Whig in a largely Democratic district but was elected to the Georgia General Assembly in 1837 from DeKalb County, the State Senate in 1851 and four one year terms as Atlanta's mayor. State nickname: Palmetto State Other U.S. States Capital Columbia Largest city Columbia Governor Mark Sanford Official languages English Area 82,965 km² (40th)  - Land 78,051 km²  - Water 4,915 km² (6%) Population (2000)  - Population {{{2000Pop}}} (26th)  - Density 51. ... John Caldwell Calhoun (March 18, 1782 – March 31, 1850), was a prominent United States politician in the first half of the 19th century. ... Decatur is a city located in DeKalb County, Georgia. ... February 22 is the 53rd day of every year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about the British Whig party. ... The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. ... DeKalb County is a county located in the state of Georgia. ...

In 1863, he commissioned a volunteer militia to defend Atlanta. When Union troops under the command of William T. Sherman drew near during the Atlanta campaign, much of the population of Atlanta, including Calhoun's wife and children, fled the city, reducing the population of Atlanta from around 22,000 to less than 3,000 when the Confederate Army of Tennessee retreated from the city on September 1, 1864. 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... A militia is a group of citizens organized to provide paramilitary service. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about: United States Wikinews has news related to this article: United States United States government Official website of the United States government - Gateway to governmental sites White House - Official site of the US President Senate. ... Portrait of William Tecumseh Sherman by Mathew Brady William Tecumseh Sherman (February 8, 1820 – February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, and author. ... Union General William T. Sherman and his staff in the trenches outside of Atlanta The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought throughout northeast Georgia and the area around Atlanta, Georgia, during the summer of 1864, leading to the eventual fall of Atlanta and hastening the end of the... After steadily growing for its first 100 years, the population within the city limits of Atlanta began to fall while the metro area continued to grow. ... The Army of Tennessee was formed in November 1862. ... September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years). ... 1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Calhoun surrendered the city on September 2, 1864 writing, ""Sir: The fortune of war has placed Atlanta in your hands. As mayor of the city I ask protection of non-combatants and private property." A marker now stands at the corner of Peachtree Street and Alabama Street indicating where the surrender took place. September 2 is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years). ... 1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Peachtree Street is the main north-south street of Atlanta, Georgia. ...

Sherman ordered the evacuation of the remaining civilian population of Atlanta on September 7, 1864. Calhoun and the city council protested this order, claiming that most of those who had not fled could not leave on account of their age, sickness, pregnancy, or destitude. In response, Sherman wrote "War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it; and those who brought war into our country deserve all the curses and maledictions a people can pour out. . . We don't want your Negroes, or your horses, or your lands, or any thing you have, but we do want and will have a just obedience to the laws of the United States. That we will have, and if it involved the destruction of your improvements, we cannot help it." Sherman's troops occupied the city for two months and burned much of it on November 15, 1864 in preparation for the March to the Sea. September 7 is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years). ... 1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... November 15 is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 46 days remaining. ... 1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Major General William T. Sherman. ...

Calhoun is buried in Oakland Cemetery. Aerial map of Oakland Cemetery Oakland Cemetery is Atlanta, Georgias oldest and largest cemetery as well as its third largest green space (behind Piedmont Park and Grant Park). ...

External links

Correspondance between Sherman, Calhoun, and others regarding the evacution of Atlanta (http://www.civilwarhome.com/atlantaevacuation.htm)

Thomas F. Lowe Categories: American politician stubs | Mayors of Atlanta ... This is the list of mayors of Atlanta — former mayors of the city of Atlanta. ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ...