Lee and Gordon's Mills

Lee and Gordon's Mills
(National Archives)

Built in the mid-1830’s, Lee and Gordon’s Mills doubled as both a gristmill and the only general store in the area of Crawfish Springs, Georgia at the time of the Battle of Chickamauga. The mill was owned and operated by the extended family of Gordons and Lees from the time of its construction until it was sold to Bill and Charley Wallace in 1929.  Following that, Lee and Gordon’s Mill continued to be operated until it was finally retired in 1967. Today, Lee and Gordon’s Mills has been restored to its original condition, is fully operational and is open to the public. 

Lee and Gordon’s Mills was a crucial rally point for both Confederate and Union forces in the days leading up to and during the Battle of Chickamauga. Both sides were keenly aware of the mill’s strategic importance due to its location on the banks of the Chickamauga Creek and near the Lafayette Road. The Lafayette Road itself was important to the Union forces because it was one of several roads in the area that led directly to Chattanooga. The creek also offered the additional benefit of providing a boundary to one side where the Union Army could anchor itself and prevent the Confederates from crossing the creek and flanking the entire Army of the Cumberland. The Union concentrated a sizable detachment of troops near the mill, forcing the Confederates to cross the creek at four different points, effectively by-passing the mill and crossroads.

Author: Sam Doss, February 3, 2015 
Further Reading:
“History,” Lee and Gordon’s Mills, accessed February 2, 2015, http://leeandgordonsmills.com/history/.
Steven E. Woodworth, Six Armies in Tennessee: The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns. Bison Books, 1999.