Late March of 1864 brought an unseasonably large snowfall to the Army of Tennessee encamped around Dalton, Georgia. The storm provided a pleasant diversion for Cleburne's Division at Tunnel Hill. According to historians Howell and Elizabeth Purdue and various other accounts, the men took up a large scale snowball fight which soon swept up participants from several of the regiments including the 32nd. Gen. Cleburne was also caught up in the mock battle. At one point he was "captured" by opposing forces, but soon violated his "parole" and reentered the fight, only to be captured again. The climax came when the general was threatened with "court-marshall" for violating his parole, and a dunking in the creek was being considered as his punishment. However, the victors relented and the fight ended without serious casualties.
More snow fell the next day provoking another snowball fight. Rain and snow continued through the rest of the month. By month's end, apparently Hardee's entire corps was caught up in yet another sham fight.
There were numerous such snow fighting escapades throughout the Southern armies during the war. But the Dalton snowball fight of 1864 is the most famous.
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| Sketch of the snowball fight in camp at Dalton, Georgia, Winter 1864 Source: Library of Congress |
Sources: Pat Cleburne: Confederate General, Howell & Elizabeth Purdue; Fighting Men of the Civil War, William C. Davis & Russ A. Pritchard; Co. Aytch, Sam R. Watkins
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