I examine a lot of really old land titles, and I have not once come across a land transfer record in the South dating from the years 1861-1865. Did all commerce land completely shutdown for the duration of the war, or, alternatively, did a victorious Union destroy any such records?
When Lee advised Davis that Richmond should be abandoned, "Officially, the citizens of Richmond did not hear anything for hours, but they could not help but notice the fires in front of the government offices as official documents burned. ... [At night] In the city small fires of document [sic] still burned." (source)
I'm at work, I don't have many Civil War sources in general anyway, and I am no sort of expert. But isn't there a credible case that much or all of the damage to Atlanta was due to defenders burning cotton and other useful materials before retreating? Might that have happened elsewhere too? That is, is there an alternative not listed?