 As it turned out, the Union Army never came to Augusta; and the cotton was never destroyed, thus saving many of the pre-war buildings.Again in 1879, the citizens of Augusta called upon Robert May to run the city of Augusta and elected him to four 3-year terms as Mayor through 1891.During these years, Mayor May oversaw the expansion of the city and saw Augusta, Georgia become a leading winter resort that attracted giants of industry and sitting U.S. presidents.