Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield

Of all the events that took place during the American Civil War, one of the more famous events was the complete destruction of Atlanta by Major General William Tecumseh Sherman in his March to the Sea. However, did you know that there was one battle that postponed the inevitable destruction that was sure to come by General Sherman? The battle became known as The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain and was fought by normal townsfolk who never even owned a single slave. On 27 June 1864, Confederate troops and artillery led by General Joseph E. Johnson successfully repelled the Yankee assault led by General Sherman. Sherman, having lost over 3,000 men included fellow Generals Charles Harker and Danial McCook called the battle "the hardest fight of the campaign to date". In the end, however, Sherman successfully completed his march to the sea and thus crippled the already losing Confederacy. To get a deeper understanding of both the Civil war and the Battle of Kennesaw, the place you should visit is the Visitors center, which houses a small museum with actual civil war artifacts and the gift shop. One of these artifacts is the actual uniform worn by Lt. Col. Columbus M. Sykes of the 43rd Mississippi Infantry. And no It was not considered Mississippi Army National guard at the time as they were part of the Confederate States of America and thus considered a sovereign state.

Now most of the time I say visit the gift store after seeing everything. However once you exit the museum the gift shop is right there. In the gift shop, of course is the regular stuff. However it is filled with more unique items such as Confederate Regimental Flags, mini cannon replicas, and even models of Confederate Ironclads. Now once you are done with the gift shop, make your way up to the top of Big Kennesaw Mountain. You can either hike or drive up there. As you go up the road, there is a monument to the Georgia Infantry that fought on the mountain. On the very top, you can clearly see the city of Atlanta as well as other geographic features. Also on the mountain are 5 cannons that bombarded the union troops on the ground below.

Among the park are other areas that were crucial to The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain including the HQ of General Johnson and later General Sherman. Even though the fight to stop General Sherman and his march to the sea was in vain, The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was among the many unsung battles fought in the Civil War that led to the eventual end and reunification of the United States of America. After the war, General Sherman was quoted to say "There is many a boy here today that looks on war as all glory, but, boys, it is all hell."

Entertainment: 3
Educational: 5
Price: N/A
Gift Shop: 4
Cafe: N/A
Overall: 4

Additional Information

Address: 900 Kennesaw Mountain Dr., Kennesaw, GA

Hours Of Operation: See Website for Operating Times

Price: Free Admission, Donations are welcome

For More Information, visit: http://www.nps.gov/kemo/index.htm