Kennesaw Battlefield Park preserves a

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

battleground of the Atlanta Campaign, and also contains

Kennesaw Mountain Kennesaw Mountain is a mountain between Marietta and Kennesaw, Georgia in the United States with a summit elevation of . It is the highest point in the core (urban and suburban) metro Atlanta area, and fifth after further-north exurban coun ...

. It is located at 900 Kennesaw Mountain Drive, between Marietta and

Kennesaw, Georgia Kennesaw is a suburban city northwest of Atlanta in Cobb County, Georgia, United States, located within the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. Known from its original settlement in the 1830s until 1887 as Big Shanty, it became Kennesaw under its 1 ...

. The name "Kennesaw" derives from the

Cherokee Indian The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, th ...

"''Gah-nee-sah"'' meaning "

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a bu ...

" or burial ground."History & Culture - Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park"
NPS.gov, 2009. Retrieved on November 6, 2012. The area was designated as a U.S. historic district on October 15, 1966.

History

Summit of Kennesaw Mountain with afternoon thunderstorms

The

Battle of Kennesaw Mountain The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was fought on June 27, 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the most significant frontal assault launched by Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman against the Confederate Army of Ten ...

, fought here between Generals

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...

of the Union army and

Joseph E. Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was an American career army officer, serving with distinction in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and the Seminole Wars. After Virginia secede ...

of the Confederate army, took place between June 18, 1864, and July 2, 1864. Sherman's army consisted of 100,000 men, 254

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

s and 35,000 horses, while Johnston's army had only 50,000 men and 187 cannons. Johnston had successfully contrived to block Sherman's advance with another defensive position, and this time Sherman tried a direct frontal assault. Much of the battle took place not on Kennesaw Mountain itself, but on a spur of Little Kennesaw Mountain known now as Pigeon Hill, and the area to its south around Cheatham Hill. A total of 5,350 soldiers died during the battle, which was deemed a Confederate victory, but Johnston's army nonetheless retired.

Park

Established as Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Site on February 18, 1917, it was transferred from the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * D ...

on August 10, 1933, and redesignated a

national battlefield park National Military Park, National Battlefield, National Battlefield Park, and National Battlefield Site are four designations for 25 battle sites preserved by the United States federal government because of their national importance. The design ...

on June 26, 1935. As with all historic areas administered by the National Park Service, the park was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on October 15, 1966. Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Park is a National Battlefield that preserves a Civil War battleground of the Atlanta Campaign. There are three battlefield areas: In front of the Visitor Center, off Burnt Hickory Road and a major site at Cheatham Hill (commonly known as the Dead Angle). At the southern tip of the park, Peter Valentine Kolb's farm house, where a minor battle was fought, has been restored to its original condition. The Visitor Center contains an information desk, museum, and a theater which screens movies about the battle fought there. While walking some of the of interpretive hiking trails, historic earthworks, cannon emplacements, and various interpretive signs can be seen. There are three monuments representing some of the states who fought here - Illinois, Texas, and Georgia. Kennesaw Mountain is above sea level. It is approximately a gain in elevation from the Visitor Center to the mountain's summit. The hike up is approximately on the road and on the trail.

Mission

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield was authorized for protection by the U.S. War Department in 1917 and was transferred to the Department of the Interior as a unit of the National Park System in 1933. The battlefield includes the site of some of the heaviest fighting of the Atlanta Campaign of the Civil War. The battlefield was set aside as an important cultural property dedicated to public inspiration and interpretation of the significant historic events that occurred here. With the expansion of

urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...

from nearby

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...

, concerns have been raised that the preserved areas of the park may be in danger from overuse and/or misuse.

References

External links

* * Official NPS website
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

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About North Georgia

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park timelineA collection of Kennesaw Mountain memorabilia

Atlanta, Georgia, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel Itinerary
Kennesaw Mountain Panoramic View

{{authority control Battlefields of the Western Theater of the American Civil War Protected areas of Cobb County, Georgia National Battlefields and Military Parks of the United States American Civil War museums in Georgia (U.S. state) Museums in Cobb County, Georgia Military and war museums in Georgia (U.S. state) Protected areas established in 1917 National Park Service areas in Georgia (U.S. state) Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state) National Register of Historic Places in Cobb County, Georgia Conflict sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state) American Civil War on the National Register of Historic Places Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state) 1917 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)