Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
|
|
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is a 2,888 acre (12 km²) in Atlanta, Georgia area that preserves a Civil War battleground of the Atlanta Campaign, and also contains Kennesaw Mountain. The name Kennesaw is derived from the Cherokee Indian "Gah-nee-sah" meaning cemetery, or burial ground.
History
The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain fought here between, General William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union army and Joseph E. Johnston of the Confederate army, took place between June 18, 1864 and July 2, 1864. Sherman's army consisted of 100,000 men, 254 cannon and 35,000 horses, while Johnston's army had only 50,000 men and 187 cannon. Much of the battle took place not on Kennesaw Mountain itself, but on Little Kennesaw and the area to its south. Over 4,000 soldiers were killed during the battle.
The Park
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park was authorized for protection by the War Department in 1917 and was transferred to the Department of the Interior as a unit of the National Park System in 1933. The 2,888 acre (12 km²) park includes the site of some of the heaviest fighting of the Atlanta Campaign during the Civil War. The park was set aside as an important cultural property dedicated to public inspiration and interpretation of the significant historic events that occurred there.
There are three accessible battlefield areas at the park, characterized by earthworks, cannon emplacements and monuments to the groups that fought.
External Links
- Official site Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park (http://www.nps.gov/kemo/index.htm)
- Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park (http://ngeorgia.com/travel/kennesawmtn.html) from About North Georgia (http://ngeorgia.com/)
- Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park timeline (http://www.ourgeorgiahistory.com/chronpop/2385)
- Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park (http://www.nationalparksgallery.com/parks/Kennesaw-Mountain-National-Battlefield-Park) - National Parks Gallery