Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

Kennesaw Battlefield Park, at 905 Kennesaw Mountain Drive between Marietta

Marietta, Georgia

Marietta is a city located in central Cobb County, Georgia, United States, and is its county seat.As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 56,579, making it one of metro Atlanta's largest suburbs...

and Kennesaw, Georgia

Kennesaw, Georgia

Kennesaw is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. It had a population of 29,783 according to the 2010 census. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. Founded in 1887, Kennesaw has a past surrounded with railroad history...

, preserves a Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

battleground of the Atlanta Campaign

Atlanta Campaign

The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta during the summer of 1864. Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman invaded Georgia from the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tennessee, beginning in May...

, and also contains Kennesaw Mountain

Kennesaw Mountain

Kennesaw Mountain is a high-running ridge between Marietta and Kennesaw, Georgia in the United States with a summit elevation of . It is the highest point in the core metro Atlanta area, and fifth after further-north exurban counties are considered...

. The name Kennesaw is derived from the Cherokee Indian gah-nee-sah meaning cemetery

Cemetery

A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...

, or burial ground.http://www.nps.gov/kemo/historyculture/index.htm

History

The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain

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 Tennessee under Gen. Joseph E...

, fought here between General William Tecumseh Sherman

William Tecumseh Sherman

William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...

of the Union

Union (American Civil War)

During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...

army and Joseph E. Johnston

Joseph E. Johnston

Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career U.S. Army officer, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...

of the Confederate

Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

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

Cannon

A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...

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. 5,350 soldiers were killed during the battle. The battle resulted in a Confederate victory.

Park

Established as Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Site on February 8, 1917, it was transferred from the War Department

United States Department of War

The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...

on August 10, 1933, and redesignated a national battlefield park

National Military Park

National Military Park, National Battlefield, National Battlefield Park, and National Battlefield Site are four designations for 24 battle sites preserved by the United States federal government because of their national importance...

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

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

on October 15, 1966.

Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield is a 2923 acres (11.8 km²) National Battlefield that preserves a Civil War battleground of the Atlanta Campaign. There are 3 battlefield areas: In front of the Visitor Center, off Burnt Hickory Road and the main site is located at Cheatham Hill [then 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 provides introductory information about the Battlefield and the battle. While walking some of the 17.3 miles (27.8 km) of interpretive walking trails you will see historic earthworks, cannon emplacements and various interpretive signs. There are 3 monuments representing states who fought here. Kennesaw Mountain is 1808 feet (551.1 m) above sea level. It is approximately a 700 feet (213.4 m) incline from the Visitor Center to the mountain's summit. The hike up is approximately 1.4 miles (2.3 km) on the road and 1.2 miles (1.9 km) up the trail.

The Mission of Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield 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 2923 acres (11.8 km²) 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. http://www.nps.gov/kemo/historyculture/index.htm

With the expansion of urban sprawl

Urban sprawl

Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...

from nearby Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

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

External links

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