skip navigation and jump to page content The Library of CongressThe American Folklife Center 
Community Roots: Selections from the Local Legacies Project
Collage of Local Legacies
 Home >> GEORGIA
Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield
Artillery piece is moved onto line with the battery Battle of Kennesaw Mountain re-enactment.

Commemoration of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain

In 1999, the 135th anniversary of the Civil War Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was commemorated with three days of activities and the opening of new addition to the visitor center at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Although it was a rainy weekend, an estimated 40,000 people viewed one or more programs, which included infantry drills, a cavalry drill, civilian society demonstrations, camp life programs, and a six-gun union artillery battery at the anniversary celebration.

The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain on June 27, 1864, was an important battle of the Atlanta campaign by Union General William Sherman to launch a full-scale frontal assault on the entrenched position of General Joseph Johnston's Rebels. Eventually Sherman abandoned his frontal assault and went back to his famous flanking maneuvers. This battle cost the lives of 3,000 Union soldiers, and 1,000 Confederates. On September 2, 1864, the first Union troops occupied Atlanta, which was destroyed during the next few weeks.

Following the war, a number of veteran reunions were held at battlefields. Several battlefields, which did not include Kennesaw, were saved from destruction for professional military and historical study. Civil War veterans from Illinois, however, purchased 60 acres at the center of the Kennesaw battlefield where they had been heavily engaged on June 27. They also erected a monument to commemorate the heroic deeds of the men and officers that day. Kennesaw was authorized as a national battlefield on February 8, 1917, and became a national park in 1935. Over time the area around the park has become greatly developed. Since 1935, surrounding communities have participated in the battle's annual commemoration, which continues to draw larger crowds as interest grows yearly about the war, its causes, implications, and battles.

Documentation includes a text report and photographs of the 1999 commemoration.

Originally submitted by: Bob Barr, Representative (7th District).



link to www.loc.govMore Local Legacies...

The Local Legacies project provides a "snapshot" of American Culture as it was expressed in spring of 2000. Consequently, it is not being updated with new or revised information with the exception of "Related Website" links.

disclaimer for external linksLearn More About It...
MODSMETS
 Home >> GEORGIA
  The Library of Congress 
The American Folklife Center
Contact Us
AFC Icon