| Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park | |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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| Location | Cobb County, Georgia, USA |
| Nearest city | Atlanta, GA |
| Area | 2,888.14 acres (11.6879 km2) 2,879.60 acres (11.6533 km2) federal |
| Established | February 8, 1917 |
| Visitors | 1,005,510 (in 2005) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
Kennesaw Battlefield Park, at 905 Kennesaw Mountain Drive between Marietta and Kennesaw, Georgia, 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.[1]
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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. 5,350 soldiers were killed during the battle. The battle resulted in a Confederate victory.
Established as Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Site on February 8, 1917, it was transferred from the War Department on August 10, 1933, and redesignated a national battlefield park 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 on October 15, 1966.
Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield is a 2,923-acre (11.83 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 1,808 feet (551 m) above sea level. It is approximately a 700-foot (210 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-mile (1.9 km) up the trail.
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 2,923-acre (11.83 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. [2]
With the expansion of urban sprawl from nearby Atlanta, Georgia, concerns have been raised that the preserved areas of the park may be in danger from overuse and misuse.
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