Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

By late June 1864 Sherman was pushing toward Atlanta and Johnston had dug in along the Kennesaw line. A Confederate attack by Hood's corps at Kolb's Farm on June 22 was unsuccessful. On June 27, Sherman tried a frontal assault. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan's XV Corps attacked Pigeon Hill, near Little Kennesaw Mountain, and failed against entrenched troops. Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas's men attacked the Confederate center at Cheatham Hill, where the bloodiest fighting became known as the Dead Angle. Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield's demonstration against the Confederate left was the day's one real gain, moving Union troops to within about five miles of the Chattahoochee River.

Union losses were about 3,000 and Confederate losses about 1,000. The Confederates held the field, but Sherman kept maneuvering and Johnston withdrew toward Smyrna on July 2. Jefferson Davis replaced Johnston with John Bell Hood on July 17, and Atlanta fell on September 2.

Remembrance began early. On December 26, 1899, Lansing J. Dawdy, a veteran of the 86th Illinois, bought a 60-acre tract at Cheatham Hill that included both the Federal and Confederate trenches. The land later passed to a veterans' association, and the Illinois Monument, built for $25,000, was unveiled on June 27, 1914 during the battle's 50th anniversary. Sources differ slightly on the intermediate property transfers, but the National Park Service administrative history is the authority on that chain.

The park was established as the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Site on February 18, 1917 under the War Department and transferred to the National Park Service on June 26, 1935, becoming a national battlefield park. It has since grown from the original 60 acres to nearly 3,000 acres. The NPS says the park preserves three monuments, four stone markers for individuals, and the battlefield itself, and notes that the Cherokee's ancestors lived in the area since about 1000 B.C.

The visitor center at the base of the mountain has an interpretive museum and shows the film Kennesaw: One Last Mountain. The park lists ranger programs, museum tours and historic weapons demonstrations such as cannon firing among its activities. Trails cross the ridge and the earthworks; Wikipedia notes that the road to the summit is open to cars on weekdays and to park buses on weekends, but confirm with the NPS because summit access can change with weather and season.

Check the National Park Service for current hours, trail conditions and summit access. A private vehicle and driver with door-to-door pickup lets you choose your own pace between the visitor center, Cheatham Hill and the summit, without worrying about parking or the return.