• Many soldiers died at Kennesaw Mountain.civil war cannon 1 image by Jim Parkin from Fotolia.com
  
  Kennesaw, Georgia, located about 25 miles north of Atlanta, is the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was fought there between June 19 and July 2, 1864. The city of Kennesaw preserved a 2,923-acre Civil War battleground at the mountain. The site includes three monuments that represent the states that fought at Kennesaw Mountain.
  
  

Illinois Monument

• Almost 500 men from Illinois were killed during the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. To honor these men, the state of Illinois purchased a tract of land in a major battlefield area known as Dead Angle and dedicated a monument to the fallen soldiers. The Illinois Monument, which was completed in 1914, features life-size carvings of soldiers. A tunnel to the right of the monument was dug by Union soldiers in an attempt to blow up the Rebels.
  
  

Georgia Monument

• The Georgia Monument is dedicated to all the Georgia Confederate soldiers who fought in the Civil War. Carved out of marble is a large rectangular column rising up from the base. A tribute to the soldiers is carved into the column. This monument is located near the visitors center. The road that leads to the top of Kennesaw Mountain is here as well. Visitors may hike to the top of the mountain, drive their cars during the week or take a bus on the weekends for a view that allows them to see for miles around.
  
  

Texas Monument

• The Texas Monument is dedicated to the men from Texas who fought at Kennesaw Mountain. This monument is located at Cheatham Hill, where the brunt of the fighting on June 27, 1864 took place. The Texas Monument is made from pink granite and is a rectangular stone, standing vertically, that tells the story of the battle at Cheatham Hill.
  
  

Battlefields at Kennesaw Mountain

• Kennesaw Mountain has three battlefield areas: in front of the visitors center, off Burnt Hickory Road and the main site at Cheatham Hill (which was known as Dead Angle during the Civil War). The mountain has 17.3 miles of walking trails where people can see cannons, historically significant areas and the three monuments.
  
  

The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain at Cheatham Hill

• The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was fought between General William Sherman of the Union army and General Joseph Johnston of the Confederate army. Sherman's army greatly outnumbered Johnston's army; Sherman had 100,000 men while Johnston had 63,000. The plan was for the Union to break through the Confederate line at Cheatham Hill. Many soldiers were killed in battle there. A fire broke out during the attack and some Union soldiers were burned to death; an Arkansas colonel waved the white flag so that both sides would stop fighting and rescue the burning men. The next day, the Union thanked the Arkansas colonel with a gift of ivory-handled pistols. This ended the battle at Cheatham Hill, or Dead Angle, and the fighting moved on to Atlanta.