News

Thousands Witnessed the Battle of Kennesaw

April 25, 2006

KENNESAW, GA – Nearly 5,000 people observed full-blown re-enactments of the Battle of Big Shanty and the Battle of Dead Angle in Kennesaw on April 22 and 23.

As Union and Confederate soldiers rose again to battle for control, observers were so close they could smell the smoky gun powder from the thunderous cannons.

After nearly 20 years, the Big Shanty Festival brought back its popular, large-scale re-enactment, the Battle of Kennesaw at the newly acquired Swift Cantrell Park in Kennesaw, part of the original site of the 1864 battle.

Organized by the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, the re-enactment allowed onlookers to take part in the action instead of just watching from the sidelines by visiting military camps, riding a two-horse wagon over the battlefield, touring living history demonstrations, shopping the period Sutlers’ tents, and listening to old fashioned Civil War music.

The battle re-enactments included the 35th Tennessee Infantry, 28th Alabama Infantry, Cleburne’s Division, The Alabama Division of Re-enactors, Inc., the Army of Tennessee, Stephens Light Artillery & the 125th Ohio Volunteer Infantry along with many other Civil War re-enactors.

The event was sponsored in conjunction with the Big Shanty Festival by the Southern Museum, the Kennesaw Business Association, City of Kennesaw Parks and Recreation, and the Kennesaw Museum Foundation.

A Smithsonian Institution affiliate, the Southern Museum features collections of rare Civil War weapons, uniforms, and other personal items; an exciting exhibit about The Great Locomotive Chase, including a short movie; a full-scale replica of a locomotive factory that helped rebuild the South after the war; and through May, a traveling exhibit featuring photographs of the people who dedicated their lives to the railroad.

The Southern Museum is located 20 miles north of Atlanta, off I-75 at exit 273.  Click here for visitor information, or call (770) 427-2117.