Clash at Kennesaw

The history of the American Civil War battle that turned a Union defeat into a victory.

From early June to mid-July of 1864, North Georgia's Kennesaw Mountain loomed as the focal point around which the Union and Confederate armies fought and suffered. This dramatic tale covers one of the Civil War's most gruesome battles, offering insight into the strategic turning point in General William T. Sherman's battle for Atlanta.

From the Georgia rail towns of Acworth to Big Shanty (now Kennesaw) and Marietta, Clash at Kennesaw covers the Atlanta Campaign's deadly, month-long struggle over possession of Kennesaw Mountain. From the fight through squalid trenches and adverse weather to the swarms of insects and the stench of lifeless soldiers, no misery endured by the troops is left out. Along with details of the grisly battle—which took the lives of nearly 200,000 men—author Russell W. Blount, Jr. provides insight into the character of the major players on both sides of the conflict. The battle's common privates and their outlooks are chronicled as well, along with civilian accounts of the tragic occurrence.