On the evening of April 21, troops moved into the town of Kennesaw, GA, several miles to the Northwest of Atlanta. The General of the Confederate forces thought that Kennesaw would be the perfect spot to defend Atlanta against the Union forces. As the night wore on, it was brought to the attention of the commanding officers that several men had wandered off course while marching to Kennesaw. Several soldiers were sent out as a search party. At approximately 9p.m., the rains began. There were huge flashes of lightning and booming blasts of thunder. Soldiers bedded down to the sounds of rain hitting their tents and thunder clashing through the trees.
22 April 1863
On Saturday morning, soldiers awoke to the sound of reveille and cool temperatures, but no rain. The rain had ended overnight. The sun was shining in the sky and birds were singing in the trees. After a nice, uninterrupted breakfast, many soldiers perused the local shops looking for any needed supplies. Lunch was an uneventful affair and a few men caught catnaps where they could. Around 2p.m., the Confederate generals got word that enemy forces were nearby, so they called all men to action. A battle followed because the Union forces advanced on the earthworks where the Confederate soldiers were located. Confederate forces were able to make the Union forces fall back. At battles end, the earthworks were safe but several men and horses lay dead, and cannons were destroyed on the field. After dinner, soldiers met up with the townspeople to celebrate. There was dancing, music, and drinking. The men fell asleep, thankful that the day was over.
23 April 1863
The morning was quite bright. Men enjoyed a relaxing breakfast and morning until several Union scouts came stumbling into camp. The Confederate soldiers began scrambling around to gather their weapons and manning the earthworks. Confederate generals sent out a few scouts of their own to see how close the Union forces were. A battle ensued, with the Federals over-running the Confederate earthworks. The Confederates were forced to retreat, but they were confident that there would be another day to fight. They began their march Southwest into Alabama.
