The Georgia Historic Newspapers database contains many interesting articles on the history of Cobb County, the metro Atlanta region, and Georgia.

The article reprinted below, a dispatch from Kennesaw Mountain, is from the June 15, 1864 issue of the Columbus Times, and was written by an American Civil War correspondent only identified as “R.” Follow this link to view an image of the original article.

A few words of background: June 11 was shortly before the U.S. Army’s Gen. William T. Sherman launched a frontal attack on Kennesaw Mountain (June 27), and a little over a month before the Battle of Atlanta, which took place July 22 in the area that became the modern-day Atlanta neighborhoods of East Atlanta, Kirkwood and Edgewood.

Confederate General Walker, mentioned in the dispatch below, was killed during the Battle of Atlanta, near Terry’s Mill Pond, which was just east of the present-day Sylvester Cemetery in East Atlanta.

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Special Correspondence of the Times

Kennesaw Mountain, June 11

Dear Times,

The movements of the enemy again assume an interesting aspect. He has doubtless rebuilt the Etowah Bridge and commenced an entrenched camp in the Allatoona Hills. We have extended our lines in the general direction of east and west across the railroad, running from near Lost Mountain by the base of Kennesaw. Our men can now build breastworks with the efficiency of the Yankees and ditch like Irishmen.

On day before yesterday, the 9th inst., our cavalry encountered an advanced line of the enemy near Big Shanty and, after a brief fight, fell back. The enemy planted a battery to the left of Big Shanty and shelled the woods, while two lines of infantry advanced. They were checked by the 29th and 30th regiments of Mississippi infantry (now consolidated into one regiment) of Walthall’s brigade, forming our advance line of pickets deployed in groups of four over a space of three-fourths of a mile. Our pickets soon commenced retiring before superior numbers, turning every forty or fifty paces to fire.

This continued until they reached the Roberts House, one and a half miles this side of Big Shanty, where we have some works constructed to protect our pickets. These were soon enfiladed by a brigade of the enemy who flanked us, resulting in three of our men killed and twelve wounded. Yesterday, column after column of Yankee troops could be seen pouring into the old fields west of Big Shanty. They appeared to march in divisions, in close column, accompanied by droves of cattle and staff wagons.

After arriving, they formed three lines of battle, stacked arms, and quickly set up thousands of small tent fires and oil cloths to shield themselves from the sun. Squads of men hurried to the nearby creek to fill their canteens. General officers, with richly adorned horses and glistening sidearms, dashed up and down the columns, eventually heading towards the hotel at Big Shanty.

A stream of wagons flowed continuously into a great park established at Big Shanty, behind the encampment of troops. Skirmishing began early in the morning at various points along our line and persisted throughout the day.

As the enemy probed for our new position, concealed by dense woods, their movements revealed parts of our line far ahead of others, shaped to the terrain. Opposite these points, they opened batteries to identify our exact location so they could adjust their line to ours. Once aligned, they will likely begin entrenching themselves, and a brisk exchange between sharpshooters will ensue. The enemy is expected to attempt another flank movement on our right to reach Roswell Factory, 14 miles from Marietta, near the Chattahoochee River, to secure the heights and advance to Atlanta.

We are prepared for this. I predict a general engagement within the week. The location and circumstances remain speculative, but the enemy may not avoid it unless they retreat to the Allatoona Hills.

Late yesterday afternoon, Roberts’ barn was set on fire. From my vantage point on Kennesaw Mountain, the fire was visible in the direction of Big Shanty. Our pickets soon began withdrawing toward our inner lines. Smoke rose from various points within the enemy’s occupied territory, reminiscent of burning buildings.

Skirmishing continues this morning. The roads, muddied by rain, slow military operations.

I visited General W. H. Walker a few days ago and found him alone in a tent, reading Macaria. He mentioned it was his first moment of leisure in a month and chose to spend it with that excellent novel. His health is better than I expected. His hatred for the Yankees intensifies as the war progresses, and his resolve to achieve independence or die gloriously is unwavering.

I also visited the 46th and 54th regiments in his command. The four companies from our county are worn down by thirty days of incessant marches and occasional skirmishes but remain incredibly hopeful. Most have not had a change of clothing in thirty days, having lost their baggage at Dalton, and some are nearly barefoot. Nevertheless, they are more determined than ever to endure hardships and expel the invaders from our state.

General Cantey is evidently in poor health but continues to dedicate himself fully to his command. He has earned much honor for his division’s actions during the recent movements from Dalton. His troops bore the brunt of the fighting at Resaca and engaged the enemy at Cass Station. Abolitionist papers admit to a loss of 5,000 men at Resaca—a victory that, in less momentous times, would have immortalized its heroes.

I will provide further details on these commands when conditions permit better writing accommodations.

—R.

For the Columbus Times.

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About Georgia Historic Newspapers

Georgia Historic Newspapers is part of the GALILEO project and is housed at the University of Georgia. It’s an amazing resource for anyone interested in the history of Georgia and its regions.

According to the “About” page on its website:

The Georgia Historic Newspapers Archive is a project of the Digital Library of Georgia (DLG), a part of Georgia’s Virtual Library GALILEO and is based at the University of Georgia Libraries. Since 2007, the DLG has partnered with universities, archives, public libraries, historical societies, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions to digitize historical newspapers from around the state. The archive is free and open for public use and includes over two million Georgia newspaper pages between 1763 and 2021.

Newspaper titles are regularly digitized and added to the archive. If you are interested in including a particular title, you can visit our participation page. A majority of the newspapers on this site were digitized from the microfilm produced by the Georgia Newspaper Project (GNP). For more information about the microfilm available through the GNP, please visit their website.