Experience historic Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

This month's National Park Getaway
By Amanda Corman, Park Ranger, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia

Photo: NPS

Nestled between the historic cities of Kennesaw and Marietta, Georgia, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park preserves nearly 3,000 acres of a strategic battle site of the American Civil War. Appealing to history enthusiasts, nature lovers, and hikers alike, the largest continuous green space in metro Atlanta provides more than 20 miles of trails.

Museum. Photo: NPS/Jason Martz

If you start your visit by watching the award-winning film “Kennesaw: One Last Mountain” and exploring the museum in the visitor center you'll gain invaluable insights into the lives of the soldiers and civilians who were affected by the horrors of war. Once you leave the visitor center you might make the trek, by foot or by car, to the crest of Big Kennesaw. At the summit you're greeted by Confederate gun emplacements guarding the panoramic view of Atlanta and the surrounding Georgia Piedmont region.

Your next steps should lead to the 24-gun battery. The hike up Pigeon Hill, a popular next destination, leads to the Confederate earthworks that were instrumental in overcoming a major attack by Union General William Tecumseh Sherman.

The journey continues as you reach the location of Cheatham Hill and the Illinois Monument. You can walk the Confederate battle line to the monument or take the Union approach by hiking the Union Assault Trail. Each provides a different perspective on the deadly attacks of June 27, 1864. The now-quiet battlefield offers an oasis for nature and history lovers alike.

Kolb's Farm. Photo: NPS

For the final leg of your journey at Kennesaw Mountain, head to Kolb's Farm. The park's last remaining Civil War-era structure adds a personal touch to the battlefield. This 1830s home, with a family cemetery adjacent to the house, is the surviving witness to the battle.

Whether you walk or drive through this battlefield park, you leave behind the hustle and bustle of the surrounding metro Atlanta area and discover the natural beauty and rich history of Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.

Read more here. 

Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, Virginia

This month's National Park Getaway

By Jim Godburn, park ranger, Appomattox Court House National Historical Park

NOTE: Five days of 150th anniversary (click for schedule) commemorative events are planned from April 8 to April 12, 2015, at Appomattox Court House to mark the end of America's Civil War. 

Photo: NPS Image of "The Surrender"
by contemporary artist Keith Rocco

Appomattox – the name echoes through history, beckoning people worldwide to this historic village nestled in the quiet Virginia countryside.

Stroll into the village and stop at the court house, a re-creation of the building that was the 19th-century seat of government in Appomattox County and today serves as the park's visitor center. There, you can talk with a ranger and find park brochures. Head to the second floor to tour the museum and view a short film in the theater.

NPS Photo of Appomattox County Court House

Just a two-hour drive west from Richmond, Virginia, Appomattox Court House is the site where Robert E. Lee surrendered Confederate forces to the Federal command of Ulysses S. Grant. The surrender, on April 9, 1865, ushered in the final days of the American Civil War as well as the first, halting footsteps of the journey toward citizenship for former slaves.

At the court house, join one of the scheduled talks, presented daily from May through October. You'll hear about military events and village life from a 21st century perspective from a uniformed ranger. Gain a 19th century perspective from staff or volunteers outfitted in attire of the 1860s: you might meet a soldier, a former slave, a doctor, or a citizen of the village. For these characters, the year is always 1865.

You can tour the village at your own pace. Visit a lawyer's office, county jail, general store, and tavern to get a feeling for 19th century village life. At Clover Hill Tavern, the neighborhood's oldest building, you'll learn how 30,000 paroles were printed and distributed to surrendering Confederate soldiers. A small bookstore is located in the kitchen building behind the tavern.


Appomattox Court House is open 360 days a year, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Read more here.
 

Updates from the Civil War: National Park Service “Reporter” Tweets Coverage

The Civil War Reporter, an engaging new feature on the National Park Service’s website, offers daily dispatches from reporter Beglan O’Brien, a (fictional) Civil War era correspondent. The website is part of the National Park Service’s commemoration of 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

“From politics to eyewitness accounts, O’Brien’s nose for news delivers fascinating updates, reporting on the people and events of the times,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “We hope this ‘real-time’ reporting will give modern day Americans a unique insight into the war as O’Brien follows the story wherever it takes him, from assignments embedded with Union and Confederate soldiers, to covering President Lincoln at Gettysburg.”

Follow O’Brien on the National Park Service Civil War website, on Twitter,  or search CivilWarReportr), or on Facebook (search Civil War Reporter).

Fort Pulaski National Monument

The American Civil War pitted brother against brother and
parent against child when it erupted in the mid 19th century. Today,
however, the conflict is uniting family members. Together, they listen to
accounts of the struggle and explore the battlefields and defensive
structures where it raged. At Savannah, Georgia’s Fort Pulaski, for example, architecture, natural surroundings, and demonstrations of historical weapons afford experiences for members of a family to share.

A moat and a drawbridge, built as protective features, render the brick
fortification vulnerable to visitors’ interest. Instead of blocking people’s entry, the moat and the bridge draw them into the building, where they walk in the footsteps of Confederate and Union soldiers, on the parade ground of the fort, and among its arches and thick walls.

Visitors can also climb to the top of the fort and look out over the Savannah River and Cockspur Island, across marshes and woodlands. The interior of the fort, which housed Confederate prisoners after falling to Union troops, seems to demand that visitors stay alert, like prison guards or defenders, while the external, natural world soothes those who stroll through it in the shade or under the warm sun.

The liveliness of a visit to Fort Pulaski can only increase when one stops at the visitor center for exhibitions and a film or witnesses a ranger at the fort firing a Civil War-era musket. The history in which the fort is steeped engages visitors of all ages.