Description
A painting of Confederate soldier during the battle of Kennesaw Mountain.
The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was fought in 1864 as part of the Atlanta Campaign. The action pitted Union forces under the command of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman against the Confederate Army of Tennessee, under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston.
Johnston’s main forced occupied a seven-mile-long defensive line, taking on a crescent-shaped battle formation, with Kennesaw Mountain rising more than 1,800 feet in elevation.
At 8:30 a.m. on June 27, Union troops attacked an outlying line of rifle pits held by the 63rd Georgia. Instead of withdrawing when others moved back, the 63rd defends the line, fighting fiercely, eventually hand-to-hand. One of the defenders is Sergeant Walter A. Clark. Describing the action, he mentions another member of his regiment, loading and firing as rapidly as possible. “His face was cold and pallid and bloodless, but not from fear. Blackened with powder stain, through which the perspiration trickled in streams, his eyes flashed defiance with every flash from his gun, while disdaining the protection of the pits he stood there a perfect demon of war, with no thought save to kill.”
Eventually the Georgia regiment was forced out of the pits and driven towards the main Confederate battle line, where punishing Rebel cross-fire halted the Federal advance.
By noon, the overall Union attack had failed, and the battle was over. On July 2, Sherman maneuvered a force around Johnston’s left flank, forcing the Confederates to fall back closer to Atlanta.
Print of an original 22″ x 28″ oil on canvas painting.
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