Near Marietta in Cobb County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Union's 24-Gun Battery

— Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park —

September 26, 2023

1. Union's 24-Gun Battery Marker

Inscription. On and off for 10 days, four Union six-gun batteries on this ridge bombarded Confederates entrenched on the even higher ground of Little Kennesaw and Pigeon Hill. Though the Federals had to fire uphill, they were using rifled cannon—a new, more effective type of artillery than the Confederates' smoothbore cannon. Spiral grooves, called rifling, in the barrel caused the pointed projectile to spin as it exited the muzzle with more trajectory and accuracy than the smoothbore's round cannonball. As a result of the artillery and high-low ground differences, many of the skirmishes at Kennesaw Mountain resulted in stalemates.

14th Army Corps, 2nd and 3rd Division Artillery
Barnett's 2nd Illinois Battery I: six 10-pounder Parrotts
Gardner's 5th Wisconsin Battery: six 12-pounder Napoleons
Morgan's 7th Indiana Battery: six 10-pounder Parrotts
Stackhouse's 19th Indiana Battery: six 12-pounder Napoleons

(captions)
A Union artillery battery at Ringold, Georgia, a month before the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain

Parrot rifled cannon projectile
8.5 inches long, 2.88 inches in diameter

Grooves in an 1862 Parrott rifled cannon
Muzzle diameter 6 inches; bore, 3 inches

Erected by National Park Service, U.S.

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Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1864.

Location. 33° 58.65′ N, 84° 35.85′ W. Marker is near Marietta, Georgia, in Cobb County. Marker can be reached from Gilbert Road, 0.3 miles south of Stilesboro Road, on the left when traveling south. Marker is a wayside exhibit on the 24-Gun Battery Trail, located less than a quarter mile from the trailhead on Gilbert Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 900 Kennesaw Mountain Drive, Kennesaw GA 30152, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Fort McBride (approx. ¾ mile away); A Fake Attack (approx. 0.8 miles away); Cannon on Little Kennesaw (approx. 0.9 miles away); Gen. J. E. Johnston’s Headquarters (approx. 0.9 miles away); Federal 15th Corps (approx. one mile away); Embattled Earthworks (approx. one mile away); Logan’s 15th A.C. Line (approx. one mile away); Kennesaw Battlefield (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Marietta.

Also see . . . The 24-Gun Battery.

Located on a small, wooded rise facing Little Kennesaw and Pigeon Hill, this Federal gun emplacement accommodated four batteries, each containing six artillery pieces. These
September 26, 2023

2. Union's 24-Gun Battery Marker
guns bombarded Confederate forces on Kennesaw Mountain off and on for 10 days. Today, four artillery pieces have been placed in the historic earthworks: three 3 inch ordinance rifles (iron cannons painted black) and one 12 pound Napoleon gun (bronze cannon with green oxidation).

(Submitted on February 18, 2024.)

Artillery Pieces image. Click for full size.

September 26, 2023

3. Artillery Pieces

Two of the four artillery pieces that the National Park Service has placed on the historic earthworks near the marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 19, 2024. It was originally submitted on February 18, 2024. This page has been viewed 50 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 18, 2024. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.