Studioplus Atlanta Kennesaw

kennesaw georgia

by doug48

"kennesaw A.K.A. big shanty"

kennesaw is located in cobb county near I-75 on the northwest edge of the atlanta urban sprawl. originally called big shanty the town was renamed kennesaw after near by kennesaw mountain. kennesaw is best known as the site of the hijacking of the confederate steam engine the "general" in 1862. on april 12 th 1862 james andrews and a group of union solders hijacked the "general" at big shanty with the intention of damaging the western & atlantic railway and disrupting confederate lines of communication between atlanta and chattanooga. confederate engineer william fuller witnessed the theft and pursued the "general" on foot and later by handcar. at etowah the confederate engine "yonah" joined the chase as far as kingston. at kingston the confederate steam engine "william r. smith" chased the "general" to adairsville. at adairsville depot a south bound train the "texas" spotted the "general" and chased the engine in reverse. the general passed through resaca and dalton and finally ran out of fuel just north of ringgold. the great locomotive chase is one of the most interesting stories of the civil war.
of interest to tourists visiting kennesaw is the southern museum of civil war locomotive history and near by kennesaw mountain. for those interested in civil war history kennesaw is a very worth while side trip off of I-75 north of atlanta.