Battle of Kolb's Farm - June 22, 1864
A costly Confederate attack here stopped the Union Army's attempt to bypass Kennesaw Mountain.
On June 22, 1864, Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston sent Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood's 13,000 troops down Powder Springs Road to stop the Federal army's threat to his flank. When Confederate skirmishers encountered Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker's 11,000-man Union corps at Knobs Farm and ordered his troops to attack.
Hooker, having learned of Hood's plans from some captured Confederates, ordered his troops to dig in and. At 4:00 p.m. Hood sent two of his three divisions towards the waiting Federals. After several unsuccessful charges through the woods, fields, and swamps across the road, the battered Confederates withdrew.
The Battle of Knobs Farm cost Hood's Confederates more than 1,000 killed, wounded, or missing soldiers while inflicting fewer than 300 casualties on the Federals. However, the bloody assault temporarily stopped union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's flanking move and contributed to his decision to attack Kennesaw Mountain five days later on June 27.
Kennesaw National Battlefield Park
National Park Service
Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.
Original page, with additional info, here.
Photo credit: Byron Hooks of Lat34North.com.