Little Kennesaw Mountain, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

Little Kennesaw Mountain was the location of the Confederate Army’s Fort McBride, a small earthen fort outfitted with a few cannon and commanded by Lieutenant Edward D. McBride. Throughout the fighting in the Kennesaw area that began on June 19th and continued through July 2, 1864, the Confederate artillery on the mountain and the Union artillery down below were often firing upon each other. On June 23rd, McBride was instantly killed and three others were seriously wounded by shrapnel from a Union artillery shell. Other than the artillery duels, there was no major fighting on Little Kennesaw Mountain.

On weekdays, private vehicles are allowed to drive to the top of Kennesaw Mountain on Kennesaw Mountain Drive from 8:30 AM to 7 PM during daylight savings time (March through November ) and until 5 PM at other times of the year. Along the road is a pullout with a view of Little Kennesaw Mountain. If you want to see Fort McBride, you must hike a half mile from the pullout to the top of the mountain. Keep in mind that there are no views at the summit and that Fort McBride no longer exists. Its location is, however, marked with three Civil War-era cannon.

Kennesaw Mountain Drive is closed to private vehicles on the weekends, and the only way to the top of Kennesaw Mountain is on a free shuttle bus that departs from the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Visitor Center. The bus only stops at the top, so you must walk back down the road to the Little Kennesaw Mountain view point (.3 mile, one way). Once done, you can either continue down on foot (another 1.3 mile to the Visitor Center) or walk back to the top and wait for the next bus, which comes roughly every half hour.