This week in the Civil War: June 29, 1864

Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia.

The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia, played out 150 years ago this month in the Civil War, a prelude to the Union's eventual capture of Atlanta later in 1864. Confederates led by Gen. Joseph E. Johnston entrenched on high ground at Kennesaw Mountain, northwest of Atlanta, on June 18, 1864, as Union fighters approached. Federal forces under Maj. Gen William T. Sherman attacked days later on June 27, 1864, hitting the Confederates hard with artillery. Though the Union had the early momentum, Sherman's forces suffered thousands of dead and wounded as fighting ground to a standstill and resulted in a tactical defeat for the Union. But within weeks the Union would be pressing toward Atlanta in hopes of destroying Johnston's operation while federal forces pressed in on the Confederacy on a separate front in Virginia.