Circling Atlanta (04-01-13)

  Moving from one side of Atlanta to the other, we found a spot in a COE campground on  Allatoona Lake. In theory, we had quite a few more things we wanted to see in the Atlanta area, before heading a little further north.  Once again, the weather is not cooperating, with rain and temperatures in the 30s at night.  Usually by afternoon it warms up, but only for a couple of hours.  Add to that the fact that the Final Four arrived, and Atlanta became a zoo and we really didn’t want to venture into the city very much.

One of the major reasons we made the swing over this way was so we could see my cousin Brian and his family.  Brian and I grew up near each other and I babysat him when he was young.  It used to make his mother laugh that I would let him cook dinner for me at the age of 10, and I would clean up behind him.  He has always wanted to be a chef.  To say he succeeded would be an understatement.  He is the managing partner in a company that owns, among other things, some of the best restaurants in Atlanta.  He asked us which restaurant we wanted to visit, and I chose Der Biergarten because I had heard so much about it.  We were not disappointed!  The food was great and we were treated like royalty. 



Paul practices being a grandpa with Harrison



We made plans to have dinner at Brian’s house the following night.  He warned us that the “Final 4” coming to Atlanta meant that as of Thursday, he would no longer be available to socialize, so we took advantage while we could. 

Once again I took very few pictures. It’s so frustrating that I forget to snap them when people are around! I did take a few with my phone, while we were hanging around playing with his two sons, and I took one of the dinner table. I sure am glad he likes to cook! 

We had salad, quail, lamb, duck, steak, and paella. Amazingly good food and of course, Margaritas made from fresh squeezed limes.









While researching things we might want to do while in Atlanta, we discovered that the most visited historic battlefield, Kennesaw Battlefield, is here.  It is visited 50% more than Gettysburg, which I am guessing has something to do with its proximity to a major city.  Since we could combine history with hiking, off we went to Kennesaw.  To get our exercise, we hiked a very pretty 6 mile loop through the woods (Cheatham Hill).  At the Visitor’s Center, while reading about the Battle for Atlanta, I began to wonder why, in particular, was this battle significant?

So here’s the short version of what I found out.  First, the battle itself:

Kennesaw is a small mountain outside of Atlanta that in 1864 was held by the Confederacy.  General Sherman, of the Union Army, was ordered to take Atlanta, and Kennesaw was the last “hill” in his way.

  In June of 1864 he set up his men at the base of the mountain, and prepared to storm up the hill. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out the way he wanted, and a significant number of his troops were slaughtered as they tried to make their way up the hill. At one point, a fire broke out in the land between the two armies.  There were many wounded men still on the battlefield and the two sides agreed to a brief ceasefire while they rescued the injured from the flames. 




Realizing that he wasn’t going to be able to plow through the Confederate troops, Sherman made an important decision.  He went around the Kennesaw Mountain, and marched right into Atlanta.
So, why was the battle for Atlanta important? It’s importance was mostly political, not military.  When the Union entered into the Civil War, it was assumed the conflict would last about 3 months, after which time, the southern states would be assimilated back into the Union. 3 years later, there seemed to be no end in sight.  The war was costing the taxpayers a back breaking 2.5 million dollars a day.  Election time was fast approaching, and Abraham Lincoln’s political opponent was making noises about a compromise with the southern states.  In order for Lincoln to win the election, the tide needed to turn.  The north needed some decisive victories to show that the war was winnable.  The taking of Atlanta was one of those victories, and Lincoln was re-elected by a large margin.