Trip to Atlanta - Railroad Museum and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

On the way back from Atlanta we stopped in Kennesaw, Geogria because of road signs we saw for the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History. So we first stopped at the museum and then learned that there was also a Kennesaw National Battlefield Park which was a battle location of the Civil War.

The coolest thing about museum was something called the Great Locomotive Chase. Also referred to as Andrews' Raid, the Great Locomotive Chase "was a military raid that occurred April 12, 1862, in northern Georgia during the American Civil War. Volunteers from the Union Army stole a train in an effort to disrupt the vital Western & Atlantic Railroad (W&A), which ran from Atlanta, Georgia, to Chattanooga, Tennessee. They were pursued by other locomotives, and the raiders were eventually captured, with some being executed as spies. Some of Andrews' Raiders became the very first recipients of the Medal of Honor."

The museum contained the actual engine used in this event called The General. This is shown in the picture below with Nicole and the kids in front of it. The museum showed a short movie about the event as an excerpt/abridged version of the 1950s Disney movie called The Great Locomotive Chase. Needless to say we purchased the movie and I have yet to watch it. The kids say that it is really good.

One of the pictures below shows an odd addition to the museum--a squirrel. While walking through the museum, Micah spotted a baby squirrel on the ground. Somehow it had dug its way through the roofing and insulation and fell into the museum. It was a bit injured when Micah found it but they rescued it and it was later walking around outside.

There are also some pictures of Nicole and Micah trying on hats.



















Then we went to Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Park where they were putting on a presentation of a canon firing. It was very cool!