Movements and Positions in the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain

Published here for the first time, the Civil War combat memoir of Lieutenant Colonel James Taylor Holmes of the 52nd Ohio Volunteers presents a richly detailed firsthand account of the action on Cheatham’s Hill during the June 1864 Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. Written in 1915, Holmes’ insightful narrative, with original hand-drawn diagrams, differs on key points from the accepted scholarship on troop movements and positions at Kennesaw, and contests the legitimacy of a battlefield monument. An extensive introduction and annotations by historian Mark A. Smith provide a brief yet comprehensive overview of the battle and places Holmes’ document in historical context.

Garth D. Bishop is the great-grandson of Col. James Taylor Holmes. He lives in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.

Mark A. Smith is a professor at Fort Valley State University in Georgia.

James T. Holmes
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 163
Bibliographic Info: 29 photos, appendix, notes, index
Copyright Date: 2018
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7312-7
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3421-0
Imprint: McFarland

Prologue viii
Editor’s Acknowledgments x
Preface by Garth D. Bishop 1
Introduction by Mark A. Smith 9
CHAPTER ONE 59
CHAPTER TWO 88
Appendix I 133
Appendix II 138
Annotations 141
Index 153

• “A richly detailed firsthand account…insightful narrative…comprehensive overview…extraordinary…recommended”—Midwest Book Review
• “All Civil War history buffs hope to find some breakthrough gem, some original material that can fundamentally explain one or more topics of that war, that great American struggle that recreated our country, and wiped away the stain of slavery. We all think dreamily about finding that cache of letters, or other written materials that are hidden away in ancient attics throughout America. In publishing Colonel Holmes’ account, Bishop has generously allowed some new glimmers of truth to shine into the vast record of the Civil War. Colonel Holmes and the regiment he served in deserve our sincere thanks, not only for his service, but for telling the story of the battle of Kennesaw Mountain as only a man like he could do. What is so wonderful about the book is that the story is told with elegance, dignity and grace. Moreover, the gallantry and courage of the colonel is revealed in a restrained and modest manner. Reading his memoir, one is left with the feeling that his love of country was greater than life itself. I most heartily recommend this book to Civil War writers, scholars or just ordinary people who have a longing to learn more about that war, and the horrible sacrifices made by ordinary men, most of whom lie buried in forgotten graves, in quiet, lonely places.”—Wayne Fanebust, author of Brigadier General Robert L. McCook and Colonel Daniel McCook, Jr.: A Union Army Dual Biography.