Gilmore, a post-village in the southern part of Cobb county, is at the junction of the Western & Atlantic and the Atlantic & Birmingham division of the Seaboard Air Line railroads, and is about half-way between Atlanta and Marietta.  The population in 1900 was but 28, though it has some mercantile interests and does considerable shipping.
(Georgia: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form. VOL III Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Marilyn Clore)

Gilgal Church, where considerable skirmishing occurred in the spring of 1864, is in Cobb county, between Lost and Kennesaw mountains. (See Kennesaw Mountain).
(Georgia: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form. VOL III Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Marilyn Clore)

Kennesaw, an incorporated town of Cobb county, is located on the Western & Atlantic railroad, about half-way between Marietta and Acworth. The population in 1900 was 320. It has a good school system, a number of churches, telegraph and express offices, a money order postoffice, from which several free delivery routes radiate to the surrounding rural districts, and several well patronized mercantile houses. It was formerly called Big Shanty, and is located in a militia district still bearing that name and having a population of 1,399.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Tracy McAllister)

Kennesaw Mountain, an elevation in Cobb county, is not far from the little town of Kennesaw, on the Western & Atlantic railroad. All through the month of June. 1864. there was skirmishing from Dalton to Marietta as Johnston retired toward Atlanta with Sherman following. After the death of General Polk on Pine Mountain, on the 14th, that peak was quickly abandoned by the Confederates who fell back toward Kennesaw, closely pressed by the Federal commands of Howard and Hooker, though the latter was once repulsed with a loss of over 600. Schofield drove in the Confederate skirmishers and took a position between Lost Mountain and Gilgal Church, planting his artillery so as to threaten Hardee's position. Near Gilgal Church Mercer's brigade came near being cut off from the main body and captured, and Olmstead's regiment, the First Georgia, suffered heavily in killed and wounded. On the night of the l6th Johnston abandoned his position at Lost Mountain and Gilgal church and, after some prospecting for a more favorable one, formed his line about the crest of Kennesaw mountain, heavy skirmishing occurring on the 17th and 18th while the new line was in process of formation. The new line formed a semi-circle about Marietta, the cavalry constituting the right and left flanks and the artillery, under General French, being planted on Little Kennesaw Mountain. The guns were dragged up by hand during the night of the 19th, because the road was covered by Federal guns. On the 22nd French opened fire from this position, continuing the cannonade into the night, and causing considerable confusion in the Federal lines. Sherman, it is said, concentrated the fire of 100 cannon against French, many of the trees on the heights being cut down by the cannon balls, some of which passed over the crest and fell in the outskirts of Marietta. While the cannonading was going on during the 22nd Hooker and Schofield made a determined assault on the divisions of Hindman and Stevenson, but were driven back. The Confederates then vigorously assailed the advance line of the enemy and attempted to capture some artillery intrenched on a hill, but they were in turn repulsed with a loss of about 1,000 men, the Federal loss being about half as many. This is known as the battle of Kolb's Farm. Skirmishing continued until about nine o'clock on the morning of the 27th, when, after a furious cannonade and a fire of musketry extending along the whole front of ten miles, the Federal bugles sounded a charge. On the Confederate right the skirmishers were driven in and after an hour's hard fighting on this part of the line the Federals were forced to retire. An assault on Wheeler's cavalry and the brigades of Featherston, Adams and Quarles was repulsed by the fire from a line of rifle pits. In this part of the engagement Logan's division lost seven regimental commanders. Thomas sent forward two columns consisting of four divisions, and on the Burnt Hickory road, near the southwest extremity of Kennesaw, fell upon the brigades of Cockrell and Sears and broke through the skirmish line on Walker's right. Here the Fifty-third Ohio and the Sixty-third Georgia engaged in a hand to hand fight, using their bayonets and the butts of their guns. One company of the Sixty-third, the "Oglethorpes" of Augusta, was held in reserve. When the skirmish line was broken this company made a dashing charge, recaptured the rifle-pits and held them until flanked on either side by the enemy, when they were ordered to escape if possible. In the charge and retreat the company lost 23 men in killed and wounded. The survivors joined the regiment and took a position in front of Walker's line, which they held until French's guns drove the Federals back to the woods.
The heaviest assault of the day fell upon Cheatham's and Cleburne's divisions, the full strength of Davis' and Baird's commands being hurled against that part of the Confederate line. During the fight at this point the leaves and underbrush caught fire. As the flames were approaching the Federal wounded the Confederates ceased firing. Colonel Martin raised a white handkerchief upon a stick as a flag of truce and called to the Federal commanders that they could rescue their wounded. As the flames continued to approach with startling rapidity the Confederates threw aside their arms, leaped over their works and assisted their enemies in bearing the unfortunate wounded away from the track of the fire. One of the Federal officers, impressed by this magnanimous conduct, presented Colonel Martin with his own brace of fine pistols. The Confederate loss was stated at about 600. Having failed to drive Johnston from his position by direct assault Sherman again resorted to flank movements and on July 3d Johnston abandoned Kennesaw Mountain for a new line at Smyrna Station. In the twenty six days' fighting in front of Marietta the Federal loss was about 8,000 in killed, wounded and missing. The Confederate loss was about half that number.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Tracy McAllister)

Kennesaw Water Tank, on the Western & Atlantic railroad, not far from the town of Big Shanty, was the scene of a slight skirmish on Oct. 3, 1864, between a detachment of Gen. A. P. Stewart's corps that was engaged in destroying the railroad, and a small body of Federals, but no detailed account of the action is to be found in the official records of the war.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Tracy McAllister)

Mabelton, a town in the southern part of Cobb county reported a population of 200 in 1900.  It is on the Southern railway, five miles east of Austell, has a money order postoffice, express and telegraph offices, and is a trading center and shipping point for that section of the county.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Joanne Morgan)

Marietta, the county seat of Cobb county, at an altitude of 1,100 above the sea level. Blessed with pure water and a delightful climate and noted as a health resort, is located on the Western & Atlantic or State railroad, about twenty miles from Atlanta. It was incorporated by act of the legislature in 1834, and has long been noted as an enterprising city with a progressive population. It is lighted by electricity, has good hotels and boarding houses, prosperous commercial houses, express and telegraph offices, a money-order postoffice with rural free delivery, a court house valued at $40,000, two banks and many fine residences. Among the manufacturing concerns are two chair factories, a paper mill, marble and granite works, ice factory, machine shops, and a knitting mill. One of the chair factories and the paper mill are said to be the largest concerns of the kind in the state. An electric railway connects Marietta with Atlanta and will soon be completed to Kennesaw Mountain, two and one half miles beyond the city. Before the war between the states the site of the Georgia military institute was at Marietta, and many of the young men trained in this school became officers of ability in the army of the Confederate States. Marietta has good schools and churches. There is a Confederate cemetery on the west side of the city and on the east side a National cemetery, both beautifully laid out and well-kept. In the National cemetery lie buried 10,000 Federal soldiers who lost their lives south of the Etowah in the campaign between Sherman and Johnston in 1864. In full view of Marietta stands double-peaked Kennesaw Mountain, from whose summit one can take in a magnificent view of the country, over which for six weeks the Union and Confederate armies met daily in skirmishes and pitched battles. (See Kennesaw Mountain). According to the United States census of 1900, the population of Marietta was 4,446, and that of the entire Marietta district was 7,814.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Kim Mohle