Battle of Gilgal Church Cache Traditional Cache

This cache is in the Gilgal Church battlefield park which is maintained by a trust administered by the Atlanta History Center. It is open to the general public.

Congratulations to Bold Irony and Poet for the First-to-Find!!

The Battle of Gilgal Church that took place on June 15, 1864, was one of a number of small battles fought in Cobb in the weeks prior to the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain as the Confederate army was forced back toward Marietta. It took place when a division of Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s army pushing down Sandtown (Acworth-Due West) Road collided with a Confederate division under Gen. Patrick Cleburne stationed along a ridge just south of Due West Road. As the Federals approached, Cleburne’s men hurried to Gilgal Church, which stood at the strategic intersection, and completely dismantled it in order to incorporate the wood and pews in their fortifications. The Union troops attacked and were quickly repulsed with the loss of about 200 men. Cleburne’s casualties were negligible.

Please be respectful of the battlefield. There is a nice path to follow, which makes a short 1/2 to 3/4 mile walk, where you can see the remnants of the trenches dug by the soldiers in the Civil War. There are markers where certain troops were thought to have fought, and there are grave markers where soldiers fell during the battle. Again, please be respectful of the battlefield.

UPDATE August, 2019: Trails appear to be no longer kept up. It will be more of a bushwack than following trails.