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Camp McDonald was one of four large training camps in Georgia where several thousand soldiers mustered and trained during the first three years of the war. More than 3,000 men from the famed Phillips Legion commanded by Colonel William Phillips trained there in the summer of 1861.
The location of the camp was at Big Shanty (now Kennesaw) and was important because of the abundance of water and railroad activity (lodging, freight) that provided a location for training, means and point to move troops to the war. Camp McDonald was comprised of about 60 acres, but had no permanent structures, mostly tents. The center of the camp was generally that of the current park, where many of the springs and streams were located. Around this area was the arrangement of tents, training areas and parade grounds.
Camp McDonald was named after the 29th governor of Georgia, Charles J. McDonald, by then Gov. Joseph E. Brown in June 1861. Gov. McDonald was born in Charleston, SC on July 9, 1793. In the early 1800’s he moved to Bibb County, Georgia and practiced law and politics. After serving several terms in the Georgia House and Senate, he was elected to two terms as governor in 1839 and 1841. He later served on the Georgia Supreme Court from 1855-1859. McDonald’s business interests included textile mills near Sweetwater Creek in present day Douglas County (the mills were destroyed in 1864 by William T. Sherman). The area and ruins are now Sweetwater Creek State Park. In 1859, due to poor health, McDonald retired to his home in Marietta, known as Kennesaw Hall. Gov. McDonald was a supporter of state’s rights and a southern confederacy, he was an elector-at-large on the Breckenrige presidential ticket in 1860. McDonald died on December 16, 1860 and is buried in the Episcopal Cemetery in Marietta. The Kennesaw Hall was burned during the war and the site was later occupied by Governor Brown.
Video of Camp Davis reenactment held at Woodlawn Plantation
Sources:
www.campmcdonaldpark.org/history.html