Mr. Rice,

This is obviously posted post trip but maybe you can visit again in the near future.

I am not sure if you are asking the right question. "Where should I go to get the quickest and best feel for what happened?" On what level do you mean? At the soldier's level, Selden's Battery level, the tactical level, or the operational level?

The Atlanta Campaign was over several months and several hundred miles of terrain. Today, many of the battlefields of the Atlanta Campaign no longer exist. It is "developed" urban blight. You will need to study the movement of Selden's Battery to know their potential positioning and maybe visit each of the locations. A good book to start to do this with would be "The Campaign for Atlanta", by William R Scaife. It has a lot of helpful maps superimposed over the modern road networks. "Fields of Glory: A History and Tour Guide of the Atlanta Campaign" by Jim Miles will also supplement this.

As far as the strategic down to the operational level and some tactical framework you may want to look at "Decision in the West: The Atlanta Campaign of 1864" by Albert E. Castel.

A couple of other references for you are listed below.

Daniel, Larry J. Cannoneers in Gray: The Field Artillery of the Army of Tennessee, l86l l865. University, AL: Univ of AL Pr, 1984. 234 p. Contains information on the battery's service.

http://www.civilwarhome.com/nelsonbatalaart.htm

As far as Civil War related sites to visit next time, I would recommend Kennesaw National Military Park, the Cyclorama next to the Atlanta Zoo, and for a pretty good artifact collection, the Atlanta History Center.

This weekend will be the Anniversary Weekend at the Kennesaw National Military Park and they will have demonstrations of all the combat arms (Cavalry, Field Artillery, and Infantry) through out both days.

I hope this helps.

Respectfully,

Gerald D. Hodge, Jr.
War Between the States Historian
Historian: 39th Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment
http://39thGAVOLINFRGT.homestead.com/39thHomepage.html