Marietta in Cobb County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Address by President Lincoln
At the Dedication of The Gettysburg National Cemetery
— November 19, 1863 —
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Topics and series. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #16 Abraham Lincoln, and the National Cemeteries series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is November 1985.
Location. 33° 57.067′ N, 84° 32.483′ W. Marker is in Marietta, Georgia, in Cobb County. Memorial can be reached from the intersection of Washington Avenue and Cole Street. The marker is located next to the peristyle at the highest point in the Marietta National Cemetery. It is not visible from the road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 500 Washington Avenue, Marietta GA 30060, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Wisconsin Soldiers Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); 20th Army Corps Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Marietta National Cemetery (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); A National Cemetery System (about 500 feet away); Pearl Harbor Memorial (about 600 feet away); Marietta National Military Cemetery (about 700 feet away); Lemon Street Grammar and High School (approx. 0.3 miles away); Judge Debra Halpern Bernes (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Marietta.
Regarding Address by President Lincoln. The Marietta National Cemetery was originally established in 1866 by (Union) General George H. Thomas as the Marietta and Atlanta National Cemetery. It was intended to provide interment for the nearly 10,000 Union dead from General William T. Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign.
The land for the cemetery was donated by Henry Cole, a local innkeeper and Union sympathizer, who spent a brief period of time in a Charleston jail at the end of the Civil War. Cole intended the cemetery as a place to inter both Union and Confederate solders, believing that by burying together those who had fallen together in battle, it could help foster a kind of peace. Both sides rejected his proposal, and the land was used primarily to inter Union soldiers, while the others were buried in the Marietta Confederate Cemetery.
The Marietta National Cemetery covers 23.3 acres, and at the end of 2006 had 18, 742 interments.
The Marietta National Cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 18, 1998. It is closed to new interments.
(Based on the Wikipedia entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marietta_National_Cemetery )
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . . About This Marker. Designed in 1909, this marker is in nearly every National Cemetery across the United States. (Submitted on March 6, 2018, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.)
Credits. This page was last revised on July 12, 2018. It was originally submitted on November 9, 2012, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. This page has been viewed 973 times since then and 23 times this year. Last updated on March 6, 2018, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 9, 2012, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. 3. submitted on July 12, 2018, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. 4, 5. submitted on November 9, 2012, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. 6, 7. submitted on July 12, 2018, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.