Marietta in Cobb County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Marietta National Cemetery
Atlanta Campaign
During the Civil War, the fight for Atlanta began in early May 1864 in north Georgia. It ended when Union troops marched into the state capital on September 2. Over four months, Union and Confederate armies met in sixteen battles.
Union Gen. William T. Sherman started with 110,000 troops and Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston with 69,000. Johnston tried to force Sherman to assault fortified positions. Sherman instead used his larger army to out-flank the Confederates, forcing a retreat to Atlanta.
On August 31, the Union Army cut the last rail lines into Atlanta and Confederate forces evacuated the city. By the campaign's end both armies were staggered by losses. The Union sustained losses of approximately 37,000 men killed, wounded or missing. The Confederates lost 32,000.
National Cemetery
The U.S. Army established this 23-acre cemetery in 1866 on land donated by Henry Green Cole. He had moved to Georgia from New York in 1838 to work as a civil engineer for a railroad. Later he became a successful businessman in Marietta. During the Civil War, Cole remained loyal to the Union and spied for federal forces. Confederate officials arrested and imprisoned him in 1864 for these activities. After the war Cole returned to Marietta, where he lived until his death in 1875. He is buried in a family plot at the national cemetery.
Thomas Budd Van Horne, former chaplain with the 13th Ohio Infantry, laid out twenty-one burial sections tailored to the natural landscape of the property: By 1868, about 10,000 remains, including Union dead from the Atlanta campaign and those removed from a discontinued national cemetery in Montgomery, Alabama, were reinterred here. Two monuments were donated - one to the 2nd Division, 20th Corps, and one to soldiers who died in area hospitals.
A stone wall enclosed the picturesque cemetery in 1870. A brick lodge, built near the entrance, was replaced in 1921. The Wisconsin Monument, dedicated on Memorial Day 1925, was the last Civil War memorial placed in the cemetery.
One Civil War Medal of Honor recipient, Dennis Buckley, is buried here (Section G, Grave 6686). Private Buckley, 136th New York Infantry, received his commendation posthumously for bravery at Peach Tree Creek, Georgia, July 20, 1864.
Captions:
Confederates destroyed this ordnance train prior to evacuating Atlanta, August 1864. Library of Congress.
Henry G. Cole (1815-1875), c. 1865, is buried in Grave 1, Cole Section.
Courtesy of the Marietta Museum of History
Sketch of cemetery from Brvt. Lt. Col. E.B. Whitman’s final report on the reinterment of Union soldiers within the Military Division of Tennessee, c. 1869. National Archives and Records Administration.
Monumental archway at cemetery entrance, 1904. In 1883, the U.S. Army Quartermaster General’s Office constructed the 35-foot-tall structure. This is one of five classically inspired arches built at national cemeteries in the South. National Archives and Records Administration.
To learn more about benefits and programs for Veterans and families, visit www.va.gov
Erected by National Cemetery Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Topics and series. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the National Cemeteries series list. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1864.
Location. 33° 57.114′ N, 84° 32.568′ W. Marker is in Marietta, Georgia, in Cobb County. Memorial can be reached from the intersection of Washington Avenue NE and Cole Street NE. The marker is some few feet to the left after entering the Marietta National Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: 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. A National Cemetery System (here, next to this marker); Pearl Harbor Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Marietta National Military Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); 20th Army Corps Monument (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Wisconsin Soldiers Memorial (about 400 feet away); Address by President Lincoln (about 500 feet away); Judge Debra Halpern Bernes (approx. ¼ mile away); Lemon Street Grammar and High School (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Marietta.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 24, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 11, 2018, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. This page has been viewed 445 times since then and 56 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on July 11, 2018, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. 2, 3. submitted on July 13, 2018, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on July 11, 2018, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana.