Kennesaw in Cobb County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Monument to the Fallen
Photographed By Brandon Fletcher, October 11, 2008
1. Monument to the Fallen Marker
Illinois veterans erected this memorial 50 years after the battle.
The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain on July 27, 1864, caused the Union Army estimated 3,000 killed, wounded, or missing soldiers. The Confederates suffered fewer than 1,000 casualties. After the war, the dead of both sides were reburied in separate cemeteries in nearby Marietta.
Here at the Dead Angle, Col. Daniel McCook's brigade lost 397 men, most of them from Illinois. In 1899, survivors of McCook's brigade bought 60 acres of land here and donated it to the state of Illinois to build a state funded monument. Union veterans dedicated it on July 27, 1914 — the battle's 50th anniversary.
From this beginning, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park has grown to nearly 3,000 acres of the ground the two great armies struggled over so long ago.
Captions:
"Then out spoke brave Horatius,
The Captain of the gate:
To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late,
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers
And the temples of his gods."
Thomas Macaulay
Col. Daniel Cook, Jr. (left) loudly recited the popular poem “Horatius' Speech” to his troops before leading them into battle where he was
this page online
For years after his death, veterans of his brigade held reunions in honor of “Colonel Dan,” as he was known to his men.
Erected by Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1914.
Location. 33° 56.067′ N, 84° 35.91′ W. Marker is in Kennesaw, Georgia, in Cobb County. Marker can be reached from Cheatam Hill Drive SW, 0.6 miles south of Dallas Road SW (Georgia Route 120), on the right when traveling south. Located in Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Marietta GA 30064, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Illinois Monument (here, next to this marker); The Assault Falters (a few steps from this marker); The Dead Angle (within shouting distance of this marker); Field Fortifications (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); This Marks the Starting Point (about 800 feet away); Camouflaged Cannons (about 800 feet away); Climax at Cheatham Hill (approx. 0.2 miles away); Remembering the Fallen (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kennesaw.
Also see . . . Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
Photographed By Brandon Fletcher, October 11, 2008
2. Monument to the Fallen Marker
Photographed By Brandon Fletcher, October 11, 2008
3. Illinois Monument
Photographed By Brandon Fletcher, October 11, 2008
4. Colonel Dan Marker
Col. Daniel McCook, Jr., a former law partner of Sherman's before the Civil War,
saw the adverse odds facing his troops and recited an ancient Greek poem, Horatius' Speech, to his men before the attack. Leading a 1800-man brigade up the slope to the Confederate earthworks, “Colonel Dan,” as his men called him, fell mortally wounded near this spot. Carried to the rear, he was returned home to Steubenville, Ohio, where he died on July 17, 1864, the day after being promoted to brigadier general.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 27, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 19, 2015, by Brandon Fletcher of Chattanooga, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 596 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 19, 2015, by Brandon Fletcher of Chattanooga, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
