Near Marietta in Cobb County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Lining Up for Death

— Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park —

September 26, 2023

1. Lining Up for Death Marker

Inscription. For the Union soldiers ordered to line up and march into battle here on June 27, 1864, these fields were a death trap. Confederate guns were only yards away— and Union soldiers advanced straight into enemy fire. With only scattered pine trees to block the bullets, Union soldiers fell by the hundreds.

To military historians, General Sherman's order of a "linear frontal assault" here stands out as one of the last of its kind. By 1864, faster, better-aiming weapons had left this older style of fighting dangerously out of date.

Even so, the Union's frontal assault accomplished what General Sherman had been stubbornly pursuing for months — pushing the Confederates back to Atlanta.

"On they came, maintaining their lines as perfectly as if on a division drill … grape, canister and minie balls mowed them down like grain before the sickle. … On, on they gallantly pressed forward, regardless of the wide gaps which were being cut in their ranks, until the front line was within a stone's throw of our breastworks."
— Private Jabez Cannon
27th Alabama Infantry

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

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Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is June 27, 1864.

Location. 33° 58.994′ N, 84° 34.679′ W. Marker is near Marietta, Georgia, in Cobb County. It can be reached from Kennesaw Mountain Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 900 Kennesaw Mountain Drive, Kennesaw GA 30152, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Piedmont

and in Metro Atlanta.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named Clash at Kennesaw (within shouting distance of this marker); A Grim and Silent Kennesaw (within shouting distance of this

September 26, 2023

2. Lining Up for Death Marker

Marker is on a patio on the north side of the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Visitor Center, accessible without entering the building.

marker); Georgia Monument (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Eyes for the Armies (about 600 feet away); Peachtree Trail (about 600 feet away); The Railroad War (approx. 0.3 miles away); Digging in for Defense (approx. 0.3 miles away); Tribute to Georgian Generals (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Marietta.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Clash at Kennesaw (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Credits. This page was last revised on February 24, 2024. It was originally submitted on February 24, 2024. This page has been viewed 316 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 24, 2024. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.