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

Digging in for Defense

— Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park —

September 26, 2023

1. Digging in for Defense Marker

Inscription. To hold the line against advancing Union soldiers, Confederates created hundreds of trenches and earthen walls. These fortifications protected a wide arc around and on top of Kennesaw Mountain. Confederate earthworks are still visible here on both sides of the trail.

More than 11 miles of Civil War earthworks are protected within the boundaries on Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield. Some are relatively simple, but others reflect complex engineering techniques. For example, angled approaches enabled long lines of sight and a wide view for defensive firing. Ancient tools of siege warfare—sharp wooden spikes and piles of tree limbs—slowed attacks on the earthworks.

"Upon taking a new position, nothing else was thought of until the front was covered with a line of works, built of logs, rails, stones—anything that came to hand."
— Captain Wilbur Hinman
65th Ohio Infantry

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

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° 58.811′ N, 84° 34.388′ W. Marker

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is near Marietta, Georgia, in Cobb County. It can be reached from Kennesaw Mountain Drive east of Stilesboro Road, on the right when traveling south. Marker is a wayside exhibit on the Kennesaw Mountain Trail, about 0.4 miles from the trailhead at the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Visitor Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 900 Kennesaw Mountain Drive, Marietta GA 30060, 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: Georgia Monument (approx. ¼ mile away); Welcome to Camp Brumby (approx. ¼ mile away); Atlanta - Prize of War

September 26, 2023

2. Digging in for Defense Marker

(approx. 0.3 miles away); A Mountain Stronghold (approx. 0.3 miles away); Tool House Location (approx. 0.3 miles away); Tribute to Georgian Generals (approx. 0.3 miles away); Education Building Location (approx. 0.3 miles away); Dueling Cannons (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Marietta.

Also see . . . Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. National Park Service (Submitted on February 26, 2024.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 26, 2024. It was originally submitted on February 25, 2024. This page has been viewed 315 times since then and 55 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 25, 2024. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.