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

Union Tunnel

Photographed by Mark Parker, May 10, 2025

1. Union Tunnel Marker

Inscription. This tunnel was planned with a view of blowing up the Confederate works which their evacuation made unnecessary

Erected 1914 by Kennesaw Memorial Association.

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

Location. 33° 56.075′ N, 84° 35.914′ W. Memorial is in Marietta, Georgia, in Cobb County. It is on Cheatham Hill Drive 0.7 miles south of Dallas Highway (Georgia Route 120) when traveling south. From the Cheatham Hill Trailhead parking lot, follow the trail 2/10 mile to the Illinois Monument. The marker is on the far side of the Illinois Monument from the trail. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 957 Cheatham Hill Dr, Marietta GA 30064, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial 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 the North Atlantic Region,

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: The Assault Falters (here, next to this marker); Illinois Monument (a few steps from this marker); Monument to the Fallen (a few steps from this marker); The Dead Angle (a few steps from this marker); Colonel Dan (within shouting distance of this marker); Union Earthworks (within shouting distance of this marker); An Unknown Soldier (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); C. H. Coffey (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Marietta.

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sectionhead>More about this memorial. The Union Tunnel Marker was constructed as part of the Illinois Monument project, which was dedicated in 1914. The entire monument was restored and dedicated on 6/27/1914, the 150th anniversary of the Battle at Kennesaw Mountain.

Also see . . .
1. Cheatham Hill Component Landscape Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park (pdf file).

At Cheatham Hill, 9,000 federal troops crossed an area of mixed open fields and forest to attack the Confederate line. Maj. Gen. John A. Newton’s division attacked the west-facing portion of the line, to the north of the bend. When the Union troops emerged from the last small stand of trees, the Confederates infantry and artillery opened fire, quickly repulsing the attack. At the center of the line, two brigades, one under Col. Daniel McCook and one under Col. John G. Mitchell attacked the Dead Angle. The two brigades had to cross a wheat field to reach the Confederate line, and they were subject to intense defensive fire as they approached. A few Union troops reached the Confederate trenches before the attack was repulsed; McCook was mortally wounded in the attack. The Union troops fell back, and in a small depression near the bottom of the hill, they were able to dig new defensive trenches. From this position, the federal troops
Photographed by Mark Parker, May 10, 2025

2. Union Tunnel Marker at the base of the Illinois Monument at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield
began an attempt to tunnel under the Confederate line in order to use explosives to blow apart the defensive earthworks.

...At Kennesaw, veterans undertook private commemoration of the battle site while petitioning Congress to establish a park. Lansing J. Dawdy, a veteran of the 86th Illinois Regiment, purchased a sixty-acre parcel at Cheatham Hill in December 1899. He conveyed this parcel to the Kennesaw Memorial Association, a nonprofit veterans organization incorporated in Illinois in 1901. The Kennesaw Memorial Association raised funds from veterans to build a memorial at the battlefield. In 1913, the group received a $20,000 appropriation from the State of Illinois, and construction began on a monument at the Cheatham Hill parcel. The Illinois monument was dedicated on June 27, 1914, the fiftieth anniversary of the battle. At about this same time, other smaller markers were placed on the battlefield, including the McCook Brigade Marker, the Sergeant Coffey Marker, the Captain Fellows Marker, and the original Captain Neighbour Marker. Also, a stone arch was built next to the Illinois monument at the start of the tunnel dug by Union troops who attempted to mine the Confederate earthworks at Cheatham Hill.

(Submitted on May 29, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)

2. Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

Union Tunnel entrance image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, May 10, 2025

3. Union Tunnel entrance

. National Park Service (Submitted on May 29, 2025.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 29, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 28, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 216 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on May 28, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. 2, 3. submitted on May 29, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.