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Elko in Houston County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
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Thaddeus Oliver

 
 
Thaddeus Oliver Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, circa 1993
1. Thaddeus Oliver Marker
Inscription.

Thaddeus Oliver, who wrote “All Quiet Along the Potomac Tonight”, and his wife, the former Sarah Penelope Lawson, are buried here, in what was once the family burying ground on the Hugh Lawson plantation. Thaddeus Oliver, son of William Oliver and Dorcas Harrison Oliver, was born in Twiggs County, Dec. 25, 1826. He went to Marion County in 1850 and taught for two years in Buena Vista Academy. Studying law under Judge Mark Blanford he was admitted to the bar in 1852 and was serving as Solicitor General of the Chattahoochee Circuit when he joined the Confederate Army April 15, 1861. His first service in Virginia was with the Buena Vista Guards, Co. I, Seventh Ga. Infantry. Later, he organized Co. E, 63d Regiment, in Marion County, and was elected Captain. He served in the Army of Tennessee [CS] until he died of wounds in a Charleston, S.C. Hospital Aug. 21, 1864. Thaddeus Oliver wrote his famous poem while stationed at Aquia Creek, Va. in August 1861. His sons, Rev. Hugh Forsyth Oliver and Admiral James Harrison Oliver, were “the two in the low trundle bed” in the famed song.
 
Erected 1955 by Georgia Historical Commission. (Marker Number 076-2.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music
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War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Georgia Historical Society series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 15, 1861.
 
Location. Marker is missing. It was located near 32° 18.855′ N, 83° 38.069′ W. Marker was in Elko, Georgia, in Houston County. It was at the intersection of Georgia Route 26 and Loggins Road, on the right when traveling east on Georgia Route 26. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Elko GA 31025, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker was in Georgia’s Piedmont. It was also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once 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 12 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: Pulaski County (approx. 9.9 miles away); Slosheye Trail (approx. 9.9 miles away); To Our Confederate Soldiers (approx. 9.9 miles away); Federal Pursuit (approx. 10.2 miles away); Old Hartford (approx. 10.8 miles away); De Soto Trail (approx. 11.3 miles away); The 1812 Soldiers (approx. 11.3 miles away); A $100,000 Reward (approx. 11.4 miles away).
 
More about this marker. Text for the missing marker was taken from “Georgia Historical Markers” (Bay Tree Grove, Second Edition 1978), compiled by Carroll P. Scruggs from the records of the Georgia Historical Commission.
 
Also see . . .
Thaddeus Oliver Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by David Seibert, January 15, 2012
2. Thaddeus Oliver Marker
 All Quiet Along the Potomac Tonight. The Wikipedia entry for the poem credits the poem to Ethel Lynn Beers; Oliver is not mentioned. (Submitted on March 9, 2012, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia.) 
 
Thaddeus Oliver Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by David Seibert, January 15, 2012
3. Thaddeus Oliver Marker
Looking east on Georgia Highway 26, toward Hawkinsville. Loggins Road is in the foreground.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on October 29, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 2, 2012, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. This page has been viewed 1,790 times since then and 87 times this year. Photos:   1. submitted on October 6, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.   2, 3. submitted on March 2, 2012, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
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Jun. 22, 2026