Marietta in Cobb County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Field Fortifications
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
Photographed By Brandon Fletcher, October 11, 2008
1. Field Fortifications Marker
Confederate engineers and work crews started digging earthworks around Kennesaw Mountain a few days before their army fell back to this position on June 19. For the next week Southern soldiers improved their earthwork defenses despite constant rain.The Southerners dug deep, throwing the dirt toward the Union side of the trenches. The earthen wall — called a parapet — was topped with a braced log, leaving an open space beneath it for soldiers to shoot through. Fighting from behind these defenses, the Confederates held a great advantage over the attacking Federals during the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain on June 27, 1864.
Today within Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, 11 miles of shallow ditches remain from those formidable earthworks. Help preserve these fragile resources by staying on the park’s trails.
Caption:
“Fortifying the Lines at New Hope, at Night, and in Rain,” drawn by Alfred R. Waud, illustrates Civil War trenching techniques.
Erected by National Park Service.
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Location. 33° 56.167′ N, 84° 35.833′ W. Marker is in Marietta, Georgia, in Cobb County. Marker can be reached from Cheatam Hill Drive SW, 0.7 miles south of Whitlock Avenue NW (Georgia Route 120), on the right when traveling south. 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. Camouflaged Cannons (a few steps from this marker); Climax at Cheatham Hill (within shouting distance of this marker); The Dead Angle (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Assault Falters (about 700 feet away); Illinois Monument (about 700 feet away); Monument to the Fallen (about 700 feet away); This Marks the Starting Point (approx. ¼ mile away); A Humanitarian Act (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Marietta.
Also see . . . Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. (Submitted on November 10, 2013.)
Photographed By Don Morfe, September 19, 2013
2. Field Fortifications Marker
Photographed By Don Morfe, September 19, 2013
3. Field Fortifications Marker
Photographed By Duane Hall, May 25, 2015
4. Field Fortifications Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 28, 2020. It was originally submitted on November 9, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 656 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 19, 2015, by Brandon Fletcher of Chattanooga, Tennessee. 2, 3. submitted on November 9, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 4. submitted on June 16, 2015, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
