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

A Humanitarian Act

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

Photographed By Don Morfe, September 19, 2013

1. A Humanitarian Act Marker

Inscription. After each Union assault on June 27, hundreds of casualties were left between the lines. By afternoon, wounded Union soldiers lying helpless near here faced a new danger; flames, started by the battle’s gunfire, crept steadily toward them.

Lt. Col. William P. Martin, commanding the 1st & 15th Consolidated Arkansas Regiment, jumped onto the earthworks and ordered his Confederates to cease fire. Waving a white flag of truce, Martin shouted to the Federals, “Come and remove your wounded. They are burning to death.” For a brief time, Northerners and Southerners alike rescued the wounded and put out the fires.

The next day, Union officers presented Colonel Martin with a pair of Colt revolvers in appreciation of his humanitarian act.

Caption:
“The Famed Truce on Cheatham Hill” by Alfred R. Waud.

Erected by National Park Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1882.

Location. 33° 56.427′ N, 84° 35.886′ W. Marker is in Marietta, Georgia, in Cobb County. Marker is on Cheatham Hill Drive SW near 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.

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Texas Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Interlocking Defenses (approx. ¼ mile away); They Who Fell Here (approx. ¼ mile away); Climax at Cheatham Hill (approx. 0.3 miles away); Camouflaged Cannons (approx. 0.3 miles away); Field Fortifications (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Dead Angle (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Assault Falters (approx. 0.4 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. A Humanitarian Act 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 939 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 9, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.