Marietta Relives Civil War Era with Family Event

“In great deeds something abides. On great fields something stays.

Forms change and pass; bodies disappear, but spirits linger,

to consecrate ground for the vision-place of souls.

And reverent men and women from afar, and generations that know us not

and that we know not of, heart-drawn to see where and by whom great things

were suffered and done for them, shall come to this deathless field to ponder and dream;

And lo! the shadow of a mighty presence shall wrap them in its bosom,

and the power of the vision pass into their souls.”

- Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

Chamberlain's dedication at the 1889 dedication of the 20th Maine monument at Gettysburg effectively summarized the Civil War for many generations to follow. Even on Saturday, as Marietta began its sesquicentennial celebration of the war, those words rang true.

Hosted by Cobb Landmarks and Historical Society and three of Marietta's most revered museums, “The Yankees Are Coming: Life in Marietta During the Civil War” revealed a war-time Marietta as Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman began his march toward Atlanta. Children worked, even in families that had slaves. It was a team effort to not go hungry or get lost in battle as a Marietta resident during that time. Homes were taken over and what scarce food there was worth dying for to some.

The Marietta Museum of History, the and the hosted special presentations, demonstrations and tours to mark the beginning of their observance of the Civil War Sesquicentennial, marking 150 years.