Captain Peter Simonson, 5th Indiana Battery
Cobb County, Cobb County, Georgia
Marker Inscription
Captain Peter Simonson 5th Indiana Battery. Acting chief of artillery for the 1st Division (4th Army Corps), Simonson on June 16, 1864 was busy entrenching here a 4-gun battery of artillery when he was killed by a Confederate bullet. The Confederate was perhaps a sharpshooter armed with an English made rifle with scope known as a Whitworth. The Whitworth fired a six-sided bullet that could kill a target one-half mile away. However, the two armies were within a few hundred feet of each other at this point, so it is not unreasonable to believe he could have been killed by a common Confederate rifleman.
Erected by Cobb County, GA
The Story
During the 1864 Atlanta Campaign, Union and Confederate armies grappled across the hills of north Georgia in a series of grinding engagements. Captain Peter Simonson, an Indiana artillery officer serving as a division chief of artillery, was entrenching a battery here on June 16, 1864 when a Confederate marksman killed him.
Why it matters
Simonson's death marks the close, deadly fighting of Sherman's advance on Atlanta, a campaign that helped decide the Civil War.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Attractions
- Sweet Eloise8.9 mi away
- Vape Ape13.5 mi away
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Related people
- · Peter Simonson
Related events
- · Atlanta Campaign
Themes & tags
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