County of monument: Bartow County
Location of monument: Cherokee Ave., courthouse lawn, Cartersville
Artist: Unknown
Fabricator: McNeel Marble Works
Monument erected by: The Daughters of the Confederacy
Dedicated on Dec. 5, 1908
"The few that will even broach the subject speak in whispers and refuse to give their names.
'“Why open a can of worms?” they ask. “Just let things be.”
"But the question remains and it doesn’t look like it’s going away any time soon.
'“When are they coming to take away our Confederate statues and memorials?”
"There are only a handful of them in Bartow — the monument at the old courthouse dedicated to those who gave their lives in the Civil War, a stone wall monument in Cassville, although it really is more devoted to the construction method than the Civil War, the tomb of the unknown Confederate soldier at Allatoona Pass and the Kingston and Cassville cemeteries containing both Confederate and Union dead.
"The monument at the old courthouse is the most prominent, although many citizens aren’t aware it is even there.
"A Civil War soldier is mounted atop a graduated granite shaft similar in shape to the Washington monument. On the base is an unfurled Confederate flag.
"It was installed in December 1908 with $2,000 raised over six years by the Daughters of the Confederacy to “honor the men from Bartow County who fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War.”
'“This monument is different than all the others,” Bartow County Commissioner Steve Taylor said. “It doesn’t honor any Confederate general; It just honors those who died fighting for their country.”
"Bartow’s contribution to the war included railroad lines and iron manufacturing capabilities, so much so that in 1864, a team of Union invaders swarmed the area trying to cut transportation routes, before trying to make their escape.
"Much of the Great Locomotive Chase took place in Bartow County — Kingston and Adairsville — and Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign and its infamous March to the Sea began in Bartow.
"The only other monument in the county pays homage to an unknown Confederate soldier who is buried along with a memorial marker near the Allatoona Pass battlefield. Thought to be a member of Gen. Samuel G. French’s division, he was killed as the Confederates attacked Union forces. The failed attack cost French nearly 900 of his 3,200 men including the unknown soldier.
"Cartersville City Councilman Louis Tonsmeire led a meeting Tuesday night at the Civic Center to address the issue. About 35 people attended and, according to Cartersville Mayor Pro-tem Dianne Tate, a very civil discussion took place.
"Historian Joe Head said he thinks the markers and memorials should be fully understood before being cast as a “Confederate” marker that honors the cause.
'“For instance, Allatoona Battlefield has established a ‘Memorial Field’” representing all states that fought there,” he said. “All involved states were invited to erect a stone marker.”
'“This area is rife with history,” Taylor said. “And history should be studied and lessons learned from those studies. You can’t just remove it or cover it up. I think these monuments are like graves. They honor those who died for what they believed in and we can learn from their actions. I certainly wouldn’t want my grave to be removed just because I had made a wrong choice and I feel the same way about these monuments.”' ~ The Daily Tribune News, Aug. 24, 2017