Johnston's Line
Why it's listed
Earthen Civil War fortifications lie on both sides of Nickajack Creek, near its meeting with the Chattahoochee River in Cobb County, Georgia. The Confederate works, east of the creek, form the southern end of a defensive line five to six miles long that was built in June 1864. Gen. Joseph Johnston's engineers, Georgia militia and about a thousand impressed laborers spent a month or more on it. A long earthwork follows a ridge crest, with rifle pits, two triangular forts, redoubts and a semi-lunar gun emplacement. West of the creek are Union trenches built as a countermeasure, and a pentagonal gun emplacement crowns a hill to the southwest. About one-fourth of the original line survives. It was the last Confederate line north of the river and let Johnston move his troops and trains across. Sherman called it one of the strongest field fortifications he had seen. Highway construction threatened part of the site when it was listed.
Significance in brief: The earthworks are among the few remaining traces of both armies on the northern perimeter of Atlanta. They were the last Confederate defensive line north of the Chattahoochee, and the Confederate section holds a variety of well-preserved defensive features.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 73000618, listed July 5, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | SE of Mableton off U.S. 78 at Chattachooche River, Mableton |
|---|---|
| County | Cobb County |
| Listed | July 5, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73000618 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (specific dates June, July 1864) |
| Architect / builder | Gen. Joseph Johnston's engineers, Georgia militia units, and impressed black laborers |
| Areas of significance | Military |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition given as excellent and unaltered, on its original site. Part of the site is endangered by development, and a federally funded highway is scheduled to cut across the land in fall 1973. |
| Acreage | 13.1 |
| Coordinates | 33.79218, -84.52285 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 73000618.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16966093
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.