39. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Georgia

               Hello and welcome back to our blog!  In this post we are visiting the first ever park dedicated to preserving a battlefield at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.

Entrance Sign

BACKGROUND:

               By September of 1863, the Confederacy had suffered devastating defeats at Vicksburg and Gettysburg and had been pushed completely out of Tennessee.  The Union was now preparing for a new offensive into Georgia to take the south’s vital industrial hub of Atlanta.  Hoping to stem the tide, the Confederates shipped in as many reinforcements to the Army of Tennessee as possible.  Just south of Chattanooga, along the banks of a creek called Chickamauga, alleged to mean “River of Death,” the Army of Tennessee attacked their Union counterparts the Army of the Cumberland.

The Georgia state monument at the Chickamauga battlefield.

               The first day of fighting ended in a tactical stalemate.  On the second day fighting resumed, the armies aligned parallel to each other running north to south slugging it out at close range.  As the day dragged on, an erroneous report reached Union command that a hole had opened in the center of the Union line.  Union General William Rosecrans, commander of the Army of the Cumberland ordered the gap closed.  However, Rosecrans’ chief of staff, future President James A. Garfield, was occupied dictating a previous order, and so the order was given to another subordinate who misunderstood it.  The order was passed down to Union commanders who then moved their unit out of the line, opening up a real gap where the fictitious one had been.  Confederate troops saw their chance and poured into the breach.

Markers along the tour route marking the location of Confederate units during the battle.  The two sides were locked in such close combat...

...that their Union counterparts were located just on the opposite side of the road less than one hundred yards apart.

               With the exception of a lone Union cavalry brigade at the extreme southern end of the line who managed to hold due to the firepower from their quick-shooting repeating rifles, the entire Union right flank collapsed.  Thousands of Union troops began fleeing to the northwest back to Chattanooga, Rosecrans among them.  However, the left flank under General George Thomas continued to hold.  Despite continuing ferocious Confederate assaults, Thomas’s troops held their ground until nightfall when they retreated under the cover of darkness back to Chattanooga.  For his stout defense of the Union flank, Thomas was heralded as “The Rock of Chickamauga.”

The Monument to Wilder's Brigade, the Union force cut-off at the extreme southern end of the Union line following the rout of the Union right flank.  The castle tower-like monument can be climbed by visitors.

               The Confederates now occupied the high ground surrounding Chattanooga, namely Missionary Ridge to the southeast and Lookout Mountain to the southwest.  In order to relieve the bottled-up Union army, Ulysses S. Grant, fresh off his crushing victory at Vicksburg, raced east.  Wasting no time, Grant led his troops in a series of daring attacks in October, starting with the stunning capture of the mighty Lookout Mountain in an action called “The Battle Above the Clouds.”  Then turning his entire force to face Missionary Ridge, the Union army charged up the entire length of the ridge-line, sweeping the Confederates off the heights.  Grant’s counterattacks were so devastating it turned a potentially crucial Confederate victory after Chickamauga into a crippling defeat following Chattanooga.

Chattanooga as seen from atop Lookout Mountain.

THE MILITARY PARK:

               Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park was the very first battlefield to be preserved for its historical significance by the Federal Government in 1890, beating out even the famed Gettysburg.  It was initially managed by the War Department (the Army precursor to the Defense Department) before being transferred to the National Park Service in 1933.  The Military Park as it exists today consists of two major areas in the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and several smaller plots of land in the area.

               To the south of Chattanooga, just inside the Georgia state line is the Chickamauga battlefield.  The battlefield comprises a large square shaped area of land and owing to its early park establishment is preserved in much the same state as it was during the battle.  However, in the century since the park was established the suburbs of Chattanooga have expanded greatly and now virtually surround the battlefield.  The Chickamauga battlefield visitor center is located near the north entrance to the battlefield and a road circuits the battlefield for a driving tour.

The historic visitor center at the Chickamauga battlefield.

               Farther north is the other main portion of the battlefield, Lookout Mountain.  While the top plateau of the mountain was turned into an upscale suburb, the flanks of the mountain where much of the fighting took place is protected by the Military Park.  In addition, at the very tip of the mountain is Point Park, now administered by the NPS, which overlooks the city of Chattanooga from former Confederate artillery positions and which later became a popular location for Union troops to pose for photographs.  A second visitor center is located at the entrance to Point Park.  Most of the rest of the Chattanooga battlefield has been swallowed up by the growth of the city.  Several small areas are protected by the NPS, namely a small acreage at a battlefield locale called Orchard Knob and several plots of land along the length of Missionary Ridge.  There is also a section of the park located on the Moccasin Bend peninsula across the Tennessee River from the city reserved for archaeological digs and is not open to the public.

The entrance to Point Park atop Lookout Mountain.

TRAVEL TIPS:

               Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park is open year-round, with grounds open from sunrise to sunset and visitor centers open from 8:30am to 5:00pm.  There is no fee to enter the Chickamauga battlefield but a fee is required at Point Park on Lookout Mountain.  While the Military Park is spread out across the vicinity of Chattanooga it is possible to visit the entirety of the park in the span of a day.  The park brochure provides a driving tour of the battlefield and both visitor centers contain a short film.  The Chickamauga battlefield is handicapped accessible while the Lookout Mountain battlefield is partially accessible.  Passport stamps can be found at both visitor centers.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:

A view across the open fields at the north side of the battlefield from the position of Confederate batteries.  General George Thomas's troops were located in the area of the treeline.

A Monument to Ohio artillerymen at the Chickamauga battlefield.

The New York monument at Point Park at the summit of Lookout Mountain.

A second view from Point Park on Lookout Mountain.  The Moccasin Bend Peninsula is located at the left of the photo.  Missionary Ridge is marked by a line of foliage running across the frame from the center of the picture straight across to the right about a quarter of an inch below the horizon.