Parks observe 156th anniversary of Battles for Chattanooga

Staff and volunteers of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park are marking the 156th anniversary of the Battles for Chattanooga with a series of ranger-guided tours and hikes in Chickamauga Battlefield, Orchard Knob reservation and on Lookout Mountain. These events on Nov. 23-25 are free and open to the public.

Participants are encouraged to wear clothing appropriate for the weather, closed-toe shoes, insect repellent and to bring a bottle of water. For programs with the park historian, long pants are recommended since many tours will walk through wooded areas, often over uneven and rocky terrain.

Programs and tours are subject to change depending on staffing and hazardous weather conditions.

There will be ongoing hands-on history programs for youth at Point Park on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 23-24. Meet a park ranger for a series of hands-on activities through which young people can earn a Junior Ranger badge available during the anniversary.

SATURDAY SCHEDULE

› When: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. › Location: Cravens House on Lookout Mountain, 1060 Cravens Terrace

Robert Cravens’ home was the scene of some of the heaviest fighting during the Battle of Lookout Mountain. Cravens rebuilt his home after the war, and this postwar structure still stands. The house will be open and staffed for tours.

› When: 10 a.m. “Trained to Sweep the

Slope of the Mountain: The Moccasin Battery and the Battles for Chattanooga”

› Location: Moccasin Bend National Archeological District, near 201 Moccasin Bend Road, follow Special Program signs.

Historian Jim Ogden leads two-hour, 2-mile, round-trip walk through the Union artillery earthworks on Moccasin Bend as he relates the role Ulysses S. Grant planned for the guns in an attack to drive the Confederates away from The Gateway to the Deep South.

› When: 11 a.m., 2 and 4 p.m. Battles for Chattanooga Walking Tour

› Location: Meet inside the Point Park entrance gate, Lookout Mountain

Between Nov. 23-25, 1863, Union and Confederates clashed on Chattanooga’s surrounding mountains and ridges. Meet a park ranger for a 45-minute program exploring the actions that helped seal the fate of the city.

› When: 1 p.m. “We all Remained Silent Spectators: The Fight for Orchard Knob”

› Location: Orchard Knob Reservation, North Orchard Knob Avenue and Ivy Street

The Union army’s success during this brief engagement set the tone for its success over the next days as they tried to wrestle Chattanooga from the Confederates. This 45-minute program will explore the fighting on Orchard Knob.

› When: 2 p.m. “Staging Sherman’s Force”

› Location: Moccasin Bend National Archeological District, Brown’s Ferry Road Trail, 707 Moccasin Bend Road

In this two-hour, part walking tour, part caravan tour, historian Jim Ogden will examine the experience of William T. Sherman’s Army of the Tennessee detachment that Ulysses S. Grant was counting on to bring him victory at The Gateway to the Deep South.

SUNDAY SCHEDULE

› When: 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Cravens House

› Location: Cravens House on Lookout Mountain, 1060 Cravens Terrace

The house will be open and staffed for tours.

› When: 10 a.m. “The Army of the Cumberland, Nov. 24, 1863”

› Location: Orchard Knob Reservation, North Orchard Knob Avenue and Ivy Street

Union soldiers captured Orchard Knob on Nov. 23. On Nov. 24, the main effort to overtake the Confederates shifted to William T. Sherman’s forces. During this 90-minute program, historian Jim Ogden will relate what Gen. George Thomas’ Union Army of the Cumberland did on that misty, rainy Tuesday that is normally thought of as the day of the Battle Above the Clouds.

› When: 11 a.m., 2 and 4 p.m. Battles for Chattanooga Walking Tour

› Location: Meet inside the Point Park entrance gate on Lookout Mountain

Meet a park ranger for a 45-minute program exploring the actions that helped seal the fate of Chattanooga.

› When: 1 p.m. “A Dreary Spot for a Man to Bleach His Bones — The Battle of Lookout Mountain”

› Location: Cravens House on Lookout Mountain, 1060 Cravens Terrace

On Nov. 24, 1863, Union troops scrambled up the fog-enshrouded slopes of Lookout Mountain, feeling their way toward the unknown. After making contact with Confederate soldiers, the Battle Above the Clouds commenced. During this two-hour, 1.5mile walking tour, a park ranger and participants will trudge the same ground as the soldiers did 156 years ago.

› When: 2 p.m. “Sherman’s Crossing and the Occupation of Billy Goat Hill”

› Location: Meet at the Chickamauga Dam Reservation of the Tennessee Riverpark along Amnicola Highway just west of Highway 153, near 4631 Amnicola Highway

An amphibious assault across the Tennessee River to attack the Confederate right along Missionary Ridge was intended by Gen. U. S. Grant to be his offensive blow at Chattanooga. His most trusted subordinate, Gen. William T. Sherman, would lead the attack across the river. Historian Jim Ogden will lead this two-hour car-caravan tour investigating Sherman’s efforts to implement Grant’s plan on Nov. 25, 1863.

MONDAY SCHEDULE

› When: 10 a.m. “Cumming’s Georgians and Cleburne’s Left at Tunnel Hill”

› Location: Sherman Reservation, Missionary

Ridge, 2800 block of Lightfoot Mill Road

During this two-hour, 2-mile up-and-down Tunnel Hill walk, historian Jim Ogden will relate the role of Alfred Cumming’s Georgians in the Confederate effort to protect the Army of Tennessee’s right flank.

› When: 2 p.m. “Keystone Soldiers Assault Tunnel Hill”

› Location: Sherman Reservation, Missionary Ridge, 2800 block of Lightfoot Mill Road

Historian Jim Ogden will focus on the role of Pennsylvania solders during this two-hour, 1.5mile walking tour up-anddown Tunnel Hill.

STAFF FILE PHOTO As part of the 156th anniversary observance of the Battles for Chattanooga, the Cravens House will be open for tours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.