Events observe 154th anniversary of Battles for Chattanooga
The staff of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park is commemorating the 154th anniversary of the Battles for Chattanooga with a series of ranger-guided tours, hikes and living history demonstrations over the weekends of Nov. 18-19 and 23-25.
Long before Union and Confederate armies peered at one another from their fortifications in 1863, Chattanooga had been known as the Gateway to the South, a city nestled between mountain passes on the confluence of several major railroads and the Tennessee River. Soldiers shed their blood on some of the deadliest battlefields of the Civil War in their efforts to control this city.
In addition to printed anniversary schedules, located at the Chickamauga Battlefield and the Lookout Mountain Battlefield visitor centers, a digital program schedule is available online: www.nps.gov/chch/ planyourvisit/154thchattanooga.htm
SATURDAY, NOV. 18
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9 a.m.-5 p.m. Cravens House open house.
Visitors are invited to see Robert Cravens’ home on the side of Lookout Mountain and hear stories related to the family and the “Battle Above the Clouds.” ›
10 a.m. “A Vicious Little Battery: The Union Artillery on Moccasin Bend,” near 201 Moccasin Bend Road, “Special Event” signs will be posted.
Union cannon, firing from fortifications on the southern hills of Stringer’s Ridge, helped keep the Confederates at bay during the siege of Chattanooga and then assisted in prying the Confederates from Lookout Valley and Lookout Mountain during the Battles for Chattanooga. Historian Jim Ogden will lead a 2-hour, 2-mile walking tour among the surviving earthworks and discuss how the “vicious little battery” essentially dominated the looming bulk of Lookout Mountain. › 10 a.m., noon, 2 and 4 p.m. Walking Tours of Point Park, meets inside the entrance gate at Point Park.
Meet a park ranger for a 30-minute walking tour discussing the campaign for Chattanooga from the perspective of Union and Confederate troops. › 10:30 and 11:30 a.m., 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.
The Fight For Lookout Mountain, Point Park on Lookout Mountain.
Living historians portraying Confederate infantry will discuss life during the siege of Chattanooga and the Battle of Lookout Mountain. These programs include firing demonstrations. ›
2 p.m. “Orchard Knob: Outpost, Observation and the Opening of a Battle,” Orchard Knob Reservation, corner of Ivy Street and Orchard Knob Avenue.
The outcropping knoll known as Orchard Knob was a fortified forward outpost on the Confederate lines besieging Chattanooga. The Battles for Chattanooga opened when the Union attacked the position on Nov. 23, 1863. In this 90-minute walk and talk, historian Jim Ogden will discuss Orchard Knob’s role in the battles.
SUNDAY, NOV. 19
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9 a.m.-5 p.m. Cravens House open house.
Visitors are invited to see Robert Cravens’ home on the side of Lookout Mountain and hear stories related to the family and the “Battle Above the Clouds.” ›
10 a.m. A Battle of Lookout Mountain Walk, Cravens
House on Lookout Mountain
Join historian Jim Ogden for a 2-hour, 1.5-mile walk exploring part of the battlefield and learn about an unanticipated battle. › 10 a.m., noon, 2 and
4 p.m. Walking Tours of Point Park, meet inside the entrance gate at Point Park
Meet a park ranger for a 30-minute walking tour discussing the campaign for Chattanooga from the perspective of Union and Confederate troops as they struggled for control of the “Gateway to the Deep South.” ›
2 p.m. The Battle of Missionary Ridge at Tunnel Hill, Sherman Reservation, near 2800 Lightfoot Mill Road.
It was supposed to be Ulysses S. Grant’s main effort. His most trusted subordinate, William T. Sherman, was to attack the Confederate right and roll it up to the south, but it did not happen. In this 2-hour, 1.5-mile round-trip walk, historian Jim Ogden will relate the story of this portion of the battles.