Meet Battlefield Park’s Jim Ogden
Anyone in this area who is a history buff or a Chickamauga Battlefield enthusiast has probably met Jim Ogden, the National Military Park’s encyclopedic historian. To coin a phrase, if he doesn’t know it, it probably can’t be known — at least when it comes to Civil War and local history.
“I wanted to work for the park service from the time I was a kid,” says Ogden. The path to his current position was not so smooth, though.
The son of two teachers, James Ogden III says he was “expected to learn things” growing up. He settled on the American Civil War and military history as areas of expertise. At Frostburg State College in Maryland, when he informed his academic advisors of his intent to major in these areas, he was told it was not a well-rounded curriculum. He forged ahead anyway and graduated with the degree of his choice.
When Ogden wanted to do an internship at Harper’s Ferry National Historical Park, he was told by his advisors it was not one of the available options. The young student borrowed a family friend’s car, drove to the train station, took a train to Harper’s Ferry, and returned with the information necessary to make the internship work.
After graduation, Ogden says, “I learned that at that time, the park service didn’t care if I had a degree in any kind of history. They were looking for law enforcement-trained officers to serve as rangers.” So the newly minted historian took a sixweek
Rebecca Sue Jetter,
49, of 145 Chandler Road #10, Chickamauga was arrested September 2 on charges of driving while license suspended and expired registration.
Kenneth Wayne Beard,
48, of 1528 Burns Avenue, East Ridge was arrested September 2 on charges of driving while license suspended 2nd offense, driving under the influence of drugs 2nd offense, drugs law enforcement course and was hired as a ranger at the Chickamauga Battlefield.
There he worked for some years, patrolling the park, helping visitors and amassing additional knowledge. He took a break from Chickamauga for six years and did short stints at Russell Cave and Fredericksburg, Va., then returned to his first National Park home.
In 1988, Chickamauga Battlefield created an official historian position and Ogden became the only historian the park has ever had.
That’s the story of how Ogden got here. The rest of the story is about the history so close to the man’s heart. He shares it with the passion that only someone to be kept in original container and possession of schedule IV.
Sharon Ann Stovall,
51, of 207 Acorn Lane, Fort Oglethorpe was arrested September 2 on charges of no insurance and suspended registration.
James Allen Carter,
55, of 713 Colony Circle, Fort Oglethorpe was arrested September 2 for drinking and disorderly. who knows it like he knows himself can.
“After the Battle of Chickamauga,” says Ogden, “men lay scattered all over the fields, dead, wounded — 4,000 of them. There had been a years-long drought in the area, so the ground was hard and dry. Add to that the limestoneladen soil that made digging adequate graves nearly impossible, and you can imagine what it was like trying to bury the dead.”
Only one body is known to be buried within the military park today, but originally, all the bodies were entombed on the fields of battle, Ogden explains. It would be years before they were all moved, one way or another, to permanent burial sites (more on this in a future article).
Ogden’s interests and studies encompass every aspect of the National Park he works for. Back in the early days of the battlefield’s existence, he says, its administrative offices were housed in what is now Chattanooga’s City Hall. The idea of locating a building in the battlefield in Catoosa County came during the 1930s, under President Franklin Roosevelt’s programs to put people to work.
“As was the practice at that time,” says Ogden, “projects were overbuilt to create more employment in a nation staggering under economic depression, and the new building at Chickamauga was no exception. For instance, where standard practice
FORT OGLETHORPE was arrested September 2 for drinking and disorderly.
Bryan Lee Branson,
29, of 1312 Coogler Road, Dalton was arrested September 3 on charges of driving while unlicensed and possession of schedule II.
Jason C. Cordell,
35, of 79 Pinto Lane, Ringgold was arrested September 3 for possession of schedule II.
Marco Antonio Maya,
51, of 503 Wayside Drive, Fort Oglethorpe
Zachary Scott Ruppert,
21, of 572 Pebblestone Drive, Ringgold was arrested September 3 for possession of marijuana.
Albavera Reyna Guillermo,
18, of 5526 Clemons Road, Chattanooga was arrested September 3 for no license. was to reinforce concrete every twelve inches, it was done every six inches instead — more man hours, more materials that had to be produced by other workers.”
From this original building, which consisted of offices with a small visitor reception area, a visitor center gradually grew. The glass structure visitors see today was finished in 1990 and exhibits were updated in 2002. More recently, a new movie presentation was made to help visitors understand the battle the park commemorates.
“The first audiovisual element was added in the late 1950s in preparation for the centennial of the Battle of Chickamauga,” says
Amy Michelle Catalanotto,
35, of 5344 Mandarin Circle, Hixson was arrested September 2 for driving while license revoked.
Dale Fletcher Cook,
75, of 103 Dower Road, Chattanooga was arrested September 4 on charges of driving while unlicensed and seat belt violation.
Brittany Leeann Olsen,
30, of 633 Carrol Ogden. “The Chickamauga events, commemorating the September 19-20 battle of 1863, were held as scheduled, but when it came time for the events related to the 1863 Chattanooga battles, those were cancelled because of the assassination of John F. Kennedy.”
This year — the first time in 27 years — Ogden missed the anniversary events at the battlefield, but with good excuse. His 92year-old, World War IIveteran father wanted to attend his division reunion, and Ogden and his sister made sure it happened.
“History shows us where we came from,” says Ogden. “It tells us who we are and, if we listen, if gives us ideas about where we should go.”
“The world was watching America during the Civil War and asking: Can this nation of self-governing people survive?” Ogden says. “Totalitarianism was on the rise around the world at that time. America was a beacon of hope and inspiration for millions of people around the world. Some world leaders would have been happy to see us divided so they could move in to try to exert control.
“We just about tore ourselves apart in the mid-1800s, but we came through it and have grown stronger. We’re further along the path of achieving the ideals in the Declaration of Independence than we were 150, 100, 50 years ago. If those ideals are attainable, the United States is the country that can achieve them. The study of history can help us reach that goal.”
Watch for more stories about our local history. Next: 4000 dead men buried and exhumed.
Drive, Ringgold was arrested September 7 on charges of driving while license suspended/revoked and defective/ cracked windshield.
Earnest Norman Moore,
43, of 561 Burnt Mill Road, Flintstone was arrested September 7 for no insurance.
Tiffany Marie Hudgins,
41, of 151 Pond Springs School Road, Chickamauga was arrested September 7 on an outstanding warrant.