BATTLEFIELDS & MUSEUMS
- United States - Georgia
Chickamauga
& Chattanooga
National Military Park
Fort Oglethorpe, GA
Two and a half months
after the Confederate Army's drive into Union territory had been checked by the
Federals at Gettysburg, the two armies met near Chattanooga, Tennessee, to
dispute control of the west. Here they locked in the bloody battle of
Chickamaunga, one of the most hotly contended engagements of American history,
and one of the most extraordinary.
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, located north of
Chattahoochee National Forest , honors the Civil War soldiers that fought for
control of Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1863. Chickamauga was considered the last
major Confederate victory, but it was a hollow victory as control of Chattanooga
was ultimately gained by the Federals two months later.
Between 1890 and 1899 the Congress of the United States authorized the
establishment of the first four national military parks: Chickamauga and
Chattanooga, Shiloh, Gettysburg, and Vicksburg. The first and largest of these,
and the one upon which the establishment and development of most other national
military and historical parks was based, was Chickamauga and Chattanooga. It
owes its existence largley to the efforts of General H.V. Boynton and Ferdinand
Van Derveer, both veterans of the Army of the Cumberland, who saw the need for a
national park to preserve and commemorate these battlefields during a visit to
the area in 1888.
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park features both Chickamauga
Visitor Center and Point Park Visitor Center, Ochs Museum, trails at Chickamauga
Battlefield and Lookout Mountain, and walking and car caravan tours are offered
along with living history rifle and signaling demonstrations. The Cravens House
is open seasonally.
