Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a special ranger-led tour and hike exploring Confederate General Bushrod Rust Johnson’s Division in the Battle of Chickamauga. This program will begin at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center, then car caravan to the starting point for the hike. The hike will be approximately one mile in length.

General Bushrod Johnson had a very rough life. Born into a Quaker family in Ohio, he parted from his family’s pacifistic ways and attended West Point. He eventually saw service in both the Seminole War and the War with Mexico before being forced to resign in humiliation. He then found a career in education and a new home in Tennessee. With the outbreak of the Civil War, he cast his lot with the Confederacy, ultimately commanding a division in the Confederate Army of Tennessee. His command started the battle at Chickamauga and would be part of the last fight on the field, being one of the only commands engaged in all three days of the battle.

Join us as we take advantage of the lack of foliage to see the ground better and gain insights into the events of 1863.

In 1775, North Carolina Superior Court Judge Richard Henderson and others entered into a treaty with Cherokee leaders Oconostata and Attacullaculla, which became known as the Treaty of Sycamore Shoals, the Henderson Purchase, or the Transylvania Purchase. Twenty million acres were sold - important Cherokee hunting grounds in the present-day states of Kentucky and Tennessee. One who stood in opposition to this sale was Tsiyu Gansini (Dragging Canoe), chief of Great Island Town and ironically, the son of Attacullaculla. He made it known that he believed the purchase agreement to be illegal and stated that "You have bought a fair land, but you will find its settlement dark and bloody." As 1775 lead into 1776, this would indeed be the case. 

We hope you will join us for this 45-minute special program as we explore the Treaty of Sycamore Shoals and the lead up to the Cherokee War of 1776. This program will take place inside the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center's theater at 3370 LaFayette Road, Fort Oglethorpe, GA 30742.  

Hundreds of figures fill the foreground of James Walker’s grand thirteen by thirty-foot Battle of Lookout Mountain painting displayed in the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center. They depict an often-forgotten part of the “Battle Above the Clouds.” This two-hour two and a half mile hike, led by Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Historian Jim Ogden, will explore this less-visited part of the Lookout Mountain Battlefield where the mostly open and cultivated Bald Hill served as a primary landmark.

Most of the hike will be along a paved or gravel surface going over or onto two hills although there will be a couple of short mostly level natural surface segments as well. Comfortable, supportive footwear, clothing appropriate for the weather, and water are recommended. 

On Saturday, February 21, at 1:00 pm, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will host an interactive, 3-hour, miniature wargame focusing on the Confederate attacks on the Union center on September 19, 1863, that will take place at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center. Up to 10 participants can take command of portions of the Federal and Confederate armies, making decisions and maneuvering military miniatures across a 3-dimensional tabletop battlefield as they seek to overcome some of the challenges faced by commanders during the real battle in September 1863. 

Participants will determine the outcome of this phase of the battle as they each take on the role of corps, division, and brigade commanders during the assaults of Benjamin Cheatham’s and A.P. Stewart’s Confederate divisions in and around the Brock, Brotherton, and Poe Fields on September 19. Players will work together using easy-to-learn rules to coordinate desperate assaults or spirited defenses to achieve victory. Dice rolls and event cards will help to determine the effects of combat, command and control, and the fog of war. If you would like to view the Battle of Chickamauga from a fresh perspective, or if you are interested in exploring the hobby of historical miniature wargaming, this program is for you! 

No miniature wargaming experience is necessary, and children are welcome to participate with an accompanying adult. To reserve a spot for this event, contact ranger Luke Dixon at luke_dixon@nps.gov. 

We hope to see you there! 

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park is seeking volunteers for American Battlefield Trust Park Day.

Sign-up will begin at 9 am on Saturday, April 18, at Parker Lane in the Lookout Valley community of Chattanooga. The service project should end around 12 pm. This year, the service project will involve the removal  of exotic invasive plant species, such as Chinese privet, and picking up trash around Bald Hill in Cummings Bottom portion of the Lookout Mountain Battlefield. 

Volunteers are asked to wear clothing appropriate for the weather and that they don’t mind getting a little dirty. All tools, including gloves, will be provided, but volunteers are welcome to bring their own gloves if desired. Questions about Park Day can be directed to the park’s volunteer coordinator, Will Wilson, at will_wilson@nps.gov or 706-866-9241 ext. 6.