From Friday, September 15 to Wednesday, September 20, visitors are invited to join Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park staff and volunteers as we commemorate the 160th Anniversary of the Battle of Chickamauga and its subsequent memorialization through a series of tours, hikes, and living history demonstrations.
There will also be a 160th anniversary Jr. Ranger activity booklet that can be picked up inside the visitor center. Participants will receive a special Jr. Ranger patch by bringing the completed booklet back to the visitor center. America’s National Parks bookstore will also have book signings throughout the commemoration.
Beginning September 18, 1863, Union and Confederate forces clashed along the banks of West Chickamauga Creek. At stake was Chattanooga, Tennessee, and with it, the fortunes of the fledgling Confederacy and the future of the United States and its citizens.
For three days the armies struggled through the woods and fields, leaving behind the broken dreams and lives of thousands of young men cut down in the prime of life. Despite the Confederate victory at Chickamauga, the US Army regrouped in Chattanooga, where a victory there marked the “Death Knell of the Confederacy.”
A complete program schedule, including times and descriptions, is available at the following web address: nps.gov/chch/chickamauga160.htm
For more information about programs at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, contact the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at 706-866-9241, the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center at 423-821-7786, or visit the park website at www.nps.gov/chch.