A Civil War History
Chattanooga

With its ridges, mountains, and valleys, Chattanooga was a very strategic location for both the Union and the Confederate forces.

In addition to its geographic location, Chattanooga was also a vital railroad center, with tracks leading not only to Atlanta and Nashville, but from Memphis to Charleston, and from Knoxville to Virginia. With the rail center so strategically placed at the Gateway to the Deep South, Chattanooga's nickname during the war, troops were able to not only transport supplies, but also reinforcements. Thus, both the North and the South wanted control of the city.

The Fall of 1863 brought about a desperate struggle for control of Chattanooga and its entranceway into the deep south. The bloodiest two-day battle of the entire Civil War, the Battle of Chickamauga, had brought victory to the Confederates under General Braxtan Bragg and had successfully pushed the Union forces out of North Georgia. With the Confederate troops lined up along Missionary Ridge, Lookout Mountain, and Orchard Knob, Union forces under General William Rosecrans were in the midst of a three-month siege. Washington sent reinforcements under Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Fighting Joe Hooker.

The Battles for Chattanooga came to a climax on November 23 and 24 of 1863 when General Grant ordered Hooker to make a demonstration on Lookout Mountain. This was so he would have time to place General Sherman's troops on Missionary Ridge. In an unexpected victory, Hooker's men took Lookout Mountain in the famous Battle Above the Clouds.

The decisive victory came for the Union when Bragg's Confederate troops were forced to retreat from Missionary Ridge and were pushed back into Georgia in a stunning victory by General Thomas's men, the Army of the Cumberland. The Union now had access to the Deep South through Chattanooga. This made way for Sherman's destructive yet triumphant march to Atlanta and to the sea.

The Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park commemorates the battles that led to control of Chattanooga, and the significance this area played in the Civil War. Twenty-five years after the end of the war, in 1890, President Benjamin Harrison designated the park, making it the first and largest national military park. Three other parks were designated shortly after Chickamauga-Chattanooga including Shiloh, Gettysburg, and Vicksburg.

The park was officially dedicated in 1895, 32 years after the battles that had been fought for control of the area. Veterans of the Civil War placed 1,400 monuments and historical markers along the battle lines. The park is made up of sites in Chickamauga, on Lookout and Signal Mountains, at Missionary Ridge, and Orchard Knob. The park features self-guided tours, and living history demonstrations are conducted during the summer season. Hiking and horseback riding trails are also accessible through the park.

The Chickamauga Battlefield Park Headquarters and Visitors Center, near Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, features a state-of-the-art audio visual program that explains the battle and its importance in the Civil War. Visitors will also find the Claude E. and Zemada O. Fuller Collection of American Military Arms. The Fuller guns are considered to be the best collection of Springfield long rifles in the world and include other rare items and weapons.  

Point Park, a district of the Chickamauga-Chattanooga NMP, is located on Lookout Mountain. The centerpiece of the park is the New York Peace Monument which depicts a Union and Confederate soldier shaking hands. This symbolizes the reunification of the United States as a nation.

The Point Park Visitors Center houses James Walker's 13x33 mural, Battle of Lookout Mountain.  Walker was an eyewitness of the battle who was commissioned by General Hooker to paint the battle scene for $20,000. This was Hooker's attempt to insure his place in Civil War history.

Cravens House, also located on Lookout Mountain, was the site of some of the fiercest fighting in the Battle of Lookout Mountain. The house served as headquarters and safehouses for both the Union and the Confederacy. The day after the battle, the house was used as a hospital by the Union. The house was destroyed during the winter of 1863 by a group of reporters from Harper's Weekly and some Union soldiers who were stationed there as well. During the winter months, the wind on top of the mountain blew bitter cold air through the tents of the soldiers and reporters. In order to keep their tents from blowing away, they took Cravens House apart piece by piece and used the wood for floor boards of their tents as well as fire wood. The house was rebuilt in 1866 and restored in 1956.

The Battles for Chattanooga Electric Map and Museum is located on Lookout Mountain next to the Point Park Visitors Center. The museum features a three-dimensional, 480 square foot reproduction of the historic terrain that served as a battleground. The display features the sights and sounds of the battle, with over 5,000 miniature soldiers showing where armies moved during the Chattanooga Campaign. 

Established in 1867, Chattanooga's VA National Cemetery serves as the burial site for over 12,000
Union soldiers from the Civil War. From the Revolutionary War to the Gulf War, veterans from every American war are buried in the cemetery. The Memorial Circle of Honor is located around the main flag pole and serves as an area where veterans organizations have honored their own with memorial monuments. Perhaps the most famous of those interred in Chattanooga National Cemetery are Andrew's Raiders, the first recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor.

For anyone looking for more history than can be told in a book, Chattanooga is the place to find it. From strategic points high atop Lookout Mountain to the battlefields of Chickamauga, the Civil War experience can be told with the sights and sounds of many Chattanooga area attractions.