161st Anniversary of the Battle of Chickamauga Ranger-Guided Tours

Ranger-guided tours are a great way to explore the battlefield during the battle anniversary.

NPS

Throughout the battle anniversary period, rangers will lead numerous tours and programs exploring the Battle of Chickamauga and its memorialization with the establishment Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. These programs range from broad overview tours to presentations about specific locations on the field.

Visitors are encouraged to bring chairs, bug spray, water, and wear comfortable clothes and appropriate shoes for walking/hiking.

All programs are subject to cancellation due to inclement weather or staffing availability.

 

Saturday, September 14

11 am - "Trusting to my usual good luck" - Colonel Hans Heg and his Brigade at Viniard Field

• Location: Meet at Tour Stop 5

As the fighting of September 19 grew in scale, both sides sent troops toward “the sound of the guns.” Colonel Hans Christian Heg ordered his Brigade to advance into the dark and ominously quiet woods just north of Tabler Viniard’s farmstead, hoping his usual good luck would shield him one more time. This talk will last approximately 45-minutes.

2 pm - Car Caravan Tour of Chickamauga Battlefield

• Location: Meet inside the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center

If you are interested in a general overview tour of the second deadliest battle of the Civil War, meet a park ranger inside the visitor center to take a 2-hour car caravan tour around the battlefield.

 

Sunday, September 15

11 am - “That Cherished Flag:” Deas Alabama Brigade

• Location: Meet in North Brotherton Field (Follow "Special Event/Parking Signs")

This 90-minute, mile and a half walk will focus on Zachariah Deas' Brigade as they marched west engaging the federals in their front through the forest into South Dyer Field on September 20,1863.

2 pm - Car Caravan Tour of Chickamauga Battlefield

• Location: Meet inside the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center

If you are interested in a general overview tour of the second deadliest battle of the Civil War, meet a park ranger inside the visitor center to take a 2-hour car-caravan tour around the battlefield.

 

Wednesday, September 18

11 am - Call in the Cavalry! Minty's Delaying Action at Reed's Bridge

• Location: Meet inside the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center

Approximately 900 men of US Colonel Robert Minty’s Cavalry brigade successfully held off about 5,000 Confederates in a delaying action that one historian claimed was as important as that of General John Buford at Gettysburg, on July 1, 1863. How successful was this delay in the grand scheme of the battle? This 1-hour program will follow the action that took place on September 18, 1863, at Reed’s Bridge.

2 pm - Car Caravan Tour of Chickamauga Battlefield

• Location: Meet inside the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center

If you are interested in a general overview tour of the second deadliest battle of the Civil War, meet a park ranger inside the visitor center to take a 2-hour car caravan tour around the battlefield.

 

Thursday, September 19

11am - "Take What You Find Here and Make It Better and Better" - Eli Lilly at Chickamauga

• Location: Meet inside the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center

Prior to the Civil War, Eli Lilly worked as a pharmacist. He was an innovator when it came to producing drugs that would help people. During the war, he used that same innovation to put together an artillery battery like no other. On September 19, 1863, his battery saw fierce fighting in Viniard Field. This same innovation and drive followed Lilly after the war, back into his pharmaceutical business. Today, we still see that innovation in the business he founded. This 1-hour program will caravan from the visitor center to Viniard Field.

2 pm - Car Caravan Tour of Chickamauga Battlefield

• Location: Meet inside the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center

If you are interested in a general overview tour of the second deadliest battle of the Civil War, meet a park-ranger inside the visitor center to take a 2-hour car caravan tour around the battlefield.

 

Friday, September 20

11 am - “The enemy commenced the action by opening out upon us with shell from two pieces of artillery…”

• Location: Meet at West Kelly Field, off LaFayette Road, across from Kelly Cabin

As the sun settled toward the western horizon through the smoke of a third day of fighting, most of the tens of thousands of men who had been engaged over the last three days were on the move. Men in the 19th Indiana Battery were eager to make their way from south Kelly Field. A "final" outcome for the battle was still to be determined. The 19th Indiana Battery had to overcome a lot to get their guns from the field. During this 1-hour program, visitors will learn about the battery's story as it pertained to the greater narrative of the Battle of Chickamauga.

2 pm - Car Caravan Tour of Chickamauga Battlefield

• Location: Meet inside the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center

If you are interested in a general overview tour of the second deadliest battle of the Civil War, meet a park-ranger inside the visitor center to take a 2-hour car caravan tour around the battlefield.