153rd Anniversary of the Battles for Chattanooga Special Programs

Date: November 3, 2016
Contact: Kim Coons, 423-752-5213 x139

Fort Oglethorpe, GA: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park invites the public to participate in a series of special programs throughout the Chattanooga area from November 19-25 in commemoration of the 153^rd anniversary of the Battles for Chattanooga.

Saturday, November 19

Join park rangers as they lead 30 minute walking tours of Point Park, atop Lookout Mountain, at

10 am, 12 pm, 2 pm and 4 pm.

At 10 am, Park Historian Jim Ogden will lead a hike to the Union earthworks on Moccasin Bend where visitors can learn about the role of artillery during the Campaign for Chattanooga. This two mile hike will last approximately two hours. Visitors will meet just north of the Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute. Look for the “Special Event” signs to the parking area.

From 2 pm to 4 pm, Park Historian Jim Ogden will lead a two hour, two mile hike around Cummings Bottom along Lookout Creek at the base of Lookout Mountain, including where artist James Walker observed the battle in preparation for his painting, The Battle of Lookout Mountain, which now hangs on display in the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center. The tour will begin along Parker Lane off Brown’s Ferry Road just south of Interstate 24, exit 175 in Lookout Valley. Look for the “Special Event” signs.

Also, for visitors wishing to see the Cravens House and hear the stories related to the family and the “Battle Above the Clouds,” the house will be open from 9 am to 5 pm.

Sunday, November 20

At Point Park, learn about the Battle of Lookout Mountain from the perspective of two soldiers that experienced it. Throughout the fall of 1863, Grant Taylor of the 40th Alabama Infantry and Ambrose Heyward of the 28th Pennsylvania Infantry wrote letters home to their families describing life in the shadow of Lookout Mountain, and the culminating battle on November 24, 1863. At 10:30 am,

11:30 am, 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm, and 3:30 pm visitors to Point Park can “meet” these two soldiers and hear their firsthand experiences during these 30 minute programs.

At 10 am, Park Historian Jim Ogden will lead a one mile, 90 minute round trip walk on the Browns Ferry Federal Road Trace at Moccasin Bend National Archeological District exploring the importance of this critical supply route and pontoon bridge to the success of General Ulysses S. Grant’s plans for Chattanooga. Participants should meet at the Browns Ferry Federal Road Trace on Moccasin Bend Road, following the “Special Event” signs.

From 2 pm to 4:30 pm, Park Historian Jim Ogden will lead a two and a half hour car caravan tour following General William Sherman’s operations to cross the Tennessee River and assault Missionary Ridge. Meet at the Chickamauga Dam Reservation of the Tennessee River Park along Amnicola Highway just west of Tennessee Highway 153. Please follow the “Special Event” signs to this program.

Also, for visitors wishing to see the Cravens House and hear the stories related to the family and the “Battle Above the Clouds,” the house will be from 9 am to 5 pm.

Wednesday November 23

Visit Orchard Knob Reservation (at the corner of Ivy Street and Orchard Knob Avenue in Chattanooga) at 2 pm for a one hour walking tour of this lesser known engagement on its 153^rd anniversary. On November 23, 1863, slightly more than 600 Confederates were engulfed by thousands of blue-clad United States soldiers as they swarmed around and over Orchard Knob in the first of three heated battles to decide the fate of Chattanooga.  

Thursday, November 24 (Thanksgiving Day)

Both Chickamauga Battlefield and Point Park will be open for normal operations. Park grounds are open from 6 am to sunset. The Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center is open from 8:30 am to 5 pm, and the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center is open from 9 am to 5 pm.

At Point Park, rangers will lead 30 minute walking tours at 10 am, 12 pm, 2 pm, and 4 pm on this the 153^rd anniversary of the “Battle Above the Clouds.” Rangers will also lead two hour car caravan tours of Chickamauga Battlefield at 10 am and 2 pm.

Friday November 25

On this black Friday, Park Historian Jim Ogden will lead a four hour, four mile hike, beginning at 1pm, highlighting the Battle of Missionary Ridge, which occurred 153 years ago on this very ground. The program will meet at the Sherman Reservation on Lightfoot Mill Road on Missionary Ridge, and will include both hiking on trails and city sidewalks.

Please note there is an entrance fee of $5/adult, ages 16 and older, to enter Point Park. All other programs and locations are free of charge. Participants on the hikes should bring a water bottle, and wear supportive footwear and clothing appropriate to the weather that day.

For specific program information, including program times and locations (particularly for the tours led by Park Historian Jim Ogden), contact the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at 706-866-9241, the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center at 423-821-7786, or visit www.nps.gov/chch.