John Donelson’s Harrowing Expedition Around Moccasin Bend

Date: January 25, 2016
Contact: Kim Coons, 423-752-5213x139

Fort Oglethorpe, GA: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park invites the public to attend a 45-minute talk at Moccasin Bend National Archaeological District on Saturday, February 6 at 2 pm. Program parking will be at the Gateway Site off Hamm Road (10 Hamm Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405)."Special Event" signs will also be posted along Manufacturers and Hamm roads to help guide visitors to event parking.

Participants will learn about the harrowing journey taken by Colonel John Donelson and a group of settlers making their way to French Salt Lick Springs (present-day Nashville) in 1780.The trip went well until they came to Moccasin Bend, where a group of Chickamauga Cherokee attacked the party of settlers.What had been a fairly mundane and boring trip became a race for their lives along the banks of the Tennessee River. Although an event that can be viewed as just a footnote in the struggle for westward expansion, this story ultimately impacts better known tales such as the Trail of Tears and the rise of Andrew Jackson to national prominence. We invite you to Moccasin Bend to hear this epic story of expansion and survival.

A blanket or folding chair is recommended for those attending this program, and as always, please dress accordingly for weather conditions.

For more information about upcoming programs at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, please contact the Lookout Mountain Visitor Center at [phone], or the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at [phone].