News Release

“A Dull Life of Routine”

Date: October 21, 2022
Contact: Kim Coons, 706-866-9241, ext. 139

Fort Oglethorpe, GA: On Saturday, November 5, at 10 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm, and on Sunday, November 6, at 10 am, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a special ranger-led hike/living history program at the Cravens House, on Lookout Mountain (1060 Cravens Terrace). This program will involve a short 45-minute walk of approximately 1 mile and will explore some of the daily routines conducted by Confederate soldiers stationed around Lookout Mountain during the Siege of Chattanooga. There will be ongoing camp life programs between the tours, where you can witness many of the army’s activities. Please wear comfortable shoes, and dress for the weather.

Between the Battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga, the US Army of the Cumberland, whose soldiers manned the fortifications of Chattanooga, found itself besieged by Confederate General Braxton Bragg’s forces from atop the surrounding heights. Hunkered down on the heights, like Lookout Mountain, were men of General Longstreet’s Corps from the Army of Northern Virginia, sent to reinforce Bragg in early September 1863. Longstreet’s men, particularly those in Hood’s Texas Brigade, played a prominent role at Chickamauga, yet now found themselves bogged down in in what one soldier called, “A dull life of routine duty.” Life was monotonous and miserable as the weather turned cold and damp. The men yearned to be home with their loved ones or, at the very least, to return to Virginia.