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Contact: Kim Coons, 423-752-5213 x139
Fort Oglethorpe, GA: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park invites the public to step back to the summer of 1898 and participate in a living history program exploring the time when Chickamauga Battlefield was used as a training ground for soldiers during the Spanish-American War. On Saturday, April 25, visitors can learn more about this period in U.S. History by interacting with soldiers at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm, and 3:30 pm. Named Camp Thomas as a tribute to Union General George Thomas and his gallant stand during the Battle of Chickamauga, the battlefield served as a training camp for up to 70,000 troops during its mere three months of operation. These "Boys of 98" are scarcely remembered, but the Spanish-American War thrust the United States into a global trajectory of power that continues today. For many of the soldiers stationed at Camp Thomas, diseases, not Spanish bullets, were the real threats to their lives.It was because of these soldiers' deaths that the names Chickamauga and Camp Thomas became a national scandal associated with sickness, mismanagement, and fear. We hope you will join us to learn more about this often overlooked story of Chickamauga Battlefield. |
Last updated: April 14, 2015