News Release

Wide Awake and Ready for Battle: Political Activism in the Army of the Cumberland

Date: June 28, 2017
Contact: Kim Coons, 423-752-5213 x139

Fort Oglethorpe, GA: On Saturday, July 8, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park invites the public to attend a special living history program exploring the prevalence of “Wide Awakes” in the Union Army of the Cumberland. Programs will take place at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at 10:30am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, 2:30pm, and 3:30pm.

During the 1860 Presidential Campaign, a movement of political activists known as the Wide Awakes formed to support the candidacy of Abraham Lincoln. These Wide Awakes staged marches and rallies throughout the North, and were especially in the Midwestern states. Many of these Midwestern activists later served in the Army of the Cumberland during the campaign for Chattanooga. Come and learn about what motivated these men to join both the Wide Awakes and the Union Army.