Special Programs - Saturday, November 21 & Sunday, November 22

SHUTTLE SERVICE FOR SPECIAL PROGRAMS

Special anniversary programs throughout the weekend will take place primarily in the Cummings Bottom area of Lookout Mountain Battlefield. Because parking at Cummings Bottom is limited, the National Park Partners, the park's philanthropic partner, will provide complimentary shuttle service to and from the program area.

Visitors should park at historic Brown's Tavern (703 Brown's Ferry Road, Chattanooga, TN 37419) and board the shuttle for transportation to National Park Service programs at Cummings Bottom.

Saturday, November 21

Shuttle Departures from Brown's Tavern

• Every 30 minutes beginning at 9:30 am
• Final departure to Cummings Bottom: 2 pm

Shuttle Departures from Cummings Bottom

• Every 30 minutes beginning at 10 am
• Final departure to Brown's Tavern: 3 pm

Sunday, November 22

Shuttle Departures from Brown's Tavern

• Every 30 minutes beginning at 10:30 am

• Final departure to Cummings Bottom: 2 pm

Shuttle Departures from Cummings Bottom

• Every 30 minutes beginning at 10 am
• Final departure to Brown's Tavern: 3 pm

Visitors are encouraged to allow extra time for transportation when planning their visit.

 

RANGER-LED AND HISTORIAN-LED TOURS

 

Renown military artist James Walker (seated at the easel) paints a landscape from his camp on the slope of Lookout Mountain, just above Robert Cravens' home.

Chicago History Museum

10 am to 3 pm - History Under Canvas
Location: Please take the shuttle from Brown's Tavern (703 Brown's Ferry Road, Chattanooga, TN 37419) to the program location in Cummings Bottom.

Ever had questions about the Battles for Chattanooga, particularly what occurred in the Cummings Bottom area of the Lookout Mountain Battlefield? Perhaps your questions extend to other areas preserved by Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park.

This is your opportunity to stop by and ask those questions of Park Historian Jim Ogden, who will be available throughout the day to help answer your Battles for Chattanooga-related questions.

10 am – The Battles for Chattanooga: A Walking Tour Inside Point Park (Saturday Only)
Location: Meet inside the Point Park Entrance Gate, 110 Point Park Road, Lookout Mountain, TN 37350

From November 23 - 25, 1863, US and Confederate soldiers struggled to control the vital transportation hub of Chattanooga, Tennessee. This 30-45-minute program will help put the struggle for Chattanooga into perspective.

10:30 am – Ranger-led Hike to Wiedrich's Battery Position
Location: Please take the 10 am shuttle from Brown's Tavern (703 Brown's Ferry Road, Chattanooga, TN 37419) to the program location in Cummings Bottom.

Join a park ranger for a short, 1-hour, 1-mile round-trip hike to the top of Smith Hill, where Battery I, 1st New York Light Artillery, commanded by Captain Michael Wiedrich, was positioned. At 10 a.m., on November 24, 1863, this battery opened fire on Brigadier General Edward C. Walthall’s brigade of Mississippians on the northwest slope of Lookout Mountain. This program will explore the important role this battery played during the famous "Battle Above the Clouds."

11 am – The Battles for Chattanooga: A Walking Tour Inside Point Park
Location: Meet inside the Point Park Entrance Gate, 110 Point Park Road, Lookout Mountain, TN 37350

From November 23 - 25, 1863, US and Confederate soldiers struggled to control the vital transportation hub of Chattanooga, Tennessee. This 30-45-minute program will help put the struggle for Chattanooga into perspective.

11:30 am – A Devil of a Fight: The Battle of Wauhatchie
Location: Please take the 11 am shuttle from Brown's Tavern (703 Brown's Ferry Road, Chattanooga, TN 37419) to the program location in Cummings Bottom.

Can a "small battle" change the course of a campaign? In the early morning hours of October 29, 1863, Union and Confederate forces collided in a fierce fight that one historian called "small...but intense." While often forgotten today, the engagement reflected the growing struggle for control of Chattanooga and set the stage for the dramatic battles that would follow. Join us for this 30-minute program as we uncover the story of this overlooked clash.

1 pm – The Battles for Chattanooga: A Walking Tour Inside Point Park
Location: Meet inside the Point Park Entrance Gate, 110 Point Park Road, Lookout Mountain, TN 37350

From November 23 - 25, 1863, US and Confederate soldiers struggled to control the vital transportation hub of Chattanooga, Tennessee. This 30-45-minute program will help put the struggle for Chattanooga into perspective.

1:30 pm – A Hike to Lookout Creek
Location: Please take the 1 pm shuttle from Brown's Tavern (703 Brown's Ferry Road, Chattanooga, TN 37419) to the program location in Cummings Bottom.

Join a park ranger for a short, 1-hour, 0.8-mile round-trip hike to the banks of Lookout Creek. Learn about the crossing of Lookout Creek by Union forces under Lieutenant Colonel Eugene Powell and the subsequent Battle of Lookout Mountain through the experiences of those who fought there, including Confederate Colonel William F. Dowd.

2 pm – The Battles for Chattanooga: A Walking Tour Inside Point Park
Location: Meet inside the Point Park Entrance Gate, 110 Point Park Road, Lookout Mountain, TN 37350

From November 23 - 25, 1863, US and Confederate soldiers struggled to control the vital transportation hub of Chattanooga, Tennessee. This 30-45-minute program will help put the struggle for Chattanooga into perspective.

2:30 pm – Capturing the Battle Above the Clouds
Location: Please take the 2 pm shuttle from Brown's Tavern (703 Brown's Ferry Road, Chattanooga, TN 37419) to the program location in Cummings Bottom.

If you have ever visited the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center, you have likely been drawn to the massive painting depicting the Battle of Lookout Mountain by renowned military artist James Walker. What many visitors do not realize is that the original painting, much smaller in scale, was completed in 1864, only a year after the battle. Join us for this 30-minute program as we explore Walker’s creative process and discover how he brought one of the Civil War’s most iconic battles to life on canvas.

 

LIVING HISTORY PROGRAMS

 

As If a Million Demons Had been Aroused: Wiedrich's Battery in Cumming’s Bottom – Artillery Firing Demonstrations
Location: Please take the shuttle from Brown's Tavern (703 Brown's Ferry Road, Chattanooga, TN 37419) to the program location in Cummings Bottom prior to the desired program time.
Saturday Program Times: 10 am, 11 am, 1 pm, & 2 pm
Sunday Program Times: 11 am, 1 pm, & 2 pm

What motivated thousands of immigrants to fight in America's bloodiest war? For the men of Captain Michael Wiedrich's Battery I, 1st New York Light Artillery, service carried them from the communities of western New York to the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chattanooga. On November 24, 1863, these German-American artillerymen helped support the Union assault on Lookout Mountain, filling the valley with smoke, fire, and deafening explosions. Their bombardment was so intense that one Confederate described the mountain as seeming to "howl and shriek as if a million demons had been aroused in its caverns." Join us for this special anniversary program and artillery demonstration as we explore the experiences of the soldiers behind the cannon.