Special Programs - Saturday, November 22, 2025

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

9:30 am - A Vicious Little Battery: The Union Artillery on Moccasin Bend During the Siege and Battles for Chattanooga
Location: 200 Moccasin Bend Road, Chattanooga, TN

Union artillery, firing from fortifications on the southern-most hills of Stringer’s Ridge on Moccasin Bend, helped keep the Confederates at bay during the Siege of Chattanooga and then assisted in prying the Confederates from Lookout Valley and Lookout Mountain during the Battles for Chattanooga. Many of the earthworks that protected those Union cannon survive. Join Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Historian Jim Ogden for a two-hour walking tour through the complex and learn how “a vicious little battery” could essentially dominate the looming bulk of Lookout Mountain to the south. The tour begins from a parking area along Moccasin Bend Road just north of the Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute; look for the “Special Event” signs and the park ranger who will direct you into the parking area.

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

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 pm – You Take Command: Wargaming the Battles for Chattanooga in Miniature
Location: Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center, 3370 LaFayette Road, Fort Oglethorpe, GA

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will host an interactive, 3-hour, miniature wargame of the Battles for Chattanooga that will take place at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center. Up to 10 participants can take command of portions of the Federal and Confederate armies, making decisions and maneuvering military miniatures across a 3-dimensional tabletop battlefield as they seek to overcome some of the challenges faced by commanders during the real battles in November 1863.

Participants will determine the outcome of the battle as they each take on the role of an army, corps, or division commander during the climactic fighting at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge on November 24 and 25, 1863. Players will work together using easy-to-learn rules to coordinate desperate assaults or spirited defenses to achieve victory. Dice rolls and event cards will help to determine the effects of combat, command and control, and the fog of war. If you would like to view the Battles for Chattanooga from a fresh perspective, or if you are interested in exploring the hobby of historical miniature wargaming, this program is for you!

No miniature wargaming experience is necessary, and children are welcome to participate with an accompanying adult. To reserve a spot for this event, contact Park Ranger Luke Dixon at [e-mail]. We hope to see you there!

2 pm – The Battle of Lookout Mountain from Reflection Riding
Location: Reflection Riding, 400 Garden Road, Chattanooga, TN

“What ! Does the General expect us to fly?” That was the response of some Union soldiers when told early on November 24, 1863, that they would be attacking the Confederates on Lookout Mountain that day. The mountain’s seemingly indomitable height made the idea of such an attack to be almost as impossible as that of human flight. But their commander, Major General Joseph Hooker had taken the measure of his enemy in gray and devised a plan by which to wrest control of the mountain from the Confederates. Reflection Riding today protects ground where key parts of Hooker’s plan unfolded. Join Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Historian Jim Ogden for a guided 2 ½ mile, 2 ½ hour hike across the Riding to learn about those key parts of the “Battle Above the Clouds,” about the time when the peace and solitude of Reflection Riding was disturbed by fighting that was a part of one of the most important campaigns of the Civil War. This program is offered in partnership with Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and is part of the National Military Park’s series of programs commemorating the 162nd anniversary of the Battles for Chattanooga. Comfortable, supportive, footwear, clothing appropriate for the weather, and water are recommended for this program. The hiking pace between historical points will be approximately 2 ½ to 3 miles per hour.

 

LIVING HISTORY PROGRAMS

 

“Thunder on the Mountain” – Artillery Firing Demonstrations
Location: Inside Point Park, 110 Point Park Road, Lookout Mountain, TN
Program Times: 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, & 2:30 pm

Artillery made Lookout Mountain important during the siege of Chattanooga. Using the heights to their advantage, Confederate batteries ensured no supplies were able to come into the beleaguered town. Then, they were involved in the defense of the mountain itself on November 24, 1863, in a battle in which the geography that earlier benefited them took a turn, and nature itself seemed to work against the gunners. This 30-minute program will explore the role artillery played in the siege and in the “Battle Above the Clouds”.

"The Awe-Inspiring Precipice" - Infantry Presentations
Location: Inside Point Park, 110 Point Park Road, Lookout Mountain, TN
Program Times: 10 am, 1 pm, 2 pm, & 3 pm

In the early morning hours of November 25, 1863, Captain John Wilson and five men of the 8th Kentucky Infantry (US) ascending Lookout Mountain by climbing traversing the slopes from Cravens House to Point Lookout. Later, Captain Wilson stated, "Those who have seen the awe-inspiring precipice at the top of the great mountain can realize what a serious undertaking was before us...."These 30-minute presentations will discuss the results of the Battle of Lookout Mountain and the eventual Union sucess that followed.