Special Programs - Sunday, November 23, 2025

RANGER-LED AND HISTORIAN-LED TOURS

 

The Battle of Chattanooga, printed by L. Prang & Co., shows US Generals Grant, Thomas, and Granger atop Orchard Knob as they watch the assault on Missionary Ridge. The fighting to wrestle Orchard Knob away from the Confederates took place on November 23, 1863.

Library of Congress

9:30 am - Brown's Ferry & Grant's Plan of Attack
Location: Brown's Ferry Road Trailhead, 700 Moccasin Bend Road, Chattanooga, TN

The Tennessee River pontoon bridge at Brown’s Ferry was a critical link in any chain for final Union success at Chattanooga; the relative strength of that link significantly impacted Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant’s November, 1863, offensive to fully secure the “Gateway to the Deep South.” Join National Military Park Historian Jim Ogden for a one mile, ninety-minute round trip walk down to the river at Brown’s Ferry and learn how events at this vital crossing at the end of the third week of the eleventh month shaped what became the Battles for Chattanooga days later. The tour will begin along Moccasin Bend Road just north of Hamm Road; take Manufacturers Road west from US 27 and follow the Special Events signs.

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.

11 am – The Battle of Orchard Knob: A Walking Tour
Location: Orchard Knob, Chattanooga, TN. Meet inside the pedestrian gate located in the southeast corner of the Orchard Knob Reservation. Please park along Ivy Street.

On November 23, 1863, US soldiers, besieged in Chattanooga by surrounding Confederates since September, decided to strike back at the gray-clad troops occupying the heights around the city. The first military demonstration was against the small knoll between Chattanooga and Missionary Ridge, called Orchard Knob. This 1-hour program will provide insight into the first of 3 days of fighting to control Chattanooga.

2 pm – The Battle of Lookout Mountain at Bald Hill
Location: 3100 Parker Lane, Chattanooga, TN

Union General Joseph Hooker’s demonstration along the lower reaches of Lookout Creek did much to prevent a meaningful response to the northerner’s simultaneous flank attack along the western slopes of the Lookout Mountain. The most significant landmark for many in this usually forgotten part of the “Battle Above the Clouds” was a prominent mostly open and cultivated hill. Join National Military Park Historian Jim Ogden for this 2 ½ hour 2 ½ mile walking tour of this less explored part of the Lookout Mountain Battlefield.

 

LIVING HISTORY PROGRAMS

 

“Thunder on the Mountain” – Artillery Firing Demonstrations
Location: Inside Point Park, 110 Point Park Road, Lookout Mountain, TN
Program Times: 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, 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.