In late November 1863, the Union Army launched a series of attacks at Orchard Knob, Lookout Mountain, and Missionary Ridge. These Battles for Chattanooga drove Confederates out of the area for good, and opened the war for Union operations into the Deep South. As one Texan later remarked, it was the “Death Knell of the Confederacy.” Join park staff at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park to commemorate the 154th Anniversary of the Battles for Chattanooga to learn about these critical fights during a series of special programs around Chattanooga.
A living history Confederate officer peers through his binoculars toward Union artillery positions on Moccasin Bend.
National Park Service
Saturday, November 18
Cravens House - Open House Time: 9 am - 5 pm
Location: Cravens House on Lookout Mountain
Visitors are invited to come see Robert Cravens’ home on the side of Lookout Mountain and hear stories related to the family and the “Battle Above the Clouds.”
“A Vicious Little Battery:” The Union Artillery on Moccasin Bend Time: 10 am
Location: Near 201 Moccasin Bend Road , Chattanooga- “Special Event” signs will be posted
Union cannon, firing from fortifications on the southern most hills of Stringer’s Ridge, 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. Historian Jim Ogden will lead a 2-hour, 2-mile walking tour among the surviving earthworks and relate how the “vicious little battery” essentially dominated the looming bulk of Lookout Mountain to the south.
Walking Tours of Point Park Times: 10 am, 12 pm (noon), 2 pm, & 4 pm
Location: Meets inside the entrance gate at Point Park
Meet a park ranger for a 30-minute walking tour discussing the Campaign for Chattanooga from the perspective of Union and Confederate troops as they struggled for control of the “Gateway to the Deep South.”
The Fight For Lookout Mountain - Living History
Times: 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm, & 3:30 pm
Location: Point Park on Lookout Mountain
Living historians portraying Confederate infantry will discuss life during the Siege of Chattanooga and the Battle of Lookout Mountain. These programs will include firing demonstrations.
Orchard Knob: Outpost, Observation, and the Opening of a Battle Time: 2 pm
Location: Orchard Knob Reservation - the corner of Ivy Street and Orchard Knob Avenue in Chattanooga
Rising from the floor of Chattanooga Valley, the outcropping knoll known as Orchard Knob was a fortified forward outpost on the Confederate lines besieging Chattanooga. The Battles for Chattanooga opened when the Union attacked the position on November 23, 1863. In this 90-minute walk and talk, Historian Jim Ogden will discuss Orchard Knob’s role in the battles.
Sunday, November 19
Cravens House - Open House
Time: 9 am - 5 pm
Location: Cravens House on Lookout Mountain
Visitors are invited to come see Robert Cravens’ home on the side of Lookout Mountain and hear stories related to the family and the “Battle Above the Clouds.”
A Battle of Lookout Mountain Walk
Time: 10 am
Location: Cravens House on Lookout Mountain
Few envisioned that there would ever have been a “Battle Above the Clouds.” On November 24, 1863, such a battle did unfold. Join Historian Jim Ogden for a 2-hour, 1.5-mile walk exploring part of the battlefield and learn about an unanticipated battle.
Walking Tours of Point Park
Times: 10 am, 12 pm (noon), 2 pm, & 4 pm
Location: Meets inside the entrance gate at Point Park
Meet a park ranger for a 30-minute walking tour discussing the Campaign for Chattanooga from the perspective of Union and Confederate troops as they struggled for control of the “Gateway to the Deep South.”
The Battle of Missionary Ridge at Tunnel Hill
Time: 2 pm
Location: Sherman Reservation - Near 2800 Lightfoot Mill Road, Chattanooga
It was supposed to be Ulysses S. Grant’s main effort. His most trusted subordinate, William T. Sherman, was to attack the Confederate right and roll it up to the south, but it did not happen. In this 2-hour, 1.5-mile round trip walk, Historian Jim Ogden will relate the story of this portion of the final of the battles for Chattanooga.
Chattanooga sits in the shadow of Lookout Mountain.
Library of Congress
Thursday, November 23
Walking Tours of Point Park
Times: 10 am, 12 pm (noon), 2 pm, & 4 pm
Location: Meets inside the entrance gate at Point Park
Meet a park ranger for a 30-minute walking tour discussing the Campaign for Chattanooga from the perspective of Union and Confederate troops as they struggled for control of the “Gateway to the Deep South.”
Orchard Knob
Time: 2 pm
Location: Orchard Knob Reservation - the corner of Ivy Street and Orchard Knob Avenue in Chattanooga
Visit Orchard Knob Reservation for a 1-hour walking tour of this lesser known engagement on its 154th anniversary. On November 23, 1863, slightly more than 600 Confederates were engulfed by thousands of blue-clad United States soldiers as they swarmed around and over Orchard Knob in the first of three heated battles to decide the fate of Chattanooga.
Friday, November 24
Cravens House - Open House
Time: 9 am - 5 pm
Location: Cravens House on Lookout Mountain
Visitors are invited to come see the Robert Cravens’ home on the side of Lookout Mountain and hear stories related to the family and the “Battle Above the Clouds.”
Brown’s Ferry and Grant’s Plan
Time: 10 am
Location: Brown’s Ferry Federal Road Trialhead- Near 707 Moccasin Bend Road, Chattanooga - “Special Event” signs will be posted
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 affected Union General Grant’s November 1863, offensive to fully secure the “Gateway to the Deep South.” Join Historian Jim Ogden for a 1-mile, 90-minute round trip walk down to the river at Brown’s Ferry and learn how events at this vital crossing shaped what became the Battles for Chattanooga days later.
Walking Tours of Point Park
Times: 10 am, 12 pm (noon), 2 pm, & 4 pm
Location: Meets inside the entrance gate at Point Park
Meet a park ranger for a 30-minute walking tour discussing the Campaign for Chattanooga from the perspective of Union and Confederate troops as they struggled for control of the “Gateway to the Deep South.”
A Battle of Lookout Mountain Walk
Time: 2 pm
Location: Cravens House on Lookout Mountain
Few envisioned that there would ever have been a “Battle Above the Clouds.” On November 24, 1863, such a battle did unfold. Join Historian Jim Ogden for a 2-hour, 1.5-mile walk exploring part of the battlefield and learn about an unanticipated battle.
This drawing by Adolph Metzner of the 32nd Indiana shows soldiers and seized guns captured during the attack on Missionary Ridge - November 25, 1863.
Library of Congress
Saturday, November 25
“Hold Yourself in Readiness:” The Army of the Cumberland Before Orchard Knob
Time: 10 am
Location: Orchard Knob Reservation - the corner of Ivy Street and Orchard Knob Avenue in Chattanooga
The movement that gained Orchard Knob for the Union was supposed to be a demonstration. However, its valuable proximity to the main Confederate line along Missionary Ridge was recognized and it was held. The Union troops who seized it and their comrades who joined them in front of it, were alerted to ready themselves for a potential attack on Missionary Ridge. In this 90-minute walk and talk, Historian Jim Ogden will discuss the Union Army between Orchard Knob and Missionary Ridge, figuratively and literally, between November 23 and their attack on Missionary Ridge.
What Makes a Fortification
Time: 10 am
Location: Sherman Reservation - Near 2800 Lightfoot Mill Road, Chattanooga
Confederates created a means of crude field fortifications by using rocks, logs, and other materials to defend their position. These fortifications, although different from other earthen fortifications, provided the necessary protection for the Confederate soldiers defending Missionary Ridge until supporting troops from Union Gen. George Thomas were brought into the fight. Come learn about an often overlooked aspect of the battlefield – the field fortifications used to defend Missionary Ridge. This 1-hour program will delve into the role of field fortifications used by Confederate soldiers positioned along Missionary Ridge.
Walking Tours of Point Park
Times: 10 am, 12 pm (noon), 2 pm, & 4 pm
Location: Meets inside the entrance gate at Point Park
Meet a park ranger for a 30-minute walking tour discussing the Campaign for Chattanooga from the perspective of Union and Confederate troops as they struggled for control of the “Gateway to the Deep South.”
The Last Full Measure
Time: 2 pm
Location: Chattanooga National Cemetery at the Andrews’ Raiders Monument
While President Abraham Lincoln made “a few appropriate remarks” at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Union General Ulysses S. Grant was actively making plans to break the Siege of Chattanooga once and for all. A few days later, Grant’s forces gave their “last full measure of devotion” on ground that later became a final resting place for many of those soldiers. This 1-hour program will discuss some of the stories associated with these brave soldiers.
Cumming’s Georgians & the Battle of Missionary Ridge at Tunnel Hill
Time: 2 pm
Location: Sherman Reservation - Near 2800 Lightfoot Mill Road, Chattanooga
Having endured the debilitating Siege of Vicksburg and some of the humilitation associated with surrender there, Georgians of Alfred Cumming’s Brigade were back in the ranks and ironically facing some of the same enemy as five months before. Might the fall have a different outcome than the spring and summer? Historian Jim Ogden will examine the role of Cumming’s Brigade in the Tunnel Hill portion of the Battle of Missionary Ridge on November 25, 1863, in this 2-hour, 1.5-mile walking tour.
**November 18, 19, 23, 24, & 25: Car caravan tours of Chickamauga Battlefield, lasting approximately 2 hours, will be offered at 10 am & 2 pm, beginning inside the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center.
Please note, these programs are outdoors, and many of them are hikes. Remember to dress appropriately for weather and terrain conditions.
