Event
Mute Testimony to the Struggle: Larkin Poe's Experiences at Chickamauga
Fee:
Free.Location:
Chickamauga BattlefieldDates & Times
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Type of Event
Description
On Saturday, May 25, at 2 pm, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a special 1-hour program near Tour Stop 3 in Chickamauga Battlefield. This program will focus on local farmer turned Confederate soldier Larkin Poe and his experiences during and following the Battle of Chickamauga. Participants should meet inside the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center for a brief overview before caravanning to the program location.
Prior to the Civil War, Larkin Poe married into one of the families residing along LaFayette Road in what is now Chickamauga Battlefield. As the war entered its second year, Poe enlisted in a local cavalry company. In 1863, as the storm of war engulfed his home, Poe, though present with his unit, was absent from home as his family and his farm suffered to the point of destruction. Distraught, he rode to the battlefield where he recalled the “piled up dead, the trampled and bloodstained ground, the torn and splintered timber, bore mute testimony to the terrible struggle that had taken place there.” What happened to his family? Could his farm be rebuilt? These and other questions possibly pulsed through Poe’s mind. What he did next, could have branded him disloyal for the remainder of his life. We hope you will join us as we explore the story of Larkin Poe and the difficult decisions he faced during the Civil War.
For more information about upcoming programs at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, please contact the Lookout Mountain Visitor Center at 423-821-7786, the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at 706-866-9241, or visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/chch.