Dick Cheney

CHICKAMAUGA — Thousands of Civil War re-enactors today will re-stage one of the bloodiest battles in American history, after Vice President Dick Cheney on Friday honored those who fell in 1863.

“At this hour 145 years ago, little could be heard above cannon fire, rifle shot and bugle calls,” Mr. Cheney told thousands gathered at McLemore Cove. “It was violent and terrifying and brief.”

The 145th anniversary of the Battle of Chickamauga is expected to bring about 50,000 people to Walker County from all over the world. Re-enactors from as far away as Australia will participate in the event.

“This is going to be the largest gathering in Walker County’s history,” John Culpepper, a re-enactor and Chickamauga city manager, said.

Today there will be three battle re-enactments, and the Battle of Snodgrass Hill on Sunday afternoon will close the event.

Mr. Cheney stood on the same land that his great-grandfather fought on in battles leading up to the conflict in Chickamauga, which claimed 34,000 American lives. Several miles north of the event site is the land where the last major Confederate victory took place, preserved today as the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.

“All of us know this is the place were Bragg and Rosecrans faced off. This is the place where Longstreet and Thomas gained fame,” he said of the Confederate and Union generals who led soldiers on Sept. 19-20, 1863.

The vice president’s great-grandfather, Samuel Fletcher Cheney, was a Union lieutenant with the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War.

After the war ended his great-grandfather still faced hard times — from losing four fingers in a saw mill accident to outliving two wives, Mr. Cheney said.

“There had to be some iron in that old fellow,” he said, prompting laughs from the crowd.

Officials and organizers of the event were asked many times how they got the vice president to come to Walker County. It is the history and chance to honor his past that drew him, they said.

“He is here to honor his ancestor just like us in blue and gray are honoring our ancestors,” Mr. Culpepper said.

Mr. Cheney stood on a stage facing Lookout Mountain, where Union troops crossed into the cove more than a century ago. A large American flag served as a backdrop and Secret Service officials — dressed in black and talking into hidden earpieces — swarmed through the crowds.

Students and other spectators watched from roped-off parts of the field, while community leaders and special guests got close-up seats in front of the stage.

“It’s exciting because somebody famous is right there,” Stacie Guy, 16, from Mt. Nebo Christian Academy in Robbinsville, N.C., said.

Before the vice presidential motorcade arrived, spectators watched as Union soldiers in deep blue uniforms rode over the horizon on horseback. The 8th Georgia Regimental played the National Anthem on authentic Civil War-era instruments after Mr. Cheney took his place on stage. Living historians in costume that ranged from hoop skirts to army attire speckled the crowd.

As thousands of re-enactors prepared for the weekend’s first battle Friday, Mr. Cheney expressed the value in remembering the past.

“Civil War re-enactors aren’t just people who like to make noise and fire off black powder — although that is a pretty good thing to do,” he said. “What they want to bring to an observance like this is a sense of history. They want to keep alive the camaraderie that sustained units of men, kept them strong and held their spirits up even in moments of struggle and desperation.”

Mr. Cheney referenced and quoted leaders before him, such as Theodore Roosevelt, who have described the Civil War and its importance. The vice president also remembered when, years after the resolution, both sides came together in Chickamauga to smoke peace pipes and eat barbecue in 1889.

He briefly referenced the war in Iraq and encouraged everyone to support the troops fighting today.

Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, sat next to the vice president on stage.

“I’m just a small-town boy, so I wasn’t afraid to talk,” Sen. Mullis said. “He is very excited to be here. He is a real history buff.”

Eric Chandler, a Lookout Mountain, Ga., resident, said he thought the vice president gave a wonderful speech. He also said the anniversary event was a great learning experience.

Officials such as Rep. Nathan Deal, R-Ga., and Rep. Jay Neal, R-LaFayette, said Mr. Cheney’s personal story was special.

The vice president said there is no disputing the importance of the history that was created 145 years ago in Northwest Georgia.

“All these years later, it is amazing and inspiring to think about the history that was made in this corner of America,” he said. “May our nation never forget the valor of the blue and gray at the Battle of Chickamauga.”

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