Civil War re-enactors prepare for an artillery firing demonstration at Point Park on Lookout Mountain.Visitors to Point Park this weekend can learn about the life of Civil War soldiers in the 16th Alabama Infantry.
Part of the Confederate Army of Tennessee, the 16th Alabama Regiment participated in the 1863 Chattanooga Campaign. At Chickamauga, the regiment sustained a 59 percent casualty rate, one of the highest suffered by a regiment on either side in the battle, according to the National Park Service. As part of Gen. Patrick Cleburne's division, the 16th Alabama assisted in defending Ringgold Gap on Nov. 27, 1863. Cleburne's success at Ringgold permitted the Army of Tennessee to retreat to Dalton, Ga., after the Battles for Chattanooga.
Living-history volunteers will present talks about what daily life was like for the soldiers from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1. Historians will conduct rifle-firing demonstrations at 10 and 11:30 a.m. and 12:30, 2 and 3:30 p.m. Saturday and at 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
Point Park is on East Brow Road atop Lookout Mountain. For more information, contact the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center at 423-821-7786 or the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at 423-752-5213, or visit the park's website at www.nps.gov/chch.