Eli Lilly, abolitionists are focus of Civil War history programs

Manhattan, Mont., resident Steve Knobel examines a monument to the Indiana artillery battery led by Eli Lilly at Chickamauga Battlefield.
Manhattan, Mont., resident Steve Knobel examines a monument to the Indiana artillery battery led by Eli Lilly at Chickamauga Battlefield.

Two upcoming National Park Service programs will offer insights into the area's Civil War history.

The first program, at Chickamauga Battlefield, will focus on Eli Lilly, who founded the now-global pharmaceutical company that bears his name. The second, at Bessie Smith Cultural Center, will look at the "blossoming" abolitionists in the Union Army of the Cumberland.

Both programs are free. For more information, call the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at 706-866-9241, the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center at 423-821-7786, or visit the park's website at www.nps.gov/chch.

* Saturday, Feb. 11: "Take What You Find Here and Make It Better and Better," 2 p.m.

This 60-minute program will meet at Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center, 3370 LaFayette Road in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., then caravan to Tour Stop No. 5 to hike to Lilly's battery of artillery in Viniard Field.

Before the Civil War, Lilly worked as a pharmacist, inventing medicines to better the health of the American public. During the war, he found himself under the command of Col. J.T. Wilder, where he used those innovation skills to put together an artillery battery like no other. On Sept. 19, 1863, his battery saw fierce fighting in Viniard Field during the Battle of Chickamauga. He returned to the pharmaceutical business after the war.

Participants are reminded to wear comfortable, supportive footwear and clothing appropriate for the weather. Totable chairs are welcome, and water is recommended.

* Monday, Feb. 13: "Why They Fought: Abolitionists in the Union Army of the Cumberland," 6 p.m. at Bessie Smith Cultural Center, 200 E. M.L. King Blvd.

This 45-minute program will focus on abolitionists in the Union Army of the Cumberland during the Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns.

In many cases, say park officials, soldiers found themselves marching off to war, as Pvt. Chauncey Welton of the 103rd Ohio suggested, in order to "fight for and vindicate the supremacy of the Constitution."

Not all were staunch abolitionists, looking to eradicate the institution of slavery. However, as many U.S. soldiers tramped through Middle Tennessee, headed toward Chattanooga, they became personally acquainted with the peculiar institution.

As soldiers interacted with enslaved African-Americans, some of their mindsets began to change, as indicated by Lt. Alfred Pirtle, when he shared in a letter home that the unfolding events in which he was involved rapidly made "practical abolitionists of every soldier."

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