Confederate soldier re-enactors charge toward the audience after a firing demostration at the Chickamauga Battlefield in July.
Photo by Angela LewisFour days of programs commemorating the Battle of Chickamauga are scheduled to begin Friday in Fort Oglethorpe.
That Sept. 18-20, 1863 battle was second only to Gettysburg as the Civil War’s bloodiest. It was also the last major victory for Confederate forces.
To mark the battle’s 147th anniversary, events are being staged at the National Park Service’s Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.
There will be artillery, cavalry and infantry demonstrations; re-enactment of 1860 presidential election political rallies complete with candidate speeches and period music; Union and Confederate encampments and tours of the nation’s oldest and largest National Military Park.
The Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 27 and McFarland Avenue, will be open until 6 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and until 5 p.m. on Monday.
Union artillery demonstrations will take place along south McDonald Field near tour stop No. 1 on U.S. Highway 27. Demonstrations, including cannon firings, will be held at 10 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:45 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4:15 p.m on Saturday. On Sunday, demonstrations will take place at 10:45 a.m., noon, 1:15 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Chickamauga Commemoration event scheduleA complete schedule of evening programs, walks, talks, special children programs, living history events and tours – including descriptions of each event – can be found on the Friends of the Park website.Battlefield Bicycle RideOutdoor Chattanooga and Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park on Saturday will host a guided bicycle tour of Chickamauga Battlefield.A National Park Service interpretive ranger will present the history and human drama of the Battle of Chickamauga during this five- or six-mile leisurely paced ride that departs the Visitor Center at 9:30 a.m.Those without their own bicycle should call Outdoor Chattanooga at (706) 866-9241 before Saturday to borrow a bicycle and helmet for this ride.The nation’s oldest and largest military parkChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park was officially dedicated on Sept. 18-20, 1895. Most of the 1,400 monuments and historical markers on the battlefields were planned and placed by Gen. Henry V. Boynton, who led the 35th Ohio Infantry, and other veterans of the battles.-National Park Service
Infantry and cavalry demonstrations, band performances and political rally re-enactments will be staged at the Visitor Center.
Confederate infantry demonstrations on Saturday will take place at 10:45 a.m., noon, 1:15 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. On Sunday, the infantry re-enactors will have programs at 11:30 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3:15 p.m.
Cavalry demonstrations are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. on Saturday and at 11:45 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. on Sunday.
Also at the Visitor Center, daily at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m., living historians will demonstrate their oratory in commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the 1860 presidential election. Members of the Rome, Ga.-based Eighth Regiment Band will perform period music on authentic instruments during these presentations.
In addition to re-enactments, authors will be available to talk about and sign copies of their books about the Civil War.
Dave Powell, author of “The Maps of Chickamauga,” will be at the Visitor Center on Friday and Saturday afternoons.
Perry Short, author of “Generation of Warriors” will be at the Visitor Center from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Betsy Hoole McArthur, author of “Bound for Glory,” will be at the Visitor Center on Sunday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. At 1:30 p.m. she will conduct a special program at the Snodgrass Cabin on Snodgrass Hill, scene of some of the pivotal action during the battle.
For more information about events this weekend, contact the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at (706) 866-9241, the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center at (423) 821-7786.