Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park ⓘ

President Abraham Lincoln believed that taking Chattanooga was as important as taking Richmond. Why was a small town of 2,500 as important as the capital of the Confederacy? The small city lay on the banks of the Tennessee River where it cut through the Appalachian Mountains, allowing four major railroads to converge. If the Union captured Chattanooga, it could cripple Confederate supply lines and strike at the industrial heart of the Confederacy. In the summer of 1863, Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg and his Army of Tennessee controlled Chatta­nooga. But Union Gen. William Rosecrans skillfully moved his Army of the Cumberland south, across the Tennessee River and over Sand Mountain and Lookout Mountain, threatening the Confederates from behind. By early September, Bragg realized he had been outmaneuvered. The Confederate Army had no choice but to abandon the city and its remaining residents. Rosecrans thought the Confederates were retreating toward Atlanta, prompting him and his army to pur­sue the gray-clad soldiers into Georgia. However, the Confederates had a surprise of their own. Bragg, now heavily reinforced, was not going to give up Chattanooga without a fight. At the Battle of Chicka­mauga, little went as planned and thousands of men lost their lives. Yet, it would be late November before the city’s fate would be decided—and perhaps that of the Confederacy.

On November 25, 1863, more than 50,000 Union soldiers stormed the Confederate defenses along Missionary Ridge east of Chattanooga. The attack stretched from the Rossville Gap at the Georgia border all the way up to Tunnel Hill at the northern end of Missionary Ridge. By the end of the day the Confederate Army of Tennessee was retreating towards Dalton, Georgia and Chattanooga was firmly in Union hands. It was, as one Confederate officer later described it, "The death knell of the Confederacy."

Along the crest of Missionary Ridge are a series of eight reservations and monuments that preserve and tell the story of key areas of the Battle of Missionary Ridge. Most of these reservations and monuments are located in residential neighborhoods along a narrow road at the crest of the ridge. Several tablets and cannon are located on private property in residents' yards. Please be respectful of these residents, and do not block or park in private driveways, or enter private property without the owner's consent. All park properties along Missionary Ridge are open daily from sunrise to sunset.

Located in the Rossville Gap just three miles north of Chickamauga Battlefield, the Iowa Monument is the southernmost reservation of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park on Missionary Ridge. During the battle Union troops from General Joseph Hooker's command, fresh off their victory at Lookout Mountain the day before, attacked the southern flank of the Confederate positions just north of here. But it was other Union soldiers who would leave their permanent mark on the landscape. After the Battle of Missionary Ridge, thousands of Iowans celebrated their victory with a grand review through the Rossville Gap. Although these men did not fight in the gap during the battle, their fond memories of the celebratory march inspired them to place a large monument at the site. The monument is located at the intersection of Highway 27 and West Crest Road in Rossville, Georgia.

On South Crest Road, just a few miles north of the Iowa Monument at Rossville, is the Bragg Reservation. This reservation preserves the location of Confederate General Braxton Bragg's headquarters during the Battle of Missionary Ridge. This area is where General George Thomas's Army of the Cumberland broke the center of the Confederate line on Missionary Ridge.There is a small parking at the Bragg Reservation, which consists of several cannon and tablets. The largest feature here is the Illinois Monument.

On South Crest Road just north of the Bragg Reservation is the Ohio Reservation. It was here that the Union soldiers of Thomas Wood's Division of IV Corps attacked Missionary Ridge. Among these men where many Ohioans. After the war, Ohio erected a large monument to the men that fought here. In 2014, middle schoolers from Reynoldsburg, Ohio raised the money necessary to repair drummer boy statue on this Ohio Monument, which had been damaged years before. The monument is located in between several private homes. Please park only in designated areas and do not walk onto private property.

By the time General John Turchin led his troops up the slope of Missionary Ridge, he was an experienced soldier. Born in Russia, Turchin was educated at the Imperial Military Academy in St. Petersburg, and served several years in the Russian Army throughout Europe before immigrating to the United States. Defending this area against Turchin's men were Arthur Manigault's Alabamians and South Carolinians. There is a tablet and two cannon at the Turchin Reservation. Be aware that there is no public parking here and North Crest Road is is too narrow to park on the side of the road at this location. To park turn down a side street, or park at DeLong Reservation and walk back. Do not block or park in private driveways.

At DeLong Reservation on North Crest Road, just north of the Turchin Reservation, is a monument to the 2nd Minnesota Infantry that fought at this area. In addition to the 2nd Minnesota Monument are several tablets and cannon.

Colonel Edward Phelps personally led his brigade up the slope of Missionary Ridge. Just as he reached the crest, he was struck and killed by a Confederate bullet at this spot. The monument is an upward facing cannon. There is no parking at this location. Please do not block or park in private driveways.

While Union forces were largely successful in their attacks along Missionary Ridge, the Confederacy held the upper hand along the ridge's northern hills. The 73rd Pennsylvania suffered mightily during the engagement. These men, part General Oliver Howard's XI Corps, were veterans of many of the major engagements of the eastern theater of war, having fought at Second Manassas, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. As they charged Confederate rifle pits in the hills at the north end of Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga, the unit was cut off from the rest of the brigade. As a result, nearly the entire regiment was killed, wounded, or captured. Only twenty five men avoided capture. Today there is a monument to the 73rd Pennsylvania, as well as several tablets explaining the military operations in the area. The 73rd Pennsylvania Monument is located at the intersection of Glass Street and Campbell Street just off of North Crest Road. There is no parking at this location. To visit either park in a public space in the commercial area of Glass Street and walk, or park at the Sherman Reservation and hike down a short trail that connects the Sherman Reservation and the 73rd Pennsylvania Reservation.

Located at the northern end of North Crest Road is the Sherman Reservation. At fifty acres, this is the largest of the reservations on Missionary Ridge, and preserves the area where General William T. Sherman's troops assaulted the Confederate defenses on Tunnel Hill. General Patrick Cleburne successfully fended off Sherman's men, but was eventually forced to retreat as the rest of the Confederate Army retreated eastward off of Missionary Ridge. There is a small parking area at the intersection of Lightfoot Mill Road and North Crest Road. A small trail leads into the reservation, which contains several monuments, tablets, and cannon. There is also a connector trail allowing visitors to hike between the Sherman Reservation and the 73rd Pennsylvania Reservation down the hill along Glass Street.

Twenty miles east of Chickamauga Battlefield and tucked away next to the Ringgold Wastewater Treatment Plant is a monument erected by the state of New York. In the aftermath of the Battle of Missionary Ridge, the Confederates retreated south with the Union Army in close pursuit. On November 27, 1863, a small Confederate force under the command of General Patrick Cleburne made a stand at Ringgold Gap.

Despite being vastly outnumbered, they inflicted tremendous casualties on the Union forces, many of whom were from New York. The Confederate victory gave the army enough time to retreat and reorganize in preparation for the summer campaign in Georgia. This small monument is dedicated to those New Yorkers who fought and died in this valley. It is located at the south end of Depot Street in Ringgold, Georgia.

As the Tennessee River cuts its way through the Cumberland Plateau, it divides the plateau into two distinctive mountains. Signal Mountain is located northwest of Chattanooga, while Raccoon Mountain is located to the west. Located atop Signal Mountain, Signal Point overlooks the Tennessee River between Signal and Raccoon Mountains. It was practically the only high ground in the area controlled by Union troops during the siege of Chattanooga between September and November 1863. Union soldiers used Signal Point to communicate with the outside world by creating a complex signaling system on portions of high ground along the Tennessee River. Signal Point was the key station receiving and sending messages from the besieged city to Bridgeport, Alabama, thence by telegraph to the North. Once Union forces opened the supply line to the city from Brown's Ferry on October 27, 1863, the signal station at Signal Point was primarily used for observing and reporting Confederate troop movements in the area.

Today Signal Point is a popular hiking destination. In addition to scenic views of the Tennessee River, Signal Point Reservation is an access point for the Cumberland Trail , which stretches several hundred miles across the Cumberland Plateau. The Signal Point Reservation is located on Signal Mountain, Tennessee at the end of Signal Point Road. There is parking available, and restrooms are open seasonally in the spring, summer, and fall.

On Monday afternoon, November 23, 1863, Union troops under the command of General George H. Thomas formed battle lines in an open valley between the city of Chattanooga and a rocky mound, known as Orchard Knob, to the east. Confederate soldiers positioned on the knob had previously constructed rifle pits along the crest and around the base in order to assist them in besieging the city. Confederate sentries atop Orchard Knob anxiously watched as the Union lines moved into a parade-like formation in front of their positions.

Around 1:30 P.M. Union buglers sounded the command "Forward," and approximately 14,000 troops began marching toward the Confederate positions. Only 634 Confederates held the line around Orchard Knob. The Union soldiers closed in on the knob, exchanging fire with the Confederates and pushing them back to the base of Missionary Ridge. A few minutes before 3:00 P.M., General Thomas J. Wood galloped to the summit and signaled to General Thomas: "I have taken the first line of the enemy's entrenchments." Thomas responded, "Hold on; don't come back; you have got too much; intrench [ sic ] your position." Although Orchard Knob was a minor engagement, it showed Grant that Bragg's army was still a capable fighting force and aided Bragg in realizing he should be concerned about the possibility of a Union attack upon his lines. On November 25 Orchard Knob became General Grant's forward observation post as he watched the Union assault upon Missionary Ridge.

In September of 1889, ten thousand Union and Confederate veterans descended on Chickamauga Battlefield. This time, they came not as enemies, but as reunited countrymen. This Blue and Gray BBQ, as it was called, sparked the idea to create a national park.

In 1890, the battlefields of Chickamauga and Chattanooga became the nation’s first official military park. President Bejnamin Harrison signed the designation into law on August 19 – five years before a similar status was conferred on Gettysburg and 26 years before the establishment of the National Park Service.

Civil War veterans, led by Henry Van Ness Boynton, and Ferdinand Van Der Veer, had spearheaded the legislation through Congress. Inspired by fervent patriotism and a desire for commemoration, the bill exemplified the theme of reunion between white veterans from both north and south. At least seven veterans of Chickamauga served in Congress and voted for the passage of the legislation.

A park commission was quickly organized, including representatives from both armies. Their task was to create a park that would tell the story of the campaign for Chattanooga while giving equal attention to both Union and Confederate stories. To accomplish this, the park commission erected hundreds of cast iron tablets around the park, marking the locations of soldiers during the battles. Additionally, veterans groups began to raise money, and with support from the park commission, erected monuments throughout the battlefield.

In 1895, veterans returned once again for the formal park dedication. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park was the nation’s first national military park. Its creation and operation established a precedent for establishing and managing historic sites throughout the nation.

For much of its early history, the park was administered by the War Department. During the Spanish American War, World War I, and World War II, the army used the park as a training facility for thousands of soldiers. In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order transferring management of the park from the War Department to the National Park Service. In 2003, Congress expanded the park by creating Moccasin Bend National Archeological District, for the purpose of preserving and interpreting the complex and layered history of human activity on this peninsula in Chattanooga.