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Title: Point Park Lookout Mountain and Chattanooga Battlefields - National Military Park, Georgia and Tennessee
Author: Anonymous
Language: English
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AND CHATTANOOGA BATTLEFIELDS ***
Point Park
Lookout Mountain
and Chattanooga
Battlefields
CHICKAMAUGA AND CHATTANOOGA
_National Military Park_
GEORGIA AND TENNESSEE
[Illustration: Seal]
UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
The National Park System, of which this area is a unit, is dedicated to
conserving the scenic, scientific, and historic heritage of the United
States for the benefit and inspiration of its people.
Cover: _Chattanooga and the winding Tennessee River from Point
Park, Lookout Mountain._
U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1961 0-618486 REPRINT 1961
[Illustration: uncaptioned]
Point Park, Lookout Mountain and Chattanooga Battlefields
CHICKAMAUGA AND CHATTANOOGA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK
_The Battle of Chattanooga—a Union victory in November 1863 which
secured that important railroad center and opened the way for the
Atlanta Campaign_
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, oldest and largest
of the national military park areas, was established in commemoration of
two important battles of the American Civil War. On these battlefields
gallant soldiers of the North and the South fought for control of
Chattanooga, strategic railroad center and gateway to the heart of the
Confederate States. Here, thousands of men on both sides exemplified the
true American qualities of independence, courage, and self-sacrifice,
which constitute the enduring strength of our democracy. At the
dedication of the park, a veteran of the battle said: “Here ... we and
they, the living and the dead, Confederate and Federal, fought for the
right as each understood it, for the Constitution as each construed it,
and for the liberty as each interpreted it.”
_The Campaign for Chattanooga_
Chattanooga was an important railroad center at the time of the Civil
War. Railroad lines radiated in the four principal directions and
provided connections with Nashville, Memphis, Atlanta, and Richmond. The
location of the city on the navigable Tennessee River where there were
gaps in the mountains added to its strategic value. Its capture by Union
forces would be a severe blow to the South. It would check the east and
west passage of men and supplies for the Southern armies and provide a
springboard for the invasion of Georgia.
During the summer and early fall of 1863, by skillful maneuvers, the
Union Army of the Cumberland forced the Southern Army of Tennessee out
of middle Tennessee and Chattanooga. On September 19 and 20, at
Chickamauga Creek in Georgia, the two armies met in one of the fiercest
engagements of the war. While this battle ended in Confederate victory,
the Union forces succeeded in retreating northward into Chattanooga.
The Confederates now settled down to siege tactics and attempted to
force the surrender of the Army of the Cumberland through starvation. By
occupying Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge and by establishing a
line between the two heights, they cut off all but the most difficult
route by which supplies could be brought into the city. Within a month
the Union Army in Chattanooga was in a desperate situation and was
reduced to half rations. Ten thousand horses and mules died and
surrender seemed inevitable.
The North, however, met this crisis by a change of command and
reinforcements. Troops from the Army of the Potomac in Virginia and from
Grant’s Vicksburg forces in Mississippi were sent hurrying to
Chattanooga, and General Grant arrived to take the overall command.
The reinforcements arrived in time to save the besieged army. A new
supply route was opened and was successfully defended. As a result of
this timely aid, the siege of Chattanooga failed. Nevertheless, the
Confederates still held their positions. In November the greatly
strengthened Union Army assumed the offensive.
[Illustration: _Missionary Ridge from DeLong Reservation._]
_The Battle of Chattanooga_
The Battle of Chattanooga was a 3-day engagement, November 23 to 25. As
planned by the Union officers, victory was to be won by a flanking
movement against the Confederate right wing on the north end of
Missionary Ridge. If this position were carried, Union troops in the
center were to join in an effort to sweep the Confederates from their
base of supplies and communications and to defeat them. The engagement,
however, developed much differently. While the main force was maneuvered
into position, a demonstration attack was made on a Confederate outpost
at Orchard Knob, about a mile in front of Missionary Ridge. This advance
movement was successfully carried out on November 23 but it warned the
Confederates of danger on that right flank and prompted them to
strengthen their positions.
On the next day, while the maneuvering force was still getting into
position, the Union officers tried another demonstration, this time to
divert the Confederates on their left. Moving along the slopes of
Lookout Mountain from the western side, Union troops gradually drove
back the few Confederate defenders. At Cravens Farm, however, they met
stubborn resistance from an entrenched line of troops. Here the fighting
was most serious, the Confederates finally being dislodged and forced to
retreat to a new line 400 yards beyond. At this point the fighting
ended, and although the Confederates had not yet been driven from the
mountain, their position was in danger. Rather than risk being cut off
from the main line of forces on Missionary Ridge, the Confederate
commander, General Bragg, evacuated all troops from Lookout Mountain and
the valley below. When Union soldiers scaled the palisades the next
morning, they found the mountain deserted.
On the third day, the Union Army resumed the attempt to gain a foothold
on the north end of Missionary Ridge, which it had previously failed to
take, but all attacks were repulsed by the Confederates. The forces on
Lookout Mountain were ordered to advance across Chattanooga Valley to
attack the Confederate left flank, but they advanced slowly. Meanwhile,
in order to relieve the situation on both Union flanks, other troops
were thrown against the Confederate rifle pits along the base of
Missionary Ridge. In a rush these Union soldiers carried the rifle pits.
Then in their enthusiasm, without waiting for further orders, they
charged up the mountain slopes and broke the Confederate positions. This
precipitated a general retreat of the Confederate Army across the border
into Georgia. Complete control of Chattanooga and its approaches had at
last been won by the Union.
[Illustration: _Tennessee River from Point Park, Lookout Mountain._]
_The Park_
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park is composed of
separate areas, the more important of which are: Chickamauga
Battlefield, in Georgia; Point Park and the Battlefield of Lookout
Mountain, and Orchard Knob, in Chattanooga; a chain of small
reservations located on Missionary Ridge; and Signal Point on Signal
Mountain. The park contains approximately 8,190 acres of Federal land.
_Point Park and Lookout Mountain Battlefield_
You are urged to go first to Point Park on Lookout Mountain, where from
the terrace of the Adolph S. Ochs Observatory and Museum, high above the
winding Tennessee River, you may obtain a comprehensive view of the
Battlefield of Chattanooga. On the parapet are markers to identify the
more important troop positions, and maps are available to indicate the
natural and historic features of interest. You may get further
assistance from a National Park Service attendant.
The observatory and museum bears the name of one of the park’s major
benefactors, the late Adolph S. Ochs, publisher of the Chattanooga Times
and the New York Times. He was responsible for the acquisition of
considerable land on Lookout Mountain for inclusion in the park.
From Lookout Point interesting foot trails, extending along eastern and
western flanks of the mountain, will reveal to you unusual rock
formations typical of the area and will provide ever-changing and
beautiful vistas of the countryside below.
You can reach Point Park from Chattanooga via U. S. 41, 64, 72, and 11
which combine as they leave the city and skirt the base of Lookout
Mountain. You then turn off on the Scenic Highway, which leads up the
mountain to the park entrance. You may also visit the park by means of
the St. Elmo buses from Chattanooga, which connect with the Lookout
Mountain Incline Railway at the foot of the mountain. The top of the
incline is within short walking distance of the Point Park entrance.
_Missionary Ridge_
To commemorate the engagement on Missionary Ridge, there are a series of
park areas located at important points on the ridge. Access to these
areas is provided by the Crest Road which runs the entire length of the
line occupied by the Confederates during the battle. Markers, monuments,
tablets, and gun positions will provide you with information, and you
can get excellent views of Chattanooga along this drive. The more
important units of the park on Missionary Ridge are: The Sherman
Reservation, where Sherman’s forces unsuccessfully attacked the north
end of the Confederate line; the DeLong Reservation, site of one of the
breaks in the Confederate line; the Ohio Reservation, an area set aside
to commemorate the participation of Ohio troops in the battles; and the
Bragg Reservation, where the Confederate commander had his headquarters.
_Orchard Knob_
This unit of the park is located near McCallie Avenue (U. S. 11 and 64),
in Chattanooga. It marks the site where the first action of the Battle
of Chattanooga took place. Orchard Knob became General Grant’s
headquarters during the remainder of the battle.
_Administration_
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park is administered by
the National Park Service of the United States Department of the
Interior.
At the park headquarters, located on the Chickamauga Battlefield in
Georgia, there are a museum and reference library. The Fuller gun
collection of American shoulder arms is an outstanding attraction of the
museum.
Additional information may be obtained by addressing the Superintendent,
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.
Those who plan to visit in a group may receive special service if
advance arrangements are made with the superintendent.
[Illustration: CHICKAMAUGA AND CHATTANOOGA
NATIONAL MILITARY PARK
GEORGIA AND TENNESSEE]
Transcriber’s Notes
—Silently corrected a few typos.
—Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook
is public-domain in the country of publication.
—In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by
_underscores_.
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