Chickamauga and Chattanooga

Nessie went into the hospital today, so we were left with a dog, a car, and a desire for breakfast! A quick stop at the nearest Waffle House took care of the last item, and a look online resulted in  something to do.

About 9 miles south of Chattanooga, in the hills around Chickamauga Creek, a Civil War battle was fought that some historians count as the death knell of the Confederacy. Whether of not that's true, the Battle of Chickamauga has the distinction of being the second costliest battle, behind Gettysburg, in terms of deaths, wounded, and captured, of the entire Civil War. The little town of 2,500 residents called Chattanooga was considered to be as important as the taking of Richmond by President Lincoln. The reason? 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 General Braxton-Bragg and his Army of Tennessee controlled Chattanooga, but Union General William Rosecrans moved his Army of the Cumberland to the south , threatening the Confederates from behind, In a classic military maneuver, General Braxton-Bragg moved his Confederate troops out of Chattanooga, leading the Union forces to believe that a retreat to Richmond was in progress. Actively pursuing the Confederates, they ran straight into a trap set at Chickamauga Creek. Over three days of confusion, surprise, and hard fighting, the Union troops retreated with great loss of life, but their goal was the now the undefended town of Chattanooga. The battle is considered a resounding Confederate rout, but in the process, they lost control of Chattanooga.

In late October, thousands of Union soldiers march out of Chattanooga to engage Confederates that now surround the city. General U.S. Grant had arrived in Chattanooga with reinforcements and opened a supply line to the city. The siege had failed. On November 23, Union troops had taken Orchard Knob, a small hill between the city and Missionary Ridge. By November 24, the stage was set, and on November 25, 1863, Missionary Ridge and all the surrounding hills, as well as Chattanooga, fell into Union hands. Not only had control of the railroads passed into Federal hands, but the town provided General William T. Sherman a base for his infamous Atlanta Campaign, leading to the question: is the fall of Chattanooga truly the "death knell of the Confederacy"?

The Visitor Center has a number of exhibits, but our favorite was the map with led lights representing the various troop movements during the Battle of Chickamauga. Over seven minutes, a narrated display clearly shows how the battle unfolded over three days. Very good!

 A seven mile long tour through the battlefield is lined with monuments to the various units in both armies. The park was dedicated in 1895, with survivors of the fighting in attendance. All specifics were verified by the original participants.

The armies flowed out of the surrounding woodlots into great fields. Planted in crops, the fields provided little cover, and were soon trampled.

We took note of a number of fine monuments commemorating the men who fought here.

We soon came to Wilder's Tower. Union Colonel John T. Wilder lead a "lightening brigade" of cavalry equipped with a seven shot Spencer repeating rifles. This late war improvement in rifle technology allowed multiple shots to be fired while  conventional rifles were still being primed, packed and shot once. Colonel Wilder defended this hill until he realized he was isolated and fell back to provide a rear-guard for retreating Union troops.

136 steps to the top (I can vouch for that) get you to an observation tower that provides a 360 degree view of the center of the battle lines, where the southerners poured through a gap in the Union lines.

That's Donna and Sasha down there in the shade of the tree. Smart girls!

An emotional monument near Horseshoe Ridge shows a riderless horse trying to escape the battle.

Back to reality this afternoon, we were told that the problems with Nessie weren't all that serious. At least nothing that $1,000 can't fix.....

So, we're camped again tonight in the parking lot, next to I-24 south of Chattanooga. It's not too bad, though, we have water and electric hookups and the dump station is only 20 feet away. We're hoping that the necessary parts will arrive tomorrow so that repairs can be made this week. Oh, the problem? The electric motor that drives the bedroom slide in and out is connected to a gearbox that reduces the rpm's of the motor and increases the torque. Between the two gears, a tooth or two has broken off. Bummer.