Last weekend the 145th anniversary of the Battle of Chickamauga was celebrated with a massive reenactment.
The Battle of Chickamauga was a bloody and costly 3 day fight that gave the Union forces one of its biggest defeats. It saved Chattanooga from Union control temporarily, until Sherman and Grant engaged the Battle of Chattanooga that November.
The Union Army under General William Rosencrans marched from Murfreesboro approximately 90 miles south east to Chattanooga with the plan to drive out the Confederate Army. Chattanooga was a key to victory in the war, because of it was a rail way hub and a commerce and manufacturing center. Taking Chattanooga would provide a direct route for the assault on Atlanta. President Lincoln said that "whoever controls Chattanooga will win the war."
Union General Rosencrans split up his 3 corps to surround the confederate army which had been reinforced by armies from Virginia and Mississippi. With the Union forces divided, the Confederate General Braxton Bragg engaged one of the Union corps at Chickamauga Creek on September 18. The battle was joined by both armies and lasted until September 20.
Union forces under Union General George Thomas made a valiant stand that saved the Union army from a more disastrous defeat. For this he earned the name the Rock of Chickamauga. The Union army under Rosencrans withdrew to Chattanooga, where is was laid siege for 3 months
The battle of Chickamauga stopped the Union army advance on Atlanta until Sherman and Grant gave the final defeat of the Confederate forces in Tennessee.
The Chattanooga and North Georgia area has an active community of Civil War enthusiasts, including dedicated partipants in the annual reenactments. There are 4 annual reenactments. The Battle of Bridgeport in March, Resaca in may, Tunnel Hill in September, and Missionary Ridge in November. The City of Chickamauga (The Gettysburg of the South) has the War Between the States Day, the third Saturday of September on the grounds of the Gordon-Lee Mansion and Crawfish Springs.
The 145th anniversary was done on a large scale with thousands of observers. This link is to the Times Free Press article about Saturday's events and has a very good video. The reenactment was attended by Vice President Dick Cheney. This was the first reenactment of Chickamauga since 1999 and was 1 year in preparation. The reenactment was sponsored by the Lakeway Publishers who publishes the Civil War Courier .
Richard Smith
American Acceptance Mortgage, Inc
Toll Free 888-474-9920 Cell 423-280-0345
Home financing in Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama.
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This area is so rich in Civil War history. I live next to the area where the First Tennessee Calvary and infantry trained. The Plantation mansion was the only home reported to house generals on both sides of the Civil War...
What are the dates of the re-enactment of the Battle of Chickamauga this year, 2010?