Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

We are often asked where we are going next? We make tentative plans but are open to whatever. Whatever took us to Grand Rapids last year, and we had a great time but who would have thought we’d go to Chattanooga, TN. We did and this visit is turning into a surprising delight for us, if you ignore the heat and humidity, oh, and thunderstorms and rain.

Timing was everything as we parked the RV at a campground and took the car to Chickamauga and Chattanooga NMP.

This was the first and is the largest of the military parks in the US. We were lucky and the ranger was just starting his tour. First he oriented us, via a large map, to the campaign for Chickamauga. Nearby Chattanooga was a prime target for the Union because four railway lines ran through it providing supplies and access for the Confederate troops. To cut off those lines meant dealing them a major blow.

Continuing our lesson, we got in our cars and followed the ranger as he led us step by step through this 1863 battle. At our stops, he explained the roles and decisions, both good and bad, by Union General Rosecrans and Confederate General Bragg.

The battles were referred to as “soldier’s battles,” because the trees and smoke made it almost impossible for the commanders to see what was happening on the battlefield and the soldiers had to make their own decisions.

The term “win the battle but lose the war” fits Chickamauga. Bragg and the Confederates did drive the Northern troops off the mountains but they withdrew to Chattanooga and did gain control of the town and the rail lines, splitting the Southern forces and cutting off supplies. A siege ensued but Grant and Sherman relieved the Union force then started their drive to the deep South and sealed the defeat of the South.