Our first stop was Lookout Mountain, near Chattanooga. The Battle of Lookout Mountain and The Battle of Chickamauga (1863)  were important battles towards the end of the war. The Union won Lookout Mountain and subsequently Chattanooga. the Confederacy won the Battle of Chickamauga, but tactical errors by General Bragg did not allow them to capitalize on their victory. The Union was able to open a route to the deep south and eventually this led to victory. This Entrance Gate was built in 1905 by the US Army Corps. It is the world’s largest replica of the Corps insignia.

A mural on the wall of the Visitor Centre.

There were great views of Chattanooga and the surrounding area from Point Park.

The New York Peace Memorial.

The barrel of one of the many canons.

Still smiling!

There are very few railings along the path.

Part of the Ochs Memorial Observatory.

Some crackers, not sure if they are from the war or just replicas. Gillian would have tried them if she could.

Looking down the Chattanooga Valley.

This will be our new blog photo.

There was a store near the park selling all things Civil War. The Confederate flags over the years.

From Lookout Point we headed down to the Chickamauga Battlefield.  There are 346 Civil War era weapons on display.

James Walker’s “Battle of Chickamauga” painting hanging on display for a short time, previously it was hanging in the Vice-president’s office in the White House.

You would think they would be all the same, but each one was a little different, just a bit longer, or wider or a different colour or type of wood.

Angela soaking in some history.

This was a cool display, it was a narrative electronic map, explaining the Battle of Chickamauga.

A confederate soldier.

The front of the Visitor Centre.

There is a driving tour that winds through the battlefield. The battlefield has many monuments and historical tablets throughout the fields. Each one is a memorial to individual state regiments or infantry battalions.

Each of the stops on the auto tour detail the different steps of the battle.

The girls wanted a picture by the big acorn.

The Georgia Monument is the largest state monument on the battlefield.

The Wilder Brigade monument.

The monuments were all over tucked into corners here and there.

Some wildlife we saw on our drive.

This one is dedicated to a division from Minnesota.

Chickamauga was one of the Civil War’s bloodiest battles. Confederate casualties totalled 18,000 of 66,000 engaged and the Union casualties were 16,000 of 58,000 engaged. Chickamauga was one of the first National military Parks created in 1890.  By this time many of those who had fought in the war were now in political power and saw the need for national parks to preserve and commemorate these battlefields.