Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)

Cannon Row
Map showing the location of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
Location Catoosa, Dade, & Walker counties, Georgia & Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States
Nearest city Chattanooga, Tennessee
Coordinates 34°56′24″N 85°15′36″W / 34.94000°N 85.26000°W / 34.94000; -85.26000Coordinates: 34°56′24″N 85°15′36″W / 34.94000°N 85.26000°W / 34.94000; -85.26000
Area 9,036 acres (3,657 ha)[1]
federal: 8,973 acres (3,631 ha)
Established August 19, 1890
Visitors 901,384 (in 2011)[2]
Governing body National Park Service
Website

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
Location S of Chattanooga on U.S. 27, Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia
Built 1890
Architectural style Other, Bungalow/craftsman, Single-pen log cabin
NRHP Reference # 66000274[3]
Added to NRHP October 15, 1966
Chattanooga/Chickamauga Battlefield

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, located in northern Georgia and eastern Tennessee, preserves the sites of two major battles of the American Civil War: the Battle of Chickamauga and the Chattanooga Campaign.

A detailed history of the park's development was provided by the National Park Service in 1998.[4]

History

Starting in 1890, during the decade, the Congress of the United States authorized the establishment of the first four national military parks: Chickamauga and Chattanooga, Shiloh, Gettysburg, and Vicksburg.

The first and largest of these (5,300 acres or 2,145 ha), and the one upon which the establishment and development of most other national military and historical parks was based, was authorized in 1890 at Chickamauga, Georgia, and Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was officially dedicated in September 1895.[5] It owes its existence chiefly to the efforts of Generals Henry V. Boynton and Ferdinand Van Derveer, both veterans of the Union Army of the Cumberland, who saw the need for a federal park to preserve and commemorate these battlefields.[6] Another early proponent and driving force behind the park's creation was Ohio General Henry M. Cist, who led the Chickamauga Memorial Society in 1888. Another former Union officer, Charles H. Grosvenor, was chairman of the park commission from 1910 until his death in 1917. During the Park's early years, it was managed by the War Department and used for military study as well as a memorial. The National Park Service took over site management in 1933.[7]

Use during the Spanish–American War

The newly created Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park was utilized during the Spanish–American War as a major training center for troops in the southern states. The park was temporarily renamed "Camp George H. Thomas" in honor of the union army commander during the Civil War battle at the site. The park's proximity to the major rail hub at Chattanooga and its large tracts of land made it a logical marshalling area for troops being readied for service in Cuba and other points south.[8][9]

Park areas

The military park consists of four main areas, and a few small isolated reservations, around Chattanooga.

As with all historic areas administered by the National Park Service, the military park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.

On February 20, 2003, Public Law No: 108-7 added Moccasin Bend as a new unit of the park. Moccasin Bend Archaeological District, designated a National Historic Landmark on September 8, 1986, is directly across the Tennessee River from Lookout Mountain. It is significant due to its archaeological resources of American Indian settlement. There are currently minimal visitor services at Moccasin Bend, including two hiking trails (the Blue Blazes Trail and the Browns Ferry Road) and a ten acre meadow. Each of these areas is open to the public. The park anticipates further development, land restoration, and visitor services in the years to come.[10]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.
  1. ↑ "Listing of acreage as of December 31, 2011". Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-12-26.
  2. ↑ "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-12-26.
  3. ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  4. ↑ Jill K. Hanson and Robert W. Blvthe (February 10, 1998). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park" (PDF). National Park Service. and more than 100 accompanying photos
  5. ↑ Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park (Ga. and Tenn.) Commission: Louisiana Committee Photographs (Mss. 4504), Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, LSU Libraries, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA. (accessed 26 January 2015) <http://www.louisianadigitallibrary.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/LSU_CNP>
  6. ↑ "Saving History for Generations: The Creation of the First Civil War Military Park", Hallowed Ground, Fall 2013, Vol.14, no. 3, pages 14-15.
  7. ↑ "Saving History for Generations: The Creation of the First Civil War Military Park", Hallowed Ground, Fall 2013, Vol.14, no. 3, page 15.
  8. ↑ "The Troops at Chickamauga, Park now called Camp George H. Thomas". The New York Times. April 23, 1898. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
  9. ↑ "Spanish-American War". The Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
  10. ↑ "Visit". Friends of Moccasin Bend. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
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