Battlefield Number One

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Looking at the history of the Civil War, 1863 was a very significant year. That was the year of Gettysburg, which most people consider the turning point of the War Between the States. Equally important was the battle for control of Chattanooga, Tennessee, later in 1863. Because of its location on many railroad routes and with the Tennessee River running through the city, Chattanooga was a coveted target for the Union forces. In fact, President Lincoln said that capture of Chattanooga and eastern Tennessee would basically end the war. That took over a year after Chattanooga fell, but the president was correct that the Union victory was a “death knell” for the Confederacy. The battle wasn’t confined to Chattanooga, however. In fact, the events leading to the Union victory in November 1863 began with a debacle at nearby Chicakmunga, Georgia in September 1863. Mismanagement by Union general William Rosecrans resulted in the Confederate victory at Chickamunga, which Rosecrans paid for by being relieved of command. Over 34,000 casualties, including nearly four thousand deaths, occurred during the three-day battle at Chickamunga. The victory by the Confederates was hollow, however, since the Union used the defeat (where many soldiers retreated) as a rallying cry as they charged up the side of Lookout Mountain to capture Chattanooga two months later. The National Park Service has a wonderful, free app that provides narration at stops along the way in the park. As with so many other national battlefields, there are countless signs explaining the regiments, divisions, and battalions involved in the battles in the places where those battles took place. Chickamunga National Battlefield became the first national battlefield preserved by Congress in 1890. The push to preserve the battlefield began when former Union and Confederate soldiers held a reunion as Americans at the site. General Rosecrans said of the meeting of former foes and their battle as one to preserve the land: It took great men to win that battle, but it takes greater men still, and I will say morally great, to wipe away all the ill feeling which naturally grows out of such a contest. A lesson we could learn today.