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Chickamauga: Remembering, reliving the past

By: Chloé Morrison
(Contact)

Included in this article

John Culpepper

Plans for next month’s 145th anniversary of the Battle of Chickamauga are coming together, as numerous agencies collaborate to finalize three days of events expected to have a multiregional, multidimensional impact.

“This is a dream come true for me, being a re-enactor and having something of this magnitude 10 minutes south of Chickamauga, ” said Chickamauga City Manager John Culpepper, a Civil War enthusiast.

“It is three things — it is education, surely this will help with historic preservation, and of course, the economics of tourism,” he said.

Area schools, city and county governments, historians, war re-enactors and nonprofit organizations will participate in the September event, officials said.

Students from as far away as Knoxville will attend the School Days portion of the event — which aims to provide a hands-on educational opportunity — and re-enactors from as far as England are slated to participate.

The three-day event will be on 75 acres in McLemore Cove, between Pigeon and Lookout mountains. It is sponsored by Lakeway Printers Special Publications, which produces three Civil War-related magazines. Mr. Culpepper said Walker County and Chickamauga governments also take on some of the funding responsibilities.

Area school officials said the event is a great opportunity to increase students’ interest in history.

Lauren Walker, parent involvement specialist at Chattanooga Valley Elementary and Middle schools, said it gives students some insight into the Civil War era.

“Hopefully it gives students a different perspective and a look into how those people actually lived,” she said.

what to expect

The Battle of Chickamauga on Sept. 19-20, 1863, was one of the Civil War’s bloodiest battles. It was a critical point in the war, and though the Confederates won there, it set up the Chattanooga area battles that opened the door to the Deep South and the fall of the Confederacy.

Mr. Culpepper said the anniversary event will represent history as accurately as possible. Since it is held during the same time of year and in the same area, everything down to the weather and landscape should be similar to the actual battle.

In addition to battle re-enactments, visitors will gain insight into other period history, such as civilian life surround the war. There will be Civil War era merchants, a field hospital and a replica of an ironclad warship.

There will be many tents, or “stations” set up for visitors to browse through and learn about various aspects of battle and Civil War life.

Tickets for the event may be bought ahead of time online or at the event. There will be plenty of parking and a site for RVs to settle in for the weekend, Mr. Culpepper said. Police will also monitor the event for safety and emergency services will be on site.

Visitors are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets to sit in the field and watch the battle action.

regional impact

The positive economic impact should help Chattanooga, LaFayette, and Trenton, in addition to Chickamauga, Mr. Culpepper said.

He said visitors will be guided into McLemore Cove through those cities.

Hotels in the surrounding cities are booking up, and other historically significant sites in the area will be accessible during the anniversary weekend.

For example, the city of LaFayette and the officials with the Marsh House Task Force have scheduled coinciding activities including Civil War skits dramatizing aspects of the era, and tours of the antebellum Marsh House, on Sept. 19.

Officials also said the weekend is a chance for the entire region to educate visitors about each city’s history.

“We hope these activities will educate everyone about LaFayette’s history in connection with this famous battle and bring tourism dollars to our local economy,” said Bill Scarborough, LaFayette Downtown Development Authority promotions committee chairman, said in a prepared statement.

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