Programs recall Battles for Chattanooga - Nov. 22-23

photo Measuring 13 by 30 feet, "The Battle of Lookout Mountain" by English artist James Walker is the centerpiece of the National Park Service's museum and visitor center at Point Park on Lookout Mountain.

Nov. 23 marks the 151st anniversary of the Battle of Orchard Knob, one of the Civil War engagements in the campaign for Chattanooga. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will commemorate the date with weekend programs focusing on the daily occurrences in and around Chattanooga in 1863. Events are scheduled at Point Park on Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge and the Orchard Knob Reservation.

Point Park will be the center of much activity, including lively living-history displays. As visitors enter, they will be met with scenes of soldiers drilling, guards being placed around the park and demonstrations of the small arms and artillery used by Civil War soldiers to train for combat, as if preparing to leave the city for the march on Atlanta. A $3 entrance fee for ages 16 and older is required at Point Park.

At the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center, Eastern National bookstore will host authors Frank Varney and Ron Lowery, who will be available to sign their books throughout the weekend.

Other programming includes:

• Saturday, Nov. 22: Historians will offer discussions on the importance of photography in the Civil War, specifically on Lookout Mountain, and the Cravens House, a short hike from Point Park, will be open. Guides there will put particular emphasis on journalism and the destruction of property.

Outdoor Chattanooga is organizing a history tour via bicycle from Warner Park to Orchard Knob from 1 to 3 p.m. After a walk to the top of the Knob to see the view and hear the story of the engagement, cyclists will ride through National Cemetery before returning to Warner Park. Participants may bring their own bicycle or borrow one from the Outdoor Chattanooga fleet. The ride is open to adults and accompanied children 12 and older. Helmets are required for all participants. Call 432-643-6888 to reserve a bike (suitable for riders at least 5 feet tall).

• Sunday, Nov. 23: Topics of ranger-guided programs include Civil War photography, the 13- by 30-foot James Walker painting at Point Park and tours of Cravens House on Lookout Mountain and the Bragg Reservation on Missionary Ridge. Park historian Jim Ogden will lead walking tours of the Orchard Knob Reservation at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m.

For more information, call the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at 706-866-9241, the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center at 423-821-7786, or visit www.nps.gov/chch.

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