Chattanooga Is Home

About 15 minutes from my house, across the state line in Georgia, is the nation’s first National Military Park. The Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, is the site of the last confederate victory in the Civil War battle for the gateway to the south. Soon afterward the war move farther south and Chattanooga was taken by Union troops.

The National Military Park was created in 1890 to preserve and commemorate these battlefields. There are monuments, exhibits, and trails throughout the 5,200 acres. I think the most prominent monument that I can recall is Wilder Tower. When I was in college, we would gather there for picnics after church on the last Sunday before finals.

Wilder Tower is also the site of the annual Pops in the Park concert over the Memorial Day weekend. This year the celebration will host the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Band & Honor Guard and a fireworks display for “A Celebration of Independence” at Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park. 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. Bring your picnic baskets, blankets, and chairs to enjoy a fun event.

If you don’t want the hassle of parking (with 10,000 people expected, that is a lot of cars), you can see if there are still seats available on the Dixieland Excursion from the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum.

You and your family can spend the day at the battlefield if you wanted to participate in Marching with Rosencrans: Chickamauga Campaign Bus Tour. This bus tour will be led by Dr. Daryl Black of Chattanooga Regional History Museum and James (Jim) Ogden, III of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. The tour will departure and return at Chattanooga Regional History Museum. The fee is $25 and the 9:30 a.m. You can call 423-265-3247 for more information.

[tags]Chattanooga Memorial Day, Memorial Day, Pops in the Park, Chickamauga Battlefield, Chickamauga Military Park[/tags]