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The Battle of Missionary Ridge

Details for this program can be found at THIS LINK

A detailed schedule of events surrounding the 160th Anniversary including program dates, times, and descriptions is available online at THIS LINK

9:30 am – Over the River and Through the Woods: Sherman’s Amphibious Assault and “Attack” on the Ridge

Location: The program will begin at the Chickamauga Dam Reservation of the Tennessee Riverpark along Amnicola Highway just west of TN 153 (approximately 4631 Amnicola Highway, Chattanooga, TN) and then progress to two other points

An amphibious assault across the Tennessee to attack the Confederate right along Missionary Ridge was to be Ulysses S. Grant’s main strike at Chattanooga in November 1863. The move would take advantage of hills and creeks and the rain swollen river to make the initial crossing happen. Once across the Tennessee, Grant’s trusted subordinate William T. Sherman was then to move up onto Missionary Ridge to strike the Confederates. It would require thorough planning and reconnaissance to make Grant’s desired Battle of Missionary Ridge happen. Join National Military Park Historian Jim Ogden for this two-and-a-half-hour car caravan look at what Grant envisioned for Sherman and what happened that eventually made for a very different Battle of Missionary Ridge. There will be about a mile total of walking on sidewalks and pavement.

11 am – A Driving Tour of the Battle of Missionary Ridge

Location: Meet at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center

This 2-hour car-caravan tour of Missionary Ridge will stop at the Iowa, Bragg, and Sherman Reservations where insights into the November 25, 1863, actions will be shared.

2 pm – The Lone Star State Leads the Defense of Tunnel Hill

Location: The program will begin at the Sherman Reservation parking area in the 2800 block of Lightfoot Mill Road just off Campbell Street/North Crest Road

“…the brunt of this long day’s fight was borne by Smith’s (Texas) brigade….” That is how Confederate General Pat Cleburne began the summary of his division’s fighting on November 25, 1863. While ably supported by others, the Lone Star men positioned atop Tunnel Hill withstood more than a half dozen Union attacks to thereby be the basis of Cleburne’s success against William T. Sherman. National Military Park Historian Jim Ogden will examine this stalwart defense by the Texans in this two-hour, one mile walking tour.

160th Anniversary of the Battle of Chattanooga

Join staff and volunteers of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park as we commemorate the 160th Anniversary of the Battles for Chattanooga with a series special programs taking place in and around the city on November 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, and 27.

By November 1863, months of besiegement culminated with a series of battles throughout the Chattanooga area. By the time the smoke cleared, Orchard Knob, Lookout Mountain, and Missionary Ridge were strewn with the wreckage of war, and the Confederate Army of Tennessee was in full retreat. It was, as one Confederate later wrote, the “Death Knell of the Confederacy.”

This year, the park will offer a variety of special programs marking the anniversaries of the battles, including historical hikes and tours on Moccasin Bend, Orchard Knob, Lookout Mountain, and Missionary Ridge. On November 18-19, inside Point Park, living historians will conduct artillery demonstrations as they portray one of the Confederate artillery batteries located atop Lookout Mountain during the 1863 battle.

As a reminder, an entrance fee is charged at Point Park, atop Lookout Mountain. The fee is $10 per adult, ages 16 and older; children 15 and younger are admitted free of charge. Programs occurring in other areas are free.

A detailed schedule including program dates, times, and descriptions is available online at: https://www.nps.gov/chch/160thbattlesforchattanooga.html

Earlier Event: November 24
The Battle of Lookout Mountain
Later Event: November 27
The Battle of Ringgold Gap