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*This post was originally featured as part of a Summer A-Z series on https://365atlantatraveler.com/
Hey y’all! It’s me, Andrea Runnels of www.thesocialstudieswhisperer.com, back again to bring you the letter C! I’m a former 5th grade teacher gone rogue and a pretty serious American History Evangelist. I’m excited to have the opportunity to introduce you to a few of my favorite sites in the southeast during the Summer A-Z! I started first with World War II and The Breman Museum for the letter B. I promised Civil War for C and I intend to deliver on that by sharing about my recent visit to Chickamauga Battlefield! In fact the official name of the park is Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park because the two sites might be in different states, but are only about 15 minutes apart.
I recently drove up from metro Atlanta to Chattanooga for a business lunch and knew I had to stop on the way back home. Boy, was I in for the mother of all relic museums! The mom in me needs to take a minute to advise you to bring sunscreen and bug spray because I ended up sunburnt and eaten alive by bugs after walking in the blazing Georgia sun (barefooted at that). Walking in the steps of Civil War soldiers on hallowed ground is kind of magical in an eerie kind of way and I got a little carried away.
The coolest thing about Chickamauga is that it’s one of the sites featured on the Civil War Trust’s Battle of Atlanta campaign app. The free app features facts, routes, maps, surrounding locations, and more for the three phases of the Battle for Atlanta campaign. Learn more at https://www.battlefields.org/! Spoiler, I will be back for the letter K with another stop along the battle trail! Here is a link to the park’s own website: https://www.nps.gov/chch/index.htm
During the Civil War, much like today, the city of Atlanta was an industrial mecca. The Union knew that if they captured the city of Atlanta then The Confederacy’s days were numbered. The first hurdle was Chattanooga though, which is just about 2 hours north of Atlanta by car nowadays. Troops battled for several grueling months in the fall of 1863 back and forth between Chickamauga (which is in Georgia) and Chattanooga (just over the Tennessee border). The “Rebels” were victorious in September at Chickamauga but weren’t able to maintain control of the region. Months later in November, the “Yankees” turned the tide and captured Chattanooga while forcing the Confederates to retreat. One disillusioned soldier wrote afterwards that this was the “death knell of the Confederacy” and he was most certainly right. Chickamauga was the last major victory for them and very little stood in the way of Union forces advancing forth towards the biggest prize to be won, Atlanta.
The museum itself features a wide range of artifacts and relics. There is an entire special collection of artillery and weaponry (kinda perfect for boys I thought). The park rangers are extremely friendly and all sorts of special programming is available. There is a huge timeline of The Civil War and an awesome gift shop! This spot is perfect for the whole family! They do guided tours of the battlefield as well. Unfortunately it had poured rain that morning so parts of the battlefield were closed. I highly recommend taking the trip to check it out! The best way to get kids interested in history (which I’m all about) is by taking them to local historical sites and events! If you’d like to see more of my adventures in Chattanooga and Chickamauga check out this YouTube compilation of my snaps and Instagram Stories from my trip!