Shawn Benge,
Superintendent
(423) 866-9241 - Phone
(423) 752-5215 - Fax

June 26, 2007
For Immediate Release

Superintendent Shawn Benge of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park invites you to participate in a series of special interpretive programs to be offered Wednesday, July 4th through Sunday, July 8th, 2007, in recognition of the 231st birthday of our nation. These programs explore various aspects of the Civil War Campaign for Chattanooga in 1863. There is something offered for nearly every level of interest, from casual to expert.

Wednesday, July 4th
9:30 a.m. - Bicycle Tour
Join a Park Ranger on a 7-mile bicycle tour of Chickamauga Battlefield. Along the tour route several stops will be made to highlight the battle actions of September 19 and 20, 1863. This bicycle tour will follow established roadways in the battlefield and is primarily over flat terrain. Bicycle helmets are required for all participants under 16 years old. Meet the Park Ranger at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center.

Thursday, July 5th
1:00 p.m.- Brigade Commanders at Chickamauga
During two days of tumultuous battle 4 Confederate and 4 Union brigade commanders died leading their troops in the forests and fields of this northwest Georgia battlefield. Learn more about these brave men and how they met their fate. This is a 90 minute car caravan and walking tour. Meet the Park Ranger at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center.

Friday, July 6th, and Saturday, July 7th
1:00 p.m.- Carnes Tennessee Artillery
On September 19, 1863 east of the Lafayette Road near the Brotherton Farm the horror of battle raged in the woods of Chickamauga. Here Confederate Captain William W. Carnes would first see his Tennessee battery of 4 guns captured by Union soldiers and then recovered in the fury of the fighting. Learn more about this action during a 1 hour walking tour. Meet the Park Ranger at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center.

Saturday, July 7th, and Sunday, July 8th
9 a. m. to 5:30 p. m.—Special Display of Wilder’s Mounted Infantry Brigade Artifacts at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center
Infantry soldiers being mounted on horses and mules and armed with the advanced Spencer Repeating Rifle and led by aggressive officers made Wilder’s Brigade a force to be reckoned with in the Chickamauga Campaign. Some of their unique equipments will be on display through the courtesy of several Wilder’s Brigade descendants and collectors. This will be a special opportunity to see some of the very Spencer Rifles that fired in anger at Chickamauga and other artifacts saved as sacred relics by men of the brigade.

Saturday, July 7th
11:00 a.m. – Battle of Orchard Knob
Orchard Knob Reservation marks the site of Grant’s headquarters, from which he directed Thomas’s Army of the Cumberland as it advanced against Missionary Ridge on November 25, 1863. This tour begins at the Andrews Raiders Monument located inside the entrance of the Chattanooga National Cemetery. This tour is approximately 90 minutes.

Sunday, July 8th
1:00 p.m.- Col. John T. Wilder, “The Lightning Brigade”
Explore the path of Wilder’s Brigade beginning at the Alexander House on September 18, 1863 and ending at the Widow Glenn House on September 20, 1863. This is a 90 minute car caravan and walking tour. Meet the Park Ranger at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center.

Common Soldier, Rifle Firing, Fuller Gun Collection, and Map Talks at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center
Daily, 9:30 a. m. to 4:00 p. m.
Join a Living Historian or Park Ranger for a talk on the motivation and experience of your average Civil War soldier in the Battle of Chickamauga and a discussion of his weapon and equipment, or on the nationally famous Fuller Collection of American Military Shoulder Arms, or a map summary of the Battle of Chickamauga. The programs are offered throughout the course of the day.

Chickamauga Battlefield Junior Ranger Program
Young visitors in Grades 3 through 8 can pick up an Activity Book at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center and use it to explore the exhibits in the Visitor Center and various places on the battlefield itself. Completing the age-appropriate material earns the history sleuth a Junior Ranger badge.

Ranger-guided Walking Tours, Common Soldier and Artillery Talks at Point Park on the Lookout Mountain Battlefield
Daily, 10:30 a. m. to 4 p. m.
Join a Park Ranger for a walk through Point Park or a talk on Civil War artillery on Lookout Mountain or visit with the Living Historian portraying a Civil War soldier and learn more about aspects of the Civil War action that took place in the Chattanooga area in 1863. The different programs are offered at various times throughout the day.

Cravens House Tours
Daily, 9 a. m. to 5 p. m.
Visit the post-war home of industrialist Robert Cravens on the slopes of Lookout Mountain.