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April 17, 2008
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Superintendent Shawn Benge invites the public to attend a special
A ceremony celebrating the addition of 382 acres to the historic Lookout Mountain Battlefield will be held on Monday at 10 a.m. at Point Park on Lookout Mountain. U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander and U. S. Congressman Zach Wamp will speak, followed by a brief walking tour conducted by Park Historian Jim Ogden. There will also be a Civil War rifle firing demonstration.
This latest addition to Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, acquired from the CSX Railroad Company, is located in Lookout Valley west of Lookout Mountain.
On the morning of Nov. 24, 1863, Union General Joseph Hooker ordered troops to advance eastward from Wauhatchie, cross Lookout Creek, and climb Lookout Mountain to sweep north and drive the Confederates from the mountain. The attacking troops moved across the property recently added to the park, crossed the creek at two primary points, and climbed Lookout’s slopes to begin the assault. After fighting for much of the day, the Confederates were forced to abandon Lookout Mountain, helping to set the stage for the climactic Union attack on Missionary Ridge a day later which drove the Confederates into Georgia and secured Chattanooga for the Union for the remainder of the war.
Federal funding for this new park property was secured from the Land and Water Conservation Fund through the efforts of both Sen. Alexander and Congressman Wamp. Assistance from the Trust for Public Land, a national private nonprofit conservation organization, was instrumental in the land acquisition and transfer process.
The addition of this historic property to the park will provide enhanced opportunities to inform the public of the site’s Civil War significance while preserving the land for the benefit of future generations.
For more information contact Public Information Officer Sam Weddle at (423) 752-5213x113.
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