Kennesaw Mountain & Chickamauga ?

davepi2

Corporal
Joined
Jul 2, 2011
Location
columbus ohio
Hello, I am visiting Atlanta on Labor Day weekend for a race and would like to visit Kennesaw Mountain on Saturday and Chickamuga on Monday. Do you have any suggestions on must see places at battlefields and how much time I should devote to said battlefields?
 
I didn't visit Kennesaw so can't comment but I was at Chickamauga for 3 days, spending the majority of it on the Union defending line of September 20th. Snodgrass hill, the defensive position that developed after the collapse of the Union right=, put a lot of perspective on how valuable the position was. The Confederates would have to advance up a modestly steep hillside in order to take the position and had it not been for Granger's reinforcements who arrived with barely minutes to spare an impending advance by the rebels all might have been lost for that portion of the field.

The majority of my time however was spent on "Battleline Road" the Union left that held firm until the order to withdraw was given. That portion of the line is a bit over a mile in length and really puts into mind how compact the battle became on the final day
 
I am a NPS living history volunteer & have spent a great deal of time at both Chickamauga-Chattanooga & Kennesaw. <www.nps.gov>kemo> is the link to Kennesaw. There are daily ranger & volunteer led tours. The museum at the Visitor Center is worth a look. You definitely want to go to the top of the mountain. The staff there are very friendly & knowledgable. It is not the easiest battlefield to wrap your head around, so make good use of the staff's knowledge.

The Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History is well worth a look. Excellent CW collection & steam engine relics you won't see anywhere else. 2829 Cherokee ST NW, Kennesaw, GA 30144 (770) 427-2117. <southernmuseum.org> The locomotive, The General is worth the trip on its own.

At Chickamauga/Chattanooga there are a host of possibilities. <www.nps.gov>chch> is a good place to start. What you do will depend on your interests. The battlefield can be just as confusing as the battle was. It is not uncommon to find Confederate & Union batteries within a few yards of one another, regimental markers from both sides almost seem to be scattered at random. It can be very difficult to unravel on your own.

To unravel the events, you can't do better than Lee White's Bushwhacking on a Grand Scale: The Battle of Chickamauga both the book & the audio version. It is a driving tour that is logically laid out & very informative. I am sure they have it at the Visitor Center bookstore & online. Lee is a NPS Ranger at the park & a lifelong resident. Nobody knows the ground like he does.

My favorite place to contemplate the Army of the Cumberland's attack on Missionary Ridge is from the large open balcony at Sugar's BBQ restaurant. <www.sugarsribs.com> It is an easy on easy off the interstate place on Missionary Ridge with a dramatic 180 degree view of Chattanooga, the river & the surrounding mountains. The BBQ is top notch, try the grilled okra, very good. Watching the sunset on that balcony while giving sore feet a break is as good as it gets.

For a literal birds eye view, Point Park atop Lookout Mountain has a view that is on a scale all its own. You will never think about the Tullahoma-Chickamauga-Chattanooga Campaign the same way again. All the blithe why didn't they do this or that questions & flippant dismissal of just how difficult that campaign was will melt away like ice on a hot rock. You will also be standing where U.S. Grant & just about every soldier in the army had his picture floated.

As I say, without knowing your particular interests it is hard to suggest a particular thing to do or see. One thing I do recommend no matter what you are looking for is to end your visit at the singe soldier grave that remains on Chickamauga Battlefield. After the grandiose monuments, regiments, batteries & sweeping battlefield maps, standing there in front of a stone marking the grave of one lonely man can be moving. The experience humanizes the awful events you have been contemplating all day long. It is a very appropriate way to end your visit.

If you are spending the night in Chattanooga, the Battleview Bed & Breakfast is a great place to stay. The house was the duplex Captain's quarters on the Fort Olgethorpe 2nd Cavalry parade ground. <www.battlefieldviewbedandbreakfast.com> The windows on the back of the building look directly onto the Chickamauga Visitor Center.

If there is something in particular that you are interested in, (the Moon Pie factory comes to mind) I might not know the answer, but probably know who does. Have a great trip, Rhea Cole
 
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At Chickamauga/Chattanooga there are a host of possibilities. <www.nps.gov>chch> is a good place to start. What you do will depend on your interests. The battlefield can be just as confusing as the battle was. It is not uncommon to find Confederate & Union batteries within a few yards of one another, regimental markers from both sides almost seem to be scattered at random. It can be very difficult to unravel on your own.

Getting an idea of the complexity of the battlefield and the vastly different terrain from one end to the other was helpful to me when I read books about the battle.

I was there on two different occasions. The first time I tried to see everything, which was probably a mistake. The second time I walked the area where Longstreet attacked and the northern end, where Bragg started things off. I also took a quick walk around Snodgrass Hill but would have liked more time. Seeing those three areas will give you a leg up when you try to understand what happened and why.
 
Getting an idea of the complexity of the battlefield and the vastly different terrain from one end to the other was helpful to me when I read books about the battle.

I was there on two different occasions. The first time I tried to see everything, which was probably a mistake. The second time I walked the area where Longstreet attacked and the northern end, where Bragg started things off. I also took a quick walk around Snodgrass Hill but would have liked more time. Seeing those three areas will give you a leg up when you try to understand what happened and why.
My first reaction to walking the ground at Chickamauga was why on earth did Bragg choose to fight there? It was like the cedar breaks at Stones River, impossible to move or communicate in. I concluded that apparently Bragg had no understanding of terrain.
 
Hello, I am visiting Atlanta on Labor Day weekend for a race and would like to visit Kennesaw Mountain on Saturday and Chickamuga on Monday. Do you have any suggestions on must see places at battlefields and how much time I should devote to said battlefields?
I am guessing the race is on Sunday. I have been to Chickamauga twice over a period of 4 days and there are 2 fields that saw significant action that I still have not set foot in. If you plan to do any walking, the Visitor Center, Viniard Field, Dyer Field and Snodgrass Hill is a pretty good day at Chickamauga NMP.
 
For a first time visit I would tour the visitor center than follow the driving tour through the park, which will take you to most of the important locations. At a minimum, two to three hours, although as others have said, you could spend days there.
 
Thanks for the tips
One last tip. Chickamauga at dawn is quite an experience. I have slept out on the ground I don’t know how many times. Believe you me, being an NPS volunteer has its advantages. Dawn, when the fields are a swirl with fog, wild turkeys by the dozen are trilling all around & deer are everywhere you look is a special experience. My point is to take your time. If you find yourself spending the Whole afternoon taking in one small part of the battlefield, you will have done what needs to be done.
 
I just noticed that the Battle of Resaca Battlefield is located close to 1-75 not far from Chickamauga. September 7th is shaping up to be quite a day. Might have to skip it though if I am going to get to Lookout Mountain.
 
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My first reaction to walking the ground at Chickamauga was why on earth did Bragg choose to fight there? It was like the cedar breaks at Stones River, impossible to move or communicate in. I concluded that apparently Bragg had no understanding of terrain.
Thanks for the tip, I was at Stones River over the 4th and it is a good reference.
 
I am a NPS living history volunteer & have spent a great deal of time at both Chickamauga-Chattanooga & Kennesaw. <www.nps.gov>kemo> is the link to Kennesaw. There are daily ranger & volunteer led tours. The museum at the Visitor Center is worth a look. You definitely want to go to the top of the mountain. The staff there are very friendly & knowledgable. It is not the easiest battlefield to wrap your head around, so make good use of the staff's knowledge.

The Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History is well worth a look. Excellent CW collection & steam engine relics you won't see anywhere else. 2829 Cherokee ST NW, Kennesaw, GA 30144 (770) 427-2117. <southernmuseum.org> The locomotive, The General is worth the trip on its own.

At Chickamauga/Chattanooga there are a host of possibilities. <www.nps.gov>chch> is a good place to start. What you do will depend on your interests. The battlefield can be just as confusing as the battle was. It is not uncommon to find Confederate & Union batteries within a few yards of one another, regimental markers from both sides almost seem to be scattered at random. It can be very difficult to unravel on your own.

To unravel the events, you can't do better than Lee White's Bushwhacking on a Grand Scale: The Battle of Chickamauga both the book & the audio version. It is a driving tour that is logically laid out & very informative. I am sure they have it at the Visitor Center bookstore & online. Lee is a NPS Ranger at the park & a lifelong resident. Nobody knows the ground like he does.

My favorite place to contemplate the Army of the Cumberland's attack on Missionary Ridge is from the large open balcony at Sugar's BBQ restaurant. <www.sugarsribs.com> It is an easy on easy off the interstate place on Missionary Ridge with a dramatic 180 degree view of Chattanooga, the river & the surrounding mountains. The BBQ is top notch, try the grilled okra, very good. Watching the sunset on that balcony while giving sore feet a break is as good as it gets.

For a literal birds eye view, Point Park atop Lookout Mountain has a view that is on a scale all its own. You will never think about the Tullahoma-Chickamauga-Chattanooga Campaign the same way again. All the blithe why didn't they do this or that questions & flippant dismissal of just how difficult that campaign was will melt away like ice on a hot rock. You will also be standing where U.S. Grant & just about every soldier in the army had his picture floated.

As I say, without knowing your particular interests it is hard to suggest a particular thing to do or see. One thing I do recommend no matter what you are looking for is to end your visit at the singe soldier grave that remains on Chickamauga Battlefield. After the grandiose monuments, regiments, batteries & sweeping battlefield maps, standing there in front of a stone marking the grave of one lonely man can be moving. The experience humanizes the awful events you have been contemplating all day long. It is a very appropriate way to end your visit.

If you are spending the night in Chattanooga, the Battleview Bed & Breakfast is a great place to stay. The house was the duplex Captain's quarters on the Fort Olgethorpe 2nd Cavalry parade ground. <www.battlefieldviewbedandbreakfast.com> The windows on the back of the building look directly onto the Chickamauga Visitor Center.

If there is something in particular that you are interested in, (the Moon Pie factory comes to mind) I might not know the answer, but probably know who does. Have a great trip, Rhea Cole
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If you come back this way, give me a shout. It really is impossible to understand what an obstacle a cedar break is without seeing one.
Enjoyed the day there. Love the way the park was laid out and it was easy to get around and see everything. The staff that was on hand was very helpful. I'm not sure but I think the visitor center might have opened the day after I was there. The vidoes on youtube about Stones River are very helpful and well done also.
 
Enjoyed the day there. Love the way the park was laid out and it was easy to get around and see everything. The staff that was on hand was very helpful. I'm not sure but I think the visitor center might have opened the day after I was there. The vidoes on youtube about Stones River are very helpful and well done also.
The staff at Stones River has always had a well deserved reputation for the high quality of their encounters with visitors. That park has a remarkably visitor centric culture. Had you watched the visitor center film, my left foot plays a staring role in one scene.
 
The staff at Stones River has always had a well deserved reputation for the high quality of their encounters with visitors. That park has a remarkably visitor centric culture. Had you watched the visitor center film, my left foot plays a staring role in one scene.
That is one film I haven't seen. Don't think I saw it on youtube. The center was closed except for the restrooms when I was there. (7/3/20).
 
Unfortunately, I would encourage you to put Resaca off for another day unless it is of particular interest.
Well I changed my plans a little. Instead of staying near Road Atlanta on Sunday night I am staying at Fr. Ogelthorpe that evening instead. No need to go back to original hotel after Atlanta Historic Center visit on Sunday afternoon. This will allow more time Monday morning at Chickamauga and leaves a window of a couple hours on Sunday night to stop at Resaca.
Also it looks like I will be visiting your way again either next year or 2022. I love Indycar and it appears they are going to announce a downtown race in Nashville, if that happens I will be in town and if that happens you can be sure I will be making a second stop at the battlefield as well as Franklin and Silver Springs.
 
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