CWTrust Reed's Bridge at Chickamauga battlefield

George Thomas

Corporal
Joined
Aug 28, 2017
Location
Greater Boston (MA) area
Does anyone have a sense of what the eventual plans are for the Reed's Bridge land that was acquired by the Civil War Trust a while ago? I stopped there recently when I visited the Chickamauga battlefield and it looks like a wonderful site, but I couldn't tell if there were plans for walking trails and interpretation.

It looked like there might be working going on creating some kind of trail. Photo below was taking looking north from the east side of the bridge. I also didn't realize that there were four Illinois monuments (2 on each side of the road) just west of the bridge. They are monuments to the 2nd IL light battery, 85th IL infantry, 125th IL infantry, and 86th IL infantry. It looks like a fascinating area with a lot of potential for interpretation.

CWT map of land preserved:

Chickamauga Sept 18 1863 - Reeds Bridge (April 2017).jpg




Path looking north from pullover on east side of Reed's bridge, Oct. 2017

20171018_Reed's bridge north of road.jpg


Four Illinois monuments just west of Reed's bridge. The area preserved is on the right side of the photo below.

20171018_IL monument near Reed's bridge.jpg
 
Somehow, I missed this post. I am SO sorry.

I've been back there on that property (touring with Dave Powell does have its advantages) when I was putting the driving tour for Holding the Line on the River of Death. When I visited there with Dave over Memorial Day weekend 2016, there was an old automobile repair facility back there. The plan was to demolish it and eventually put some interpretation back there. Finding the money to do the demolition is always an issue. I don't know this for a fact, but I believe that the structure is still there. My understanding is that as long as that building is there, access will be restricted because it's a safety hazard. The important thing is that the Trust owns it, and it's now safe.
 
I drove there today as I’ve never been to Reed’s Bridge area. I saw the CW Trust sign and the property still looks the same. I did not see any auto repair facility there today.
 
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I drove there today as I’ve never been to Reed’s Bridge area. I saw the CW Trust sign and the property still looks the same. I did not see any auto repair facility there today.
These photos were taken a year ago in April, 2018 and show the road leading to the bridge site above and some CWT signage below.

DSC05919.JPG
 
I take it from your description that the location of the original bridge was down the dirt path and not in the location of the present bridge?
Exactly; the path WAS the road in 1863 and led directly to the bridge, which does not from artist Alfred Waud's sketch on the cover of this old NPS park folder appear to have been elevated above the banks of the creek.

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