After a great lunch and walking around downtown Chattanooga today, I traveled 20 minutes southeast to view and tour a bit of Civil War history for the area. The Visitor Center and Battlefield at Chickamauga Battlefield in Fort Oglethorpe, GA, offers so much, especially if you like history and hiking. The Visitor Center offers a wonderful museum and gift shop. Additionally, the visitor center provides a good description of what occurred at the Battle of Chickamauga, as well as the Civil War itself. They also have an amazing history of guns in America from early colonization to the early 1900's.
The Battle of Chickamauga occurred on September 18th until the 20th in 1863. The battle was one that resulted in a Confederate victory with heavy casualties on both sides. General Bragg, along with General Longstreet, made strategic moves over the Union General William Rosecrans, who would make a series of mistakes allowing the Confederate Army of Tennessee to overcome the Army of the Cumberland. The results of the battle are the 2nd highest amount of casualties to that of Gettysburg.
Today, you can enjoy the self guided tour with eight stops along the way. Each part provides an explanation of what occurred at each point. You can really get a true feeling of what occurred in this battle between both sides. I recommend giving yourself at least three to five hours for the area to enjoy the visitor center along with the self guided tour. The Park Rangers at the Visitor Center I found helpful as well and provided me plenty of information for a great experience.
There are plenty of hotels in the area near Chattanooga, restaurants, and additional stops. The Battle of Chickamauga is a great experience you'll not want to miss if you're into history or hiking. Plenty of wildlife can be seen here along with deer, squirrels, skunks, and a couple of other species. It's a beautiful area of Georgia and Tennessee to explore with a touch of the past and present that shouldn't be missed. #ridingwithkurt
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