Battlefield Excursion 2 Photos

Photos from our second battlefield excursion on March 28, 2015 are now online and viewable here.

Strickland on the Spencer Repeating Rifle

Jessica Strickland has written an entry on the Spencer Repeating Rifle, an important weapon at the Battle of Chickamauga.

Battlefield Excursion 2

FROM: DR. BLEDSOE
TO: STUDENTS OF HIST 490
DATE: 28 MAR 2015
WHERE: CHICKAMAUGA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK
RE: HIST 490 BATTLEFIELD EXCURSION #2 ITINERARY

8:50-9:00 A.M.: REPORT TO THE PARKING LOT OF THE HUMANITIES CENTER NO LATER THAN 9:00A.M. 

9:00A.M.-9:30 A.M.: TRAVEL TO CHICKAMAUGA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK

9:30-10:00 A.M.: BRIEFING ON THE FIELD

10:00A.M.-12:00 NOON: EXCURSIONS TO:
REED’S BRIDGE
4TH MICHIGAN CAVALRY MONUMENT (884)
SITE OF JAY’S MILL
ALEXANDER’S BRIDGE
PARK AT VINIARD-ALEXANDER ROAD
WALK TO THEDFORD FORD
KENTUCKY MONUMENT (860A)
FLORIDA MONUMENT (1253)

12:00 NOON-1:00 P.M.: LUNCH BREAK AND STOP AT VISITOR’S CENTER

1:00 P.M.-4 P.M.: EXCURSIONS TO:
LANDRUM GRAVE (423)
BATTLELINE ROAD
SAM’S MYSTERY WALL
SOUTH CAROLINA MONUMENT (1342)
GEORGIA MONUMENT (1320)
INGRAHAM GRAVE (465)
79TH PENNSYLVANIA MONUMENT (1049)
WILDER MONUMENT (453)
LYTLE MONUMENT (617A)
LEE AND GORDON’S MILL

4:00 P.M.-4:30 P.M.: RETURN TO LEE UNIVERSITY HUMANITIES CENTER

REQUIRED MATERIALS:
WOODWORTH, CHICKAMAUGA: A BATTLEFIELD GUIDE
REAVES, THE MONUMENTS OF CHICKAMAUGA
MONEY FOR LUNCH
SUPPLIES, CLOTHING, WEATHER GEAR, AND EQUIPMENT DESCRIBED IN THE SYLLABUS
WRITING MATERIAL
DIGITAL CAMERAS ARE RECOMMENDED BUT OPTIONAL

REQUIRED PREPARATION:
READ OVER THE VARIOUS STOPS WE WILL COVER IN THE WOODWORTH AND REAVES BOOKS AND IN YOUR NOTES. I HAVE BUDGETED A MERE 30 MINS. PER STOP, SO PREPARATION BEFOREHAND WILL HELP YOU GET THE MOST OUT OF THIS INITIAL VISIT.

Doss on the 18th United States Infantry

In the next-to-last entry in his series on the U.S. Regulars, Sam Doss' post on the 18th United States Infantry at Chickamauga is now online here.

Battle of Chickamauga Primary Sources

A useful collection of primary source documents on the Battle of Chickamauga, including excerpts from post-action reports in the Official Records, can be found here.

Doss on the 16th United States Infantry

Continuing Sam Doss' series on the U.S. Army Regulars at Chickamauga, his entry on the 16th United States Infantry is now viewable here.

Doss on the 15th United States Infantry

Sam Doss' post on the 15th United States Infantry at Chickamauga is now available here.

Doss on US Army Regular Units

Sam Doss has written an overview of Regular United States Army units engaged at the Battle of Chickamauga. His article is available here.

Giesler on William L. Stoughton

Renee Giesler has written an article on Colonel William L. Stoughton, a regimental commander who was thrust into leadership of a brigade at Chickamauga. Her article is available here.

11th Michigan Infantry

Lee University history major Renee Giesler has written a unit biography of the 11th Michigan Infantry, available HERE.

The Irish at Chickamauga

Chick-Chatt NMP will host a special program on the role of the Irish at the Battle of Chickamauga. More information can be found here.

Hinton on Ferdinand Van Derveer

Noah Hinton's article on Ferdinand Van Derveer is available here.

Hinton on Illinois Monuments

Noah Hinton has posted an examination of various Illinois monuments, available here.

Gilbert on Chickamauga Battlefield: Military and Strategic Uses After the Civil War

Chickamauga Battlefield: Military and Strategic Uses After the Civil War

Although many seem to associate Chickamauga only with the Civil War, it's importance and geographical position made it a key player in many other military type engagements. 

Thanks to its strategic location at the connection of several rail lines, the battlefield at Chickamauga remained an important location for the U.S. army for more than decades. In 1898, as the  conflict between Spain and the United States intensified, the ground were used as a training site for soldiers, with more than 60,000 men passing through the site, which was temporarily renamed “Camp George H. Thomas.” A summer heat wave combined with quickly assembled facilities might have prepared the men for combat on the dry, desert, terrain in Mexico and Texas. But it resulted in unhealthy conditions in the camp, and when a deadly typhoid epidemic suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It  killed approximately 400 men—more than the total combat deaths the United States would suffer in the following Spanish-American War. 

Many would argue the typhoid to be a tragedy or a strange coincidence. But one must really take a step back, and think about the possibility that the supernatural may be involved. Perhaps the dead souls that haunt the hallowed ground were upset about being disturbed from their rest. Or maybe they were just simply trying to worn those young men who were about to set out and fight the Spanish,  to return home to their loved ones, and not buy in to a used war like they had been in. 

Author: Adam Gilbert, March 3, 2015

Further Reading:
Bradley S. Keefer, Conflicting Memories on the River of Death: The Chickamauga Battlefield and the Spanish-American War, 1863-1933,  Kent State University, 2013

Steven, E. Woodworth, Six Armies in Tennessee: The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns. Bison Books, 1999

Thistlethwaite on Joseph Wheeler

Haley Thistlethwaite has completed an article on Confederate cavalry officer Joseph Wheeler, available here.

Doss on Leonidas Polk

Sam Doss' article on Leonidas Polk is available here.

Rowe on Snodgrass Hill

Shannon Rowe's article on George H. Thomas' September 20, 1863 defense of Snodgrass Hill is now available here.

Thistlethwaite on Hans C. Heg

Haley Thistlethwaite's post on Hans C. Heg is now available here.

Rowe on the Viniard Field

Shannon Rowe has written a new article on the September 19, 1863 fighting in the Viniard Field, now available here.