THE NATIONAL MILITARY PARK. CHAPTER I. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PARK. The Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park consists of two distinct parts, as shown by the map on the opposite page, the Park proper, which embraces the entire battle field of Chickamauga, and the Approaches. The area within the legal limits of the Park is about fifteen square miles. The aggregate length of the roads forming the Approaches is thirty-six miles, made up as follows: MILES. Missionary Ridge Crest Road from Rossville.... 8.46 1.00 3.30 Aside from the Approaches, the legal boundaries of the Park are these: An east and west line, crossing the La Fayette Road at a point about 600 yards north of the Cloud House, and extending from the McFarland's Gap road to the Chickamauga River, forms the northern boundary. The Chickamauga River bounds it on the east, the road from Lee and Gordon's Mill to the Crawfish Springs road is its southern limit, and the Crawfish Springs road from the Lee & Gordon's Mill road to McFarland's Gap is its western boundary. The Approaches in the vicinity of Chickamauga are mainly roads over which the armies reached and left the field. Those about Chattanooga lie mainly along lines of battle. Those over Lookout cross Hooker's battle field and lie near Walthall's, while the Crest Road along Missionary Ridge follows Bragg's line of battle in front of Gen. Thomas' Army of the Cumberland and Gen. Sherman's Army of the Tennessee. Nearly all these Approaches, as well as the roads within the Park, have been rebuilt by the government in the most solid manner. The Crest Road and the La Fayette, or State road from Rossville to Lee and Gordon's Mill, are both constructed on a fifty foot right of way. The drive over this magnificent boulevard from Sherman Heights to Glass' Mill, which was the Confederate left flank in the battle of Chickamauga, is twenty miles. The scenery alone, over eight miles. of its extent, from the northern extremity of Missionary Ridge to Rossville, is such as will give the drive a national reputation. When to these remarkable charms of valleys, city, river, and bold mountains, we add a comprehensive and distinct view of the battle fields of Lookout Mountain, Orchard Knob, and Missionary Ridge, this drive becomes one that is without parallel. The remaining twelve miles of the boulevard run through the center, and touch both flanks of the Chickamauga field, and the whole passes through or in plain sight of the hot fighting ground of five day's battle between great armies. The boulevard, when completed, like the other roads and approaches of the Park, will have historical tablets or monuments, or both, to illustrate every important point of action on each side in these battles. The government has acquired the site of Bragg's Headquarters on Missionary Ridge and about three acres surrounding it. It has also purchased a spur of the Ridge which juts out toward Chattanooga, opposite the left of the line of assault of the Army of the Cumberland. This tract contains five and a half acres, and from it the face of the Ridge to a point within a division front of the right of the line of assault can be seen. Upon each of these tracts stands one of the five observation towers which have been erected in the Park. Besides these, the whole of Orchard Knob has been acquired. This was the headquarters of Gens. Grant, Thomas, and Gordon Granger during the battle of Missionary Ridge. It is an isolated knoll about six acres in extent and about sixty feet above the plain, standing half way between Chattanooga and the Ridge. The Confederate works, and those erected after the Union forces captured it, are still well defined, and the general appearance of the knoll remains unchanged. See note, page 13. Except in the growth of timber, the features of the Chickamauga field have changed but little since the battle. There have been few clearings in the extensive woods where the heavy fighting occurred, but several of the fields in these forests had grown up with heavy timber, and, in consequence, the first studies of the lines were quite puzzling. The plan of establishing the Park contemplates a restoration of the whole field, as near as may be, to its condition at the time of the battle. This involves clearing out the recent growths of timber and replanting clearings so that they may grow up to forest. The old roads, which were those of the battle, have been re-opened and improved, and roads opened since the battle have been closed and abandoned. The only natural feature existing at the time of the fight, which has been changed, is the cutting out of the underbrush. This was absolutely necessary in order to bring the lines of battle into view, and to show the topography of the field. As a result of this work, carriages can now drive in all directions through the great forests and along the various lines of battle. Thus far five iron and steel observation towers, each seventy feet to the upper platform, have been erected at prominent points of the Park. Three of these are on the Chickamauga field, and two on Missionary Ridge. Of the former, one is near Hall's Ford, on the ground where Bragg's army first formed for battle, one is near Jay's saw-mill, where the battle actually began, and the third is on Snodgrass Hill. All the towers are in sight of each other, and they thus serve to indicate the relative positions of the various points of the fields of Chickamauga and Chattanooga. The strategy of the campaigns and the movements of the battles are readily understood by the views afforded from them. The plan of marking the lines of battle is to designate them both by monuments and historical tablets. The government erects the monuments to the regular regiments and batteries and the tablets. The erection of monuments to mark the positions of volunteer organizations is left to the States. The historical tablets are of iron with the lettering cast as part of the plate. They are each four feet by three. They are of several classes-as, those for army headquarters, corps, divisions, and brigades. The first named show the corps which make up the armies with their commanders; the corps tablets show the divisions and their commanders; the division tablets show the brigades which compose them and their commanders; while the brigade tablets carry the organization to the individual regiments and batteries and their commanders in the battle. There are also staff tablets of uniform size with the others giving the names of the respective staff officers. The historical tablets each present from 200 to 300 words of text setting forth in condensed yet comprehensive form the movements at the points where they are erected. Both sides have equal attention in the erection of these tablets. The only distinctive mark is the letter "U" for Union in the upper right hand corner, and the letter "C" for Confederate. Following are specimens of several hundred tablets erected on the field: |