2. Approach Roads to National Cemeteries and National Military Parks Conveyance to States of approach roads to national cemeteries and mili- teries and parks. Conveyance to State, etc., of approach roads to. Page 226 An Act To authorize the Secretary of War to convey to the States in which located Government owned or controlled approach roads to national cemeteries and national military parks, and for other purposes, approved March 3, 1925 (43 Stat. 1104) Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress asNational ceme sembled, That the Secretary of War be, and he hereby is, authorized in his discretion, subject to such conditions as may seem to him proper, to convey by proper quitclaim deed to any State, county, municipality, or proper agency thereof, in which the same is located, all the right, title, and interest of the United States in and to any Government owned or controlled approach road to any national cemetery or national military park: Provided, That prior to the delivery of any conveyance under this Act the State, county, or municipality to which the conveyance herein authorized is to be made shall notify the Secretary of War in writing of its willingness to accept and maintain the road or roads included in such conveyance: Provided further, That upon the execution and Jurisdiction of delivery of any conveyance herein authorized, the juris Provisos. United States to cease on execution of deed. diction of the United States of America, which has been heretofore ceded to the United States by a State over the roads conveyed, shall thereby cease and determine and shall thereafter vest and be in the particular State in which such roads are located. (Repealed, see 16 U.S.C. $418. See 16 U.S.C. § 8e for same delegation of power to Secretary of the Interior, p. 16.) 3. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Establishment___ -Excerpt from Act of March 3, 1891 Dedication of park authorized_. Concurrent Resolution of March 2, 1895 Page 227 232 232 233 233 234 234 235 235 236 236 237 237 238 239 239 240 241 Addition of certain surplus Government lands authorized__ An Act To establish a national military park at the battle-field Title. Highways declared approaches to and parts of park. roads. the title to the lands thus ceded is perfect, the following described highways in those States are hereby declared to be approaches to and parts of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park as established by the second section of this act, to wit: First. The MisDescription of sionary Ridge Crest road from Sherman Heights at the north end of Missionary Ridge, in Tennessee, where the said road enters upon the ground occupied by the Army of the Tennessee under Major-General William T. Sherman, in the military operations of November twentyfourth and twenty-fifth, eighteen hundred and sixtythree; thence along said road through the positions occupied by the army of General Braxton Bragg on November twenty-fifth, eighteen hundred and sixty-three, and which were assaulted by the Army of the Cumberland under Major-General George H. Thomas on that date, to where the said road crosses the southern boundary of the State of Tennessee, near Rossville Gap, Georgia, upon the ground occupied by the troops of Major-General Joseph Hooker, from the Army of the Potomac, and thence in the State of Georgia to the junction of said road with the Chattanooga and Lafayette or State road at Rossville Gap; second, the Lafayette or State road from Rossville, Georgia, to Lee and Gordon's Mills, Georgia; third, the road from Lee and Gordon's Mills, Georgia, to Crawfish Springs, Georgia; fourth, the road from Crawfish Springs, Georgia, to the crossing of the Chickamauga at Glass' Mills, Georgia; fifth, the Dry Valley road from Rossville, Georgia, to the southern limits of McFarland's Gap in Missionary Ridge; sixth, the Dry Valley and Crawfish Springs road from McFarland's Gap to the intersection of the road from Crawfish Springs to Lee and Gordon's Mills; seventh, the road from Ringold, Georgia, to Reed's Bridge on the Chickamauga River; eighth, the roads from the crossing of Lookout Creek across the northern slope of Lookout Mountain and thence to the old Summertown Road and to the valley on the east slope of the said mountain, and thence by the route of General Joseph Hooker's troops to Rossville, Georgia, and each and all of these herein described roads shall, after the passage of this act, remain open as free public highways, and all rights of way now existing through the grounds of the said park and its approaches shall be continued. To remain free Conditions. Title. SEC. 2. That upon the ceding of jurisdiction by the legislature of the State of Georgia, and the report of the Attorney-General of the United States that a perfect title has been secured under the provisions of the act apVol. 25, p. 357. proved August first, eighteen hundred and eighty-eight, entitled "An act to authorize condemnation of land for sites of public buildings, and for other purposes," the lands and roads embraced in the area bounded as herein Condemnation of lands and roads. condemned Post, p. 978. described, together with the roads described in section one of this act, are hereby declared to be a national park, Supra. to be known as the Chickamauga and Chattanooga Name, etc. National Park; that is to say, the area inclosed by a line beginning on the Lafayette or State road, in Georgia, at Description of a point where the bottom of the ravine next north of the area. house known on the field of Chickamauga as the Cloud House, and being about six hundred yards north of said house, due east to the Chickamauga River and due west to the intersection of the Dry Valley road at McFarland's Gap; thence along the west side of the Dry Valley and Crawfish Springs roads to the south side of the road from Crawfish Springs to Lee and Gordon's Mills; thence along the south side of the last named road to Lee and Gordon's Mills; thence along the channel of the Chickamauga River to the line forming the northern boundary of the park, as hereinbefore described, containing seven thousand six hundred acres, more or less. SEC. 3 That the said Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Park, and the approaches thereto, shall be under the control of the Secretary of War, and it shall be his duty, immediately after the passage of this act to notify the Attorney General of the purpose of the United States to acquire title to the roads and lands described in the previous sections of this act under the provisions of the act of August first, eighteen hundred and eightyeight; and the said Secretary, upon receiving notice from the Attorney-General of the United States that perfect titles have been secured to the said lands and roads, shall at once proceed to establish and substantially mark the boundaries of the said park. Acreage. Park and ap under control of Secretary proaches to be of War. Proceedings in condemnation. Vol. 25, p. 357. and marking of boundaries. Establishment Agreements land owners to remain, etc. with present Conditions of SEC. 4. That the Secretary of War is hereby authorized to enter into agreements, upon such nominal terms as he may prescribe, with such present owners of the land as may desire to remain upon it, to occupy and cultivate their present holdings, upon condition that they will pre- occupancy. serve the present buildings and roads, and the present outlines of field and forest, and that they will only cut trees or underbrush under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, and that they will assist in caring for and protecting all tablets, monuments, or such other artificial works as may from time to time be erected by proper authority. of park com etc., of commission. Composition, SEC. 5. That the affairs of the Chickamauga and Appointment Chattanooga National Park shall, subject to the super- missioners. vision and direction of the Secretary of War, be in charge of three commissioners, each of whom shall have actively participated in the battle of Chickamauga or one of the battles about Chattanooga, two to be appointed from civil life by the Secretary of War, and a third, who shall be detailed by the Secretary of War from among those officers of the Army best acquainted with the details of the Secretary of commission. Office. Commissioners' compensation. Duties of commission. battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga, who shall act as Secretary of the Commission. The said commissioners and Secretary shall have an office in the War Department building, and while on actual duty shall be paid such compensation, out of the appropriation provided in this act, as the Secretary of War shall deem reasonable and just. SEC. 6 That it shall be the duty of the commissioners named in the preceding section, under the direction of the Secretary of War, to superintend the opening of such roads as may be necessary to the purposes of the park, and the repair of the roads of the same, and to ascertain and definitely mark the lines of battle of all troops engaged in the battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga, so far as the same shall fall within the lines of the park as defined in the previous sections of this act, and, for the purpose of assisting them in their duties and in ascerEmployment of taining these lines, the Secretary of War shall have assistant, expert. Compensation. authority to employ, at such compensation as he may deem reasonable and just, to be paid out of the appropriation made by this act, some person recognized as well informed in regard to the details of the battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga, and who shall have actively participated in one of those battles, and it shall be the duty of the Secretary of War from and after the passage of this act, through the commissioners, and their assistant in historical work, and under the act approved Vol. 25, p. 357. August first, eighteen hundred and eighty-eight, regulating the condemnation of land for public uses, to proceed with the preliminary work of establishing the park and its approaches as the same are defined in this act, and the expenses thus incurred shall be paid out of the appropriation provided by this act. Preliminary work of establishing park, etc. Expenses. Location of regular troops park. Monuments, designating. SEC. 7. That it shall be the duty of the commissioners, within the acting under the direction of the Secretary of War, to ascertain and substantially mark the locations of the regular troops, both infantry and artillery, within the boundaries of the park, and to erect monuments upon those positions as Congress may provide the necessary appropriations; and the Secretary of War in the same way may Lines of battle, ascertain and mark all lines of battle within the boundaries of the park and erect plain and substantial historical tablets at such points in the vicinity of the Park and its approaches as he may deem fitting and necessary to clearly designate positions and movements, which, although without the limits of the Park, were directly connected with the battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga. within. Erection of historical tablets. Positions and movements, without. Certain States, etc., may ascertain and mark lines of battle, etc. SEC. 8. That it shall be lawful for the authorities of any State having troops engaged either at Chattanooga or Chickamauga, and for the officers and directors of the Chickamauga Memorial Association, a corporation char |