Turning the Tide

The next couple of days are our last in Chattanooga and we will leave with eyes more widely opened. We arrived at Cameron Marina and boarded a warm "Velsignet" (Tony had installed a new heating/cooling unit while we were away) around 5 pm on Monday, December 3rd, after our Thanksgiving break in Minnesota.  On December 4th, we toured Chickamauga Battlefield (Brenda's birthday wish), and today focused on groceries, supplies and water, more improvements for living on the boat (Donated our old chest cooler for a new one we got for Christmas with the help of Brenda's mom; filled and installed the flybridge cushions to upholsterer Mirella's instructions), and going through the "getting underway checklist" for tomorrow's departure.  

Chickamauga Battlefield is located just 8 miles south of Chattanooga (in Georgia!) and is the first national military park to be established (Gettysburg was second).  It is here that thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers lost their lives in a battle to secure Chattanooga, a railroad hub situated along the Tennessee River where it cut through the Appalachian Mountains.  The Confederates won the Battle of Chickamauga, but later lost to the Union at Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain, giving the Union control of Chattanooga (It became General Ulysses S. Grant's headquarters).  By capturing Chattanooga, the Union crippled Confederate supply lines, struck the industrial heart of the Confederacy, and offered a sanctuary to people escaping slavery.  In essence, capturing Chattanooga helped to determine the Union's victory over the Confederacy.

The visitor's center did a very good job of describing the battles that took place to secure Chattanooga and the reasons for the Civil War.  Here, in the very land where the conflict was hottest (Tennessee was the last to secede and the first to return to the Union), we were reminded:  (1) Southern states believed being part of the United States was voluntary; and (2) Slaves were considered high value property (President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation really stirred the pot!).  After decades of debates and disagreements, the issues of States' rights and personal property rights (um... excuse me... human rights) heated into the all-out conflict.

These are only a few of the canons found at Chickamauga Battlefield.  Each had a description of its power.  Hard to believe that American's aimed these deadly weapons upon their own.

This is a figure of a Confederate soldier exhibited in the museum.

This is only one hall of the several that display 346 guns collected by Claud Fuller and his wife, Zenada.  The collection depicts the timeline of technology and mechanical development.  

Here is a life-size figure of a Union soldier.  Brother against brother.  President Lincoln grieved the loss of his brother-in-law in the Chickamauga battle;  his brother-in-law turned down the President's invitation to serve in the Union and sided with the Confederacy.

Mike in front of the Visitor's Center and Museum.

Missionary Ridge was a strategic location for both Union and Confederate Generals because it oversees Chattanooga and its surrounding area.  Here, as we toured in our rented vehicle, we found this monument in remembrance of the volunteer soldiers from Minnesota.

At the Minnesota monument, placards with the casualties were listed by army and command.  The red represents the Confederacy.

The Blue placard (also at the Minnesota monument) represents the Union Casualties. 
The Minnesota soldiers were under Baird's command.

Missionary Ridge is today a beautiful residential neighborhood that spans the crest of this high point overlooking Chattanooga and its surrounding areas.  As we drove the Ridge, there were numerous monuments and placards depicting details of commands (to assist those who seek to learn more about their ancestors that fought in the battles). 
This is the Minnesota monument (again) with the placards.  In the far background are hills on the other side of Chattanooga, near Lookout Mountain.