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Written by Sugar Dog
Cave Dog will be hiking throughout the Chickamauga Battlefield of the
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. This battlefield was
the site of some of the hardest fighting of the Civil War in the fall of
1863. The Confederates under the control of General Braxton Bragg
were staunchly defending Chattanooga, which was a key rail center and the
heart of Confederacy control. By capturing Lookout Mountain, Missionary
Ridge, and Chattanooga Valley, the Confederates managed to block all the
roads and rail lines providing supplies to the Union army. Led by
General William S. Rosecrans, the Union army was forced to either surrender
or starve. However, Union authorities in Washington ordered reinforcements
to the site of the battle. Sherman brought his own troops and Ulysses
S. Grant was put in control of the campaign. Over the next couple
months, the battle turned and the Confederate troops were able to assault
the Union army at the base of Missionary Ridge. The Confederate army
retreated back into Georgia and the Union army claimed control of Chattanooga
and nearly the whole state of Tennessee. Sherman later used the Chickamauga
Battlefield in his preparations for his march to Atlanta and the sea.
Since this battlefield served as such a turning point in the Civil War,
Cave Dog will be hiking many of the trails in this park. The trails
that he has chosen are rather complicated, so it is best to refer to the
map posted here on the website to navigate. Cave Dog will begin at
the Visitor Center right off of McFarland Gap Road at 8:00 am. When
looking at the map, he will begin his hike on the outer dark blue trail
going east, taking this outer trail all the way back to where he began.
Then he will take the inner light blue loop as indicated on the map. There
are many internal trails that make it easy to meet up with Cave Dog as
he completes these two loops. |