Chickamauga

I went to my first civil war battlefield.

Along this drive were monuments to Ohio, Pennsylvania & Texas too.

Over the years I've 'talked' with many people about the Civil War on the internet. It was there that I first heard it called "The war of northern aggression" & the argument that it was about money. I'd heard that it was about slavery too.
The only thing I know for sure was that more Americans died in it than any other war & it settled the States Rights question.

Chickamauga is up by the Georgia/Tennessee state line, it's the first established National Battlefield and it's a big place.

The 20 minute movie in the visitors center was well worth the time as was a trip through the museum there. Taking a close look at the cannon on display out front was a help during the rest of the day.

Start here, seriously!
ID the different cannon, watch the video & see the timeline

For me, the timeline they have running around the walls in the museum was a huge education on that war...
I had many misconceptions on when things happened, that timeline straightened out those misconceptions.

The battlefield is huge. There are markers, placards, statutes & cannon scattered everywhere. "Scattered" is not the best word, they are put up where event actually happened & explain who was there, when they were there & what they did.

Forest or cleared, the way didn't care

Names, dates, times & the number lost

War was hard on the horses

Drive, park, walk & read, walk & read. Read the signs, look at the small map from the visitors center, walk & read. Go back to the car & do it again.

It took us several hours and we just browsed. There were many people on bicycles & that looked like a good way to view the battlefield.

Some states had people on both sides of the conflit

Karen did not expect to get into this, it's not her choice in history....but she did.

It was more than a historic battlefield, it's a park. There were families having picnic's, groups having outings and a kid trying to fly a kite (with his mother's help).