Today's first adventure takes me to the site of the greatest loss of life during the American Civil War. In the various battles in and around Chattanooga, TN, Chickamauga stands out as one of the most bloody and for being the first battle fought in Georgia. Between September 18-20, 1863 in a series of offensive and counter-offensives, approximately 120,000 troops split fairly evenly between the Union and the Confederacy met in battle. Nearly 4,000 of those soldiers lost their lives here. Our world is in multiple levels of turmoil right now, much of caused by racial injustice, but regardless of that, visiting this place is quite humbling no matter your political views.
The trail starts a the Visitor Center and after passing under a small stone bridge, enters a large field. A number of marble and granite monuments stand in the field commemorating the various regiments and companies from both sides that participated in this terrible battle. The trail quickly turns into the woods and becomes double-track. More monuments adorn the path. Additionally, there are a number of civil-war era cannons placed at various places along the path, simulating what the battlefield may have looked like back then. Interestingly, most of the cannons are pointed to fire into the woods, leading me to believe this land was probably cleared at the time of the battle.
After departing the woods, the trail runs parallel to a paved road with even more historical markers and monuments to the veterans who fought here. Many of the markers describe various events and offensives that occurred during the three days of hell that this place must have been all those years ago.
As I continue to walk the well traveled trails of this historical park, I can't help but think of the men that offered up and lost their lives to fight for their beliefs. How strong their convictions must have been to have been willing to endure something so horrific. I wonder how much political propaganda was responsible for their steadfastness. I wonder if they were pressured by their families to support their cause. I wonder what this young men really wanted and if they truly knew why they were here.
Eventually, the trail begins to loop back towards the parking lot where I started. During my hike here, I've covered nearly 6.8 miles and there is much more to see that I didn't visit today. Additionally, I must have passed 30 cannons and more than 100 monuments to the brave soldiers who fought here. It's a sad thing that human disagreements must end in bloodshed, but perhaps someday, we'll learn a better method.
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