Chattanooga Tennessee played a pivotal role in the civil war. Because it was a crossroad of train and water transportation, the side that controlled Chattanooga had a distinct advantage in the civil war.
Today was a rainy day. We spent our time at Lookout Mountain and Signal Mountain. The National Park Service has a small military park on each of these mountains. We first went to Lookout Mountain.
From the top of Lookout Mountain at Point Park you can see a 270 panoramic view of Chattanooga and the surrounding area. While it is a steep climb up the mountain, it rises several hundred feet above the river and the valley. BY coincidence, we were there on a rainy day, so we got to experience the weather that was happening during the heaviest part of the battle for Chattanooga. Here is one of the views from the top on the point.
To the left you can see the Tennessee River heading down stream toward Signal Point. More on that later. This vantage point on the mountain had several cannon aimed at key points in the valley.
While the Southern armies had the high ground, the Union Army had a numerical advantage. The Union Army also had some advanced (for the 1860’s) communications systems. Here is a description of the biggest day of the battle.
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The museum in the previous picture covers many of the key aspects of both the southern and northern view of the war. It is interesting and scary to see how people can view the same events with such differing results.
The Union Army was able to use Signal Point and the Tennessee River to provide vital information, reinforcements and supplies that made the difference in this battle. You can see how this worked better if you go down the Tennessee River just a few miles to Signal Point on Signal Mountain.
This very small military park shows how geography and history are intertwined. The view from the edge of Signal Point tells the story.
Looking to the left, you can just see Lookout Mountain. It is the second ridge on the other side of the river. You can also see Chattanooga in the valley. From here the Union Army used large torch flares and a coding system to communicate with the Union soldiers in the valley. They could report on the Rebel Army activity, and also on supplies and reinforcements as they were arriving. One of the ways that the supplies and reinforcements came in was by the Tennessee River to the right.
From this direction, the Tennessee River Gorge provided cover for the Union Army to bring in men and supplies from the north. Using Signal Point as both an observation point and a communications center, the Union Army knew the what and when of supplies. Here are some additional details from a sign at Signal Point.
It is both interesting and sad to read about this time in America’s history. I hope that we will always remember what happened so that we can try to learn from it and avoid similar mistakes in the future. It was a valuable lesson on a rainy day.