BGuthrie Photos: TN -- Chattanooga Natl Military Park -- Lookout Mountain

TN -- Chattanooga Natl Military Park -- Lookout Mountain:

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. LOOK_061009_008.JPG: Point Park The walkway beginning here leads through Point Park to historic Point Lookout, the northern most promontory of Lookout Mountain. The distance to Point Lookout is 1/4 mile, and the walking time is about 5 minutes. The trail to Point Lookout ends at the Ochs Overlook and Museum, a stone structure perched atop the rocky cliffs. Here there are panoramic views of Chattanooga and the Tennessee River 1,300 feet below. Point Park preserves strategic high ground captured by Union soldiers during the Battle of Lookout Mountain in 1863. Today it is part of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. The New York Peace Monument, the centerpiece of the Park, symbolizes the reconciliation of North and South. Additional information is available at the Park visitor center across the street behind you. Exhibited there is James Walker's original 30-foot-long painting of the Battle of Lookout Mountain. Point Park offers several fine vistas of Chattanooga and the surrounding area. There are hazardous dropoffs in the area, so please use caution and stay on walks and trails. Overlooks in the upper part of Point Park are accessible to visitors in wheelchairs via the walk to your right. The trail to the Ochs Overlook has stairs and steep sections and is not accessible to wheelchairs. The Ochs Memorial Overlook shortly after it was built in 1940. The overlook is located at Point Lookout, a 5-minute walk from here. The entrance gate to Point Park under construction in 1904. This impressive structure - located just behind you - was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The design is based on the "castle" insignia of the Corps.
2. LOOK_061009_009.JPG: The Battles for Chattanooga 1863 A series of battles in 1863 secured Chattanooga for the Union The city of Chattanooga with its railroads and riverboats was a vital transportation center during the Civil War. Both armies recognized its importance. In the late summer and fall of 1863, several key military actions decided the fate of Chattanooga, and helped determine the fate of the Confederacy. (1) Battle of Chickamauga - September 18-20 About 10 miles south of Chattanooga near West Chickamauga Creek, Confederate forces defeated the Union army in a bloody two-day battle. The Federals withdrew to Chattanooga and fortified the city. (2) Siege of Chattanooga - September 22 to November 23 Confederates laid siege to the city of Chattanooga to force the Federals to surrender. Confederates occupied positions along the Tennessee River, Missionary Ridge, and Lookout Mountain. (3) Union Army Reinforced - Late October The besieged and hungry Federals managed to open a supply line through Lookout Valley into the city. With fresh troops and supplies, they were ready to fight by late November. (4) Battle of Orchard Knob - November 23 Union troops stormed and captured Orchard Knob, a hill to the east of their defense line in the city. (5) Battle of Lookout Mountain - November 24 Union forces drove the Confederates from their positions on Lookout Mountain. Because the mountain was partially shrouded in fog, the action was also called the "Battle Above the Clouds." (6) Battle of Missionary Ridge - November 25 Union forces stormed and shattered Confederate units occupying Missionary Ridge. The siege was broken, and Chattanooga became the Federal base from which Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman would launch his Atlanta campaign in the spring of 1864.
3. LOOK_061009_010.JPG: Confederate Forces – Battle of Lookout. Nov. 24th, 1863. The night before the Battle Gen. Stevenson was assigned to command the Confederate line from Chattanooga Creek to the extreme left on Lookout Mountain, a distance of 15 miles. Stevenson's Division, of Brown's, Cummings and Pettu's Brigades then occupied the summit, and Cheatham's Division of Jackson's Moore's and Walthall's Brigades the slopes below the palisades. Jackson's (Col. J.C. Wilkinson commanding) and Cumming's were assigned to the line between the creek and the base of the mountain, from which Walker's Division had been withdrawn on the 23d. At noon of the 24th, Gen. Pettus, with three regiments of his brigade was sent to reinforce Walthall at the Cravens House. The top of the mountain was thereafter occupied by Brown's Brigade, two regiments of Pettus, and Corput's Battery of four Napoleons. Two regiments of Brown's Brigade held Powell's and Nickajack's trails, respectively 7 and 10 miles from the Point. Beyond these trails a small cavalry force operated about Johnson's Crook and Steven's Gap. Two guns of the Battery were stationed near the Point, and two others were held in reserve between the Point and the line of defences to the south. Infantry was disposed along the crests of the bluff, firing as the fog gave opportunity, and rolling down rocks. At 7 P.M. orders were given to withdraw from the summit. At 10 o'clock the troops stationed there had crossed Chattanooga Creek. At 2 A.M. of the 25th the forces on the Cravens House Plateau retired, the joint forces proceeding undisturbed to Missionary Ridge.
4. LOOK_061009_011.JPG: Occupation of the Summit of Lookout. Nov. 25th. 1863. No Union troops reached the top of the Mountain during the Battle of Lookout. The Confederates began to withdraw from the summit at 7 P.M. of the 24th, and completed the retirement about 9 o'clock, and at 10 P.M. had crossed Chattanooga Creek on their way t,o Missionary Ridge. Early next morning Gen. Whitaker, commanding brigade in Cruft's Division, his line being then in the vicinity of the Craven House, called for volunteers from the 8th Kentucky to scale the palisades at the Point of the Mountain. The following responded: Capt. John Wilson, Co. C; Sergt. Harris H. Davis, Private William Witt, Co. A; Sergts. Joseph Wagers, James G. Wood, Co. B; and Joel Bradley, Co. I. They gained the summit unopposed, and at sunrise displayed the colors of the regiment in the sight of both armies. The morning being unusually bright and clear it gave notice to both of the result of the battle of the day and night before. The 8th Kentucky Infantry, Col. Sidney M. Barnes, quickly followed, and advanced to Summertown finding the mountain evacuated. The 96th Illinois Infantry, Col. Thos. E. Champion followed the 8th Kentucky. Upon the advance of Gen. Hooker's forces towards Rossville during the forenoon of the 25th for the attack on Missionary Ridge. These two regiments were left to hold the summit of the mountain, and occupied the position until Dec. 2d.
5. LOOK_061009_043.JPG: Lookout Valley You are looking across Lookout Valley and the flat-topped ridges of the Cumberland Plateau. The morning of November 24, Union Gen. Hooker's troops crossed Lookout Creek opposite the present railroad yard in the valley. Then, in a long column, they climbed the mountain to the base of the cliff to your left. This wall blocked any further advance to the mountaintop. Facing north, to your right, the line next moved forward along the slope to attack the lightly held Confederate defenses. The advance cleared the creek bank of Confederate pickets. More Union soldiers crossed to join the attack, the total attacking force reached 8000. Walthall's brigade was driven back around Point Lookout, losing 900 of 1500 men - and the battle!
6. LOOK_061009_059.JPG: Battle Above the Clouds: Hooker's troops drove the Confederates from Lookout Mountain: On November 24, 1863, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, the Union commander, ordered Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker's forces to storm Lookout Mountain. Hooker's men swept up the western slope of the mountain (where the trails are) and then charged around the base of the cliffs. The battle reached its high point near the Cravens House just below these cliffs. The outnumbered Confederates were repeatedly pushed back. Because fog enveloped the mountain most of the day, soldiers nicknamed the Battle of Lookout Mountain the "Battle Above the Clouds." That night, the Confederates retreated across the Chattanooga Creek to Missionary Ridge.
7. LOOK_061009_061.JPG: Tennessee River and Moccasin Bend: You are now looking north. Here the Tennessee River makes a sweeping, clockwise loop around Moccasin Bend. In 1863, vital supplies were brought to the besieged Federals in Chattanooga across the "neck" of Moccasin Bend, using pontoon bridges at the two river crossings. The Cracker Line: Union forces opened a supply line into the besieged city of Chattanooga in late October 1863. Known as the "Cracker Line," it brought the weary Federals ammunition and food, including the soldiers' staple -- "hardtack" crackers. The newly appointed Union commander, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, prepared to fight as reinforcements arrived. Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker's detachment arrived in early October, and Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's in mid-November. In the face of this Union build-up, Gen. Braxton Bragg, commander of the Confederate army, committed a costly error. He sent a portion of his army off to attack Union troops at Knoxville, thereby weakening his grip on Chattanooga.
8. LOOK_061009_064.JPG: Chattanooga and Missionary Ridge: You are now looking to the northeast: n 1863, Chattanooga was a major railroad hub with a population of 2,500. In late November, the city was in Union hands, while Confederate forces occupied Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. Both sides struggled for control, for if the Federals cemented their grip on Chattanooga, they would have a perfect staging area for an invasion of the deep South. A Fortified City: By late November 1863, General Grant had transformed Chattanooga into a Federal stronghold bounded by earthworks. Union forces were now ready to take the offensive. On November 23, Grant's troops captured Orchard Knob, a hill about midway between the Union fortifications in the city and the Confederate lines on Missionary Ridge. On the following two days, the Federals pushed the Confederates from Lookout Mountain and won a decisive victory on Missionary Ridge.
9. LOOK_061009_077.JPG: Battle of Missionary Ridge: Undaunted Union infantry fought their way to the crest On November 25, 1863, the Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant made its final moves to destroy the Confederate forces on Missionary Ridge, the long ridge in the distance. Following unsuccessful attacks on the left and right, Grant ordered Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas' troops in the center to seize the Confederate rifle pits at the base of the ridge. The Federals stormed the rifle-pits, and drove the retreating Confederates up the slopes. Then, under fire from above, and without orders, the Union infantry pushed ahead up the ridge. The Confederates, outnumbered and in a poor defensive position, abandoned the ridge and retreated into Georgia. The Union victory on Missionary Ridge left Chattanooga firmly in Union hands, and set the stage for Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's advance against Atlanta in the spring.
10. LOOK_061009_098.JPG: Lookout Valley and Browns Ferry: You are now looking to the northwest: From this commanding viewpoint, 1,300 feet above the river, you can see many of the historic areas associated with the Battles for Chattanooga in 1863. Among these features are Lookout Valley and Browns Ferry through which the Federals opened a vital supply line, weakening the Confederate siege of Chattanooga. Breaking the Siege: In late September 1863, the Confederate army under Gen. Braxton Bragg laid siege to the city, trapping the Union army defeated at Chickamauga. The Confederates, positioned here on Lookout Mountain and at other key points surrounding the city, hoped to starve the Federals into submission. At 3am on October 27, Union soldiers cast off from Chattanooga in pontoon boats and floated secretly down the river. At Browns Ferry (just behind the branches at the upper right of the picture), they landed and routed the Confederate pickets. The following day, they linked up with Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker's Union forces who were moving up Lookout Valley to relieve the city. A Union supply line was thus opened, and the Confederate strangle-hold on the city was broken. [The big river is the Chattanooga River. The smaller one running vertically in the middle of the picture is Lookout Creek.]
11. LOOK_061009_120.JPG: Mountain Cliffs: As you walk along this path, you see piles of rock (sandstone) built up in layers. It is a hard rock that forms the cap of Lookout Mountain and the other ranges of the Cumberland Plateau. Beneath this sandstone are weaker formations of limestone and shale which, as they gradually erode back, undercut the caprock. The sandstone then breaks off forming cliffs all along the brow of the mountain. This wall protected Confederate troops on top of the mountain from direct attack by Union forces during the Battle Above the Clouds. Cherokee Geology: More imaginative, though less scientific is this Cherokee Indian explanation for the existence of the mountains and valleys of East Tennessee: "At first the earth was flat and very soft and wet. The animals were anxious to get down (from above in Galunlati, beyond the arch) and sent out different birds to see if it was yet dry, but they found no place to alight and came back again to Galunlati. At last, it seemed to be time, and they sent out the Great Buzzard, the father of all the buzzards we see now. He flew all over the earth, low down near the ground, and it was still soft. When he reached the Cherokee country, he was very tired, and his wings began to flap and strike the ground, and wherever they struck the earth there was a valley, and where they turned up again there was a mountain. When the animals above saw this, they were afraid that the whole world would be mountains, so they called him back, but the Cherokee country remains full of mountains to this day."
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Wikipedia Description: Lookout Mountain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lookout Mountain, actually a plateau, is located at the northwest corner of Georgia, the northeast corner of Alabama, and along the southern border of Tennessee near Chattanooga. It is one of the southernmost ridge mountains of the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians. The summit, called "High Point," is at 2,392 feet (729 m) AMSL. The foothills of the mountain extend into Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. Near Chattanooga, the caves of Ruby Falls are contained within Lookout Mountain, and the rock formations of the Rock City tourist attraction are situated on the ridge, as well as the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway. From Rock City, it is said that seven U.S. states can be seen: Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. In reality, on very clear days, some mountains in the Knoxville area of Tennessee can be seen at a distance of about 100 miles, but the curvature of the earth's surface lowers anything in Kentucky, South Carolina or Virginia to below the horizon. Nearby are Georgia's Cloudland Canyon and Cloudland Canyon State Park. The mountain, which hosts the nation's largest hang gliding school and Covenant College, is one of the Chattanooga area's most visited tourist attractions.

In recent years, real estate developers have begun realizing the mountain property's value for upscale second home communities, catering to residents of nearby Atlanta, Nashville, Knoxville, Birmingham and Huntsville. However, such development is limited by the extensive conservation easements put into place by organizations such as the Lula Lake Land Trust.

Lookout Mountain was the scene of the First Battle of Chattanooga during the American Civil War.

History:

Before the Civil War:

Before the war, land taken from the Indians was sold to the highest bidder, without a lottery of land parcels, as in Georgia. Because of this method of distributing land, much of ...More...
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Directly Related Pages: Other pages with content (TN -- Chattanooga Natl Military Park -- Lookout Mountain) directly related to this one: [Display ALL photos on one page]:
- 2011_TN_Chat_Lookout: TN -- Chattanooga Natl Military Park -- Lookout Mountain (71 photos from 2011)
- 2005_TN_Chat_Lookout: TN -- Chattanooga Natl Military Park -- Lookout Mountain (36 photos from 2005)
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Same Subject: Click on this link to see coverage of items having the same subject: [Civil War] [Park (National Park Service)] [Vistas] [(NPS) Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park] [Display ALL (NPS) Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park photos]
2006 photos: Trips this year: Florida (two separate trips including Lotusphere and taking care of mom), three weeks out west (including Yellowstone), Williamsburg, San Diego (comic book convention), and Georgia. Equipment this year: I was using all six Fuji cameras at various times -- an S602Zoom, two S7000s,a S5200, an S9000, and an S9100. The majority of pictures this year were taken with the S9000. I have to say, the S7000s was the best camera I've used up to this point.. Number of photos taken this year: 183,000.
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