Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-07-31
CHICKAMAUGA PARK.
Details of the Park Which VIII
GlOrify American ValOr.
A WEH-PRESERVED BATTLEFIELD.
Some Reasons Why the Move
ment is Peculiarly ApprO-
priate-. Chattanooga Pa
triOtism.
A WEu-PRESERvED Battlefield.


The Chicamauga National park bill
has passed the senate and house
President HarrisoD's known friend
illness to the measure makes tn,
signing of the act question of only
few days. 1t is doubtful if con
gressmen realized the magnitude
and the importance Of the project
when they voted for It. Certainly
the people generally do not know
The details of what is contemplated
have received little publicity. By
the bill just passed there is appro-
priated $125,000. This, it is under
stood, will be sufficient for immed
late purposes. But it is expected
that other appropriations will b,
made from time to time. And wher
the work, as planned, is complete,
there will be preserved to history
such an object lesson in war as the
world does not now possess.
First the legislatures of Georgia
and Tennessee will, at their coming
sessions, cede TO the general govern
ment control of the roads and OF
the land to be included in the park,
This park embraces the battlefield
of Chcamauga-7,600 acres. Its
boundaries are already defined.
There Is no other battlefield of the
late war which has undergone such
slight change as that of Chicka-
mauga. The country roads are just
where they were twenty-seven years
ago. The pine trees look about as
they did then; and they are the
Identical trees that stopped the
bullets In '63 as is attested by the
countless scars. There are the same
cleared fields and the same proper
tion of forest. Even the fences are
on the same lines.
The bill just passed provides for
the purchase and the preservation
in its present condition of the battle
field OF Chickamauga. But it goes
further than that. 1t also enables
the government to acrept from the
states of Georgia and Tennessee the
control and care Of certain roads out
side the park proper, so that the
battlefields of Lookout mountain
and Missionary ridge may be pre-
served and marked. The greatest
interest Is taken by the people of
Chattanooga and vicinity in this
movement. Assurances of their
heartiest cooperation have been
given. There IS said not to be the
slightest doubt that Georgia and
Tennessee will do all in their power
in passing the project. As soon
as the roads are ceded and the
property is acquired the work of
marking the lines of both the
union army and of the confederate
army upon the three battleields
will be pushed forward. The
positions of every brigade which
participated are to be located. This
will be done upon II plan entirely
new. Metallic tablets will be cast
with raised lettering. The face of
the tablet will be black and the
letters will be white. This will give
a record practically imperishable.
The letters can be touched up from
year TO year, as the pant wears
away, On each tablet will be given
the name of the brigade and its
commander, also the regiments or
other organizations embraced in
that brigade, with their command.
ers. Then will follow in brief form
such information AZ will show what
part the brigade sustained at that
particular stage of the battle. The
tablet will be erected upon an iron
post, and the face and plane of the
tablet will show how the brigade
line fronted and the direction in
which ii was formed.
After the roads are ceded, the park
is secured and $500 tablets officially
designating the positions have been
erected, then states and military us-
soclations will be permitted to erect
monuments at various points. But
the plans and inscriptions of these
monuments will be subject To the
approval Of the government COM
missioners.
Besides the well-prcserved condi-
tions of these fields, there il another
fact about the battles fought upon
them which makes this movement
peculiarly appropriate, Chicka-
manga is notable for the widely rep
rescntative character of the troops
who Were there. Every southern
state, from Virginia to Texas had
troops on the confederate side, while
In the union army We're regiments
and batteries from all except the eN-
treme eastern portion of the north,
Kentuckians fought Kentuckians,
aud Tennesseeans met Tennesseeans
under opposing flags. On the slope
OF Snodgrass the first Missouri con-
federate artillery came upon some of
the belongings OF the first Missouri
artillery, L. $ A., and what u yell
went up over the capture
II II was necessary To hnd addi-
tlonal reasons for the Appropriate
ness Of the Chickamauga park pro
ject, something might be sand of the