Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-07-15
MARK WELL THE SPOT
THE VIRGINIA TROOPS At cHlcKA-
MAUCs AND MISSIONARY RIDGE.
Report Of tho Commission Appointed to
Locate Their Posiuon-A
Recommendation.

| Aelda Of Chickamauga and Chattanooga
The Governor appointed on the coin''''s-
sion Captain George ID. Wise. Coionei ABE
Fulkerson. and Major w. w. Parker all Oh
whom were in the Chlckamauga cam
paign. The frst-named was, on account
of pressure OF congressional business
| unable to serve. but Major Parker anu
Colonel Fulkerson performed the duties
assigned them. and on yesterday SUD-
mitted their report. which is as follows:
Tho Report.
| To His Excellency, Charles 1. OFerraii'
| Governor OF Virginia:
Sir,--The undersigned. two OF the COM
| mssioners appointed by your Excellency
under an act Of the Legislature passed
at It's lat session to assist the Chicka-
| Inaugua and Chattanooga National Mill
| tary Park Commission in locating on the
| battle-helds the positions OF the Virginia
| troops which participated In the battles
! Of Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, etc,re-
specially report that on the 18th day OF
May 1894, they reached Chattanooga, and
on the Sth proceeded TO the headquarters
| Of the national commission. on the Chicka-
manga field. Your commission was cour-
teously received by the national com
| mission, and a large portion OF the battle
! field was visited. and especially the po-
stlons occupied by the Virginia troops on
! each day Of the battle-namely, the 18th
and 10Th Of September. 1853.
THREE ORGANIZATIONS.
But three organizations Of Virginia
troops engaged in the battle OF Chcka-
mauga-namely, the Fifty-fourth Regi-
men of Infantry. Colonel r. c. Trigg, OF
Montgomery county, and the Sixty-thlrd
| Virginia Regiment OF Infantry, com
| mandcd by Major J. NJ. French. and
| Jeffress Battery, commanded by William
| G.. Jeffress. The Fifty-fourth Regiment
was brigaded with the First Florida, the
| Sixth Florida and the - Florida regi-
| ments, and commanded In battle by Colo
mel K. G. Trgg. his regiment being under
| the immediate command Of Lieutenant
| Colonel John J. Wade. The Sixty-third
was brigaded with the SiXy-Fifth Geor-
| eia. the Fifth Kentucky, and the FIFTY
| eighth North Carolina. under the com
mand Of Colonel j. H. Kelly, of Arkansas.
| Triees. Kellys and Gracie's brigades and
| Jenress's rattery constituted the division
| OF General William Preston, Of Kentucky,
! and formed a part Of Buckncrs Corps.
| THE GALLANT FIFTY-FOURrH.
The Fiftv-fourth was engaged in the
| first days fight, a short distance north
west Of Dalton's Ford OF the Chicka-
uauga river. and lost thirty-iive men,
| killed and wounded; the SiXty-thlrd was
not engaged the first day. ON SUNDAY
| afternoon the whole of Preston's DlVl-
| sion was brought into action at Snod-
Crass's Hill, and were engaged from 4:@o
| o'clock til dark, when Trgg and helly
turned the right OF Generals Brahhoh
and Stecdman, Of Thomas Corps, ana
| captured three regiments thus IoIc"S
| General Thomas to yield the strongest
po-ition in the Federal line, and wiich
| had enabled him to cover the retreat oil
Rosecrar's army into Chattanooga
In this engagement the Fifty-fourth
| lost eight killed and wounded and the
Sixty-third lost about one third of the
number taken into action, as reported py
Major French, commanding.
In the organization of General Bragg
army. the Ffty-fourth and Sixty-thlrd
Virginia regiments were placed IN
the brigade commanded by Cen
eral Reynolds and ordered to East
Tennessee to operate with Long
streets Corps against Burnside's a;
Knoxville. but this brigade was recalled
when II reached Cleveland, ana placed IN
the trenches at the foot Of Missionary
Ridge, opposite the city Of Chattanooga
which position was held till Bragg's line
tain by General Hooker's column, ana
on the right by General Sherman, when
the brigade fell back to the crest or the
ridge and thence to Dalton, Georgia.
EASILY IDENTIFIED
The positions occupied by these regf-
ments were easily Identified, indeed, the
whole battlefield has been well preserved
the timber. the fields, and the roads are
there. and present pretty much the same
appearance as they did at the time q
III, bloody conflict in September, ls'5'
The national commission has maze
great progress in establishing the park
as authorized by Congress
The fighting lines Of all divisions on
each side have been ascertained, and most
of them have been marked by historical
tablets: the positions Of the brgades ana
regiments are being rapidly aScerldlheu
and Will be marked.
Title to about ten square miles Of terri
tory has been secured. covering nearly
the entire field upon which fighting oc-
CURED The underground has been cut
out. improving the appearance OF the
field and facilitating the finding Of the
positions Of the battle.
OLD ROADS REOPENED.
The old roads Of the battlefield have
been reopeneI, and the work OF restoring
the fields to their condition at the time
of the battle is nearly completed. More
than thirty miles of the main roads OF the
field and many crossroads have been re-
built in a substantial manner, so that
every point Of interest in the battlefield
is Of easy access. Handsome monuments
| are being erected to the Federal and Con-
federate generals who fell in the battle,
| and splendid granite monuments mark the
positions occupied by the United states
regiments and batteries of the regular
army. The act OF Congress leaves IL 10
the States to erect monuments 10 their
regiments and batteries. The sites de-
signs, and inscriptions Of all monuments
must, under the law. receive the approval
Of the Secretary Of War before they can
he erected. The material for the founda-
tons Of state monuments. with the ex-
| cepti0n Of cemcnts, will be furnished from
| the park without expense TO the States.
a SANGUINARY BATTLE.
Chicamauga is regarded as among the
most sanguinary AID stubbornly-fousht
battles Of the la;e war, AMI was a fair
test OF the va.or and splendid courage OF
the southern and western soldier. Every
state IN the South and all the Northern
and Western States except four, were
represented in that battle. and for these
reasons the government has selected this
battle-iIcll iOf q nhllONdi ldih
IT is expected that all of the States
represented in these battles viii erect
monuments on the fields Of Chickamauga
and Missionary Ridge. to commemorate
the gallant deeds Of their soldiers, and
your commission most earnestly recon-
mend that the Legislature be requested
to provide the necessary means 10 erect
a suitable monument TO the memory Of
the gallant Fifty-fourth and SiXty-third
regiments. and suggest that the monu-
ment be erected on Snodgrass Ridge. the
most noted, because the most hotly-con-
tested point on the battlefield Of Chicka-
manga.
Respectfully submitted.
CSigneD A. FULK ERSON.
(SignedD WILLIAM w. PARKER
Commissioners.
y. S-Thc four Virginia batteries-to-
wit: Taylor's, Woolfolk's, Jordan's, and
Parkers-that went with General Long
street to Chickamauga, got there the day
after the fight So soon as they got
horses they marched TO Lookout noun
tain. The three first were used as NOR
tars and fired upon the enemy's line
while the fourth Pnrker's) occupied the
top Of the mountain and tried 10 reach