The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-09-18
oUR NEW MfLIrARY PARK.
Tine Chickamauga and Chatsanoog" 'e'"'
to be Opened This Week.

itary Park will be dedicated. the 'ins
will be the thirty-second anniversary o.
the battle OF Chickamauga. Nice-tf"S-
ident Stevenson will preside. SecIe'"iy
OF War Lamont and Gen. Schoneid "'h
probably be present
The park embraces the entire pat"~
field OF Chickamauga and the approaches
The area within the legal limits OF the
ozark is about nfteen square miles. Inc
approaches In the vicinity of chicka-
manga are mainly roads over which the
armies reached and left the field. Nearly
all these approaches. as we'll as the roads
within the park, have been rebuilt Dy
the Government In a solid manner. TWO
OF them, the Crest and State roads. are
constructed on a fifty-foot right OF way.
The Government has acquired the site
OF Bragg's headquarters on Missionary
Ridge and about three acres surroundin.
IL. Among other purchases is that OF Or
chard Knob. This was the headquarters
OF Grant. Thomas. and Granger during
the battle of Missionary Ridge. IL is an
isolated knoll about six acres I'm extent.
The Confederate works and those erected
after the Union forces captured IL are
still we'll defined. and the general ap-
pearance OF the knoll remains unchanged.
The old roads, which We're those OF TIA
battle have been reopened and improved.
while roads opened since the battle have
been CLOSED and abandoned. The only
natural feature existing at the time Of
the fight which has been changed IL the
underbrush which it has been found
necessary 10 cut out IN order 20 bring the
lines of battle into view and 20 show
tho topography OF the field. As a result
of this work. carriages can now drive
i'm all directions through the forests and
along the lines OF battle
The first plan I'm the development OF fhs
national military park included only tho
battlefield of Chickamauga. This part
OF the project had its origin I'm a visit 20
the field seven years ago OF Gen. Fera
Van Derveer n noted officer Of the Army
of the Cumberland and Gen. H. Y. Boyn-
ton. at that time the Washington corre-
spondent of the Cincinnati Commercial
Gazette. who commanded the Thirty-hfth
Ohio Regiment at the battle Of Chick
amauga In a series of letters 20 tho
Commercial Gazette describing the con-
dtion OF the field and reviewing the cam
paign and the battle. the park scheme
was suggested.
From the first the plan differed es-
sertially from that Of Gettysburg. where.
up to that time. only the Union lines had
been marked. At the next annual meet
ing of the Society of the Army OF tho
Cumberland. in Chicago a few weeks
later. n committee of five was appointed
10 take the necessary steps TO start a
movement 20 purchase the ground on
which the battle was fought Cen Rose
Grams, President of the society. appointed
as members of this committee Gen. Henry
VI. Clst, Gen Charles F.. Henderson. Gen.
| Russell A. Ager. Gen. Absalom Baird
and Gen. Henry V. Boynton. This COM
mittee met I'm Washington on Feb n
]
federate veterans Of the battle OF Chicka-
manga as were In Washington. 10 unto
in forming a Chickamauga Memorial As
ISOLATION. This joint conference was held
on the following day In the room OF the
Senate Committee on Military Affairs.
Those present were Gems. Rosecrans.
Baird. Reynolds. Cist Henderson. Boyn-
ton. and Col. Kellogg Of the Union OFF,
GERS, and Gems. Bate Of Tennessee. COL
quit OF Georgia, Walthall Of Mississippi,
Morgan and Wheeler OF Alabama. Wright
OF Tennessee. and Coils Bankhead Of Al
ALBANIA. and Morgan OF Mississippi
When the question arose In the winter
following he organization Of the assOcia-
tion of asking Congressional aid Tor the
purchase OF the battlefield. Gen. BOynton
conceived the idea OF charging the scope
of the scheme so as 10 embrace the not
able fields Of Lookout Mountain and
Missionary Ridge and the lesser affairs
Of the battle Of Chattanooga. and estab-
fishing the whole as a national park un-
der the control Of the Secretary Of War.
The bill was drawn authorizing the Sec
rotary. through 4 commission Of his own
selection, TO establish the park.
1t was placed In the hands OF Gen.
Charles H. GrOsvenOr an influential menu.
Der Of the House Of Representatives from
Ohio The measure was referred 20 the
House Committee on Military Affairs and
reported favOrably IL was not until ina
closing hours Of Congress that unanimous
consent was asked 10 call up the meas
ure. A single objection would have de-
feated the request None was made. In
the Senate equal consideration was shown
70 the measure The Sundry civil APP
propriation bill was before that body
when Senator Hawley OF Connecticut
asked that the Park bill be taken up.
II was read and passed unanimously
The Senate Clerk. Gen. Arson O.. McCook,
proved TO be a faster reader than the
House Clerk. and as a result the bill
passed the Senate I'm twenty minutes 10
was taken that night 20 President iiar-
rlson by H. clay Evans OF Chattanooga,
who represented that district In The
House. and who was the recent Republi-
can candidate for the GOyernOrship Oi
tennessee. Inc iAfNiA'AN ft't''l DIP
signed II, the National Park was author
lied, and an appropriation OF N4'f'
made available 20 begin the work.
Senator Proctor OF Vermont who wls
then Secretary OF War. selected as no
two civilian members Of the Commssi0l,
Gems. Joseph ;. Fullerton and AleNaN'
der =. Stewart. with Capt. Kellogg *
the Fourth Cavalry. whom be detailed ts
the army officer provided by the law. af4
who was also 20 be Secretary OF the Cone
mission. Gen. II. v Boyntoh was a'-
pointed historian All these men hAI
served I'm the battles about Chattanooga
Gen. Fullerton as chief Of star 10 Gen.
Granger. Gen stewart AS D division come
mander under Bragg. and Capt. hfN's
as an aide on Gen Thomas stan.
Gen. BOynton says that the battle u
Chfckamauga stands to-day as the mi'i
suubbornlv contested battle OF the war.
He declares that the percentage of its
casualty lists are found % eA-fet
those OF Napoleons most noted bat'es.
as well as those n all the later us
OF modern Europe. He says tnhI mo
Third Wostphalian regiment DE- INC
famous throughout the German army as
the regiment which suffered the newest
loss during the FrancO-Prussian war. "
went into battle 5000 strong and its loss
was % per cent
In the American civil war there were
moro than sixty regiments whose loss
oxceeded this. Seventeen OF them lost
above 90 Der cent. and several ranged
,ro,, 10 10 ~ There were more than
score Of regiments on each side az Chick
o,,auoa whose loss exceeded that Of the
Wsstnhalla regiment The percentage Of
- in the charge Of the Light Brigade