The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-16
Picturesque Tract En- bracing
the Entire Battle
Field.
WORKS STILL WELL-DEFINED
imposing Ceremonies to Attend the
Opening Of the National
Reserve.


field of Gettysburg was dedicated as a
National cemetery. On that occasion
President Lincoln delivered an address
which was recognized as the philosophy,
in brief, of the great struggle then inn
pending between the North and South. In
this address, in words long since historic,
he formulated the doctrine that sthis Ma
ton, under God, shall have a new birth of
freedom, and that government OF the peo-
pie, by the people and for the people shall
not perish from the earth"
On Thursday and Friday of this week
the Chickamauga and Chattanooga Ma
tional Military Park will be dedicated with
ceremonies no less imposing than those at
Gettysburg, made memorable by Mr.. Lin
coins presence. The time chosen has
especial appropriateness in that it is the
thirty-second anniversary of the fiercely
contested battle of Chiokamauga, in many
respects one of the most decisive of the
war, and one in which American pluck
and endurance were shown to the greatest
advantage. The Vice President of the
United States will preside. The Secretary
of War and Secretary of the Navy will by
their presence lend official dignity to the
occasion.
Others present will include all, or nearly
all, of the surviving Federal and Confeder-
ate leaders who participated in the battle.
Among these are Ex-senator Anderson of
Nebraska. General FL. V. Boynton of Wash
ington City, General Dodge of Iowa, Gen.
erals Horace Porter and Daniel Butterfield
of New York, General Palmer of Illinois,
-
Wheeler of Alabama, Senator Bates of
Tennessee, ex-senator Walthall of Missis-
sippi, Governor Roch of Alabama and Gen
eral o. o. Howard (retired) of the regular
army.
The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Park
embraces the entire battlefield of Chicka-
manga and the approaches. The area
within the legal limits of the park is about
fifteen square miles. The approaches in
the vicinity of Chickamauga are mainly
roads over which the armies reached the
field. Those about Chattanooga lie mainly
along the lines of battle. Those over
Mount Lookout cross Hooker's battlefield
and lie near Walthalls, while the Crest
road along Missionary Ridge follows
Bragg's line of battle in front of General
Thomas army of the Cumberland and
General Sherman's army of the Tennessee.
Nearly all these approaches, as well as
the roads within the park, have been built
by the Government in the most solid man
ner. Two of the number, the Crest and
State roads, are constructed on ffty-foot
rights of way. The scenery along a part
of this military boulevard is SUCH as will
give the drive a National reputation.
When, to these remarkable charms of val
leys, city, river and Bald Mountain, COM
prehensive and distant view of the battle
and Missionary Ridge is added, this drive
becomes one that is without a parallel.
The Government has acquired the site Of
Bragg's headquarters, Oh Missionary
Ridge, and about three acres surrounding
it. Among other purchases which it has
made in that vicinity is that of Orchard
Knob. This was the headquarters of Grant,
Thomas and Granger during the battle of
Missionary Ridge. 1t is an isolated knoll
about six acres in extent. The Confederate
works and those erected after the Union
forces captured 1t are still well-defined,
and the general appearance of the knoll
were those of the battle, have been re-
opened and improved, while roads opened
since the battle have been closed and
abandoned.
The first steps in the development OF the
National Military Park embraced only the
battle fields of Chickamauga. This part
the project had its origin in a visit
to the field seven years ago by Gen
eral Ferd Van Derveere, a noted officer of
the army of the Cumberland, and General
H V. Boynton, at that time the Wash
ington correspondent of the Cincinnati
Commercial Gazette, who commanded the
Thirty-ffth Ohio Regiment at the battle of
Chickamauga. In series of letters to the
Commercial Gazette, describing the con-
dition of the field and reviewing the cam
paign and the battle, the park scheme was
thus suggested.
1t will be seen that from the first the
plan differed essentially from that of
Gettysburg, where up to that time only
the Union lines had been marked. The
suggestion was received with such favor in
the North that at the next annual meeting
of the Society of the Army of the Cumber-
land, held at Chicago few weeks later, a
committee of five was appointed to take
the necessary steps to >inaugurate a move
ment for the purchase of the ground on
which the battle was fought. General
Rosecrans, president of the society, ap-
pointed as members of this committee
General Henry NJ. Gist, General Charles F.
Henderson, General Russell A. Alger,
General Absalom Baird and General Henry
V. Boynton.
This committee met in Washington
February 13, 1885, General Henderson
presided. 1t was agreed to invite such
Confederate veterans of the battle of Chick
amauga as were in Washington to unite in
forming Chickamauga memorial associa-
ton. This joint conference was held on
the following day in the room OF the Sem
ate Committee on Military Affairs. Those
present were Generals Rosecrans, Baird,
Reynolds, Gist Henderson, Boynton and
Colonel Kellogg of the Union officers, and
Generals Bate of Tennessee, Cofquitt of
Georgia, Walthall of Mississippi, Morgan
and Wheeler of Alabama, Wright of Ten
nessee and Colonies Bankhead of Alabama
and Morgan of Mississippi.
Thus the project grew. enlisting in its
service distinguished citizens in the North