The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-09-16
Union and Confederate Soldiers to
ga and other BattleheIds.
REVIEW OF THE WORK DONE
LINES OF MEMORABLE CONTESTS
MARKED BY STONE TABLETS,
And Positions Of the Contendfng
Armies Indfca ted by Monuments in
Course of Er ,ction by the States.


the guiding hand OF the Secretary of War,
acting under the authority of Congress.
Chattanooga and the notable battefields
surrounding it have been prepared for a
national event without parallel. Great
throngs of veterans who fought against
each other are crowding into the city to
take equal part. under national enactment,
in the dedication of fields which their
prowess made memorable as national mil
itary park wherein the movements and the
achievements of each side have received
impartial attention. AS provided in the act
of Congress, Secretary Lamont has in
vited the attendance of the executive de-
partment of the government and the men,
bers of the Supreme Court, Congress and its
presiding officers. the lieutenant general of
the army and the admiral of the navy, the
Governors of all States with their staffs
and the veterans of the contending armies
All are to be prominently represented
Nearly every surviving general of the two
armies has sent notice of his intention TO
attend. The Governors of every State
which had troops in the action here re-
sponded favorably to the Secretary's in
vitation. In a few cases the Governors
themselves will be prevented from attend
ing, but the States will be officially repre-
sented. A joint committee of twenty Sem
ators and thirty members of the House will
represent Congress. The members of the
twenty-six State commissions who have
been at work with the national commission
in locating lines of battle of the troops of
their respective States will attend. The
Society of the Army of the Cumberland of
the Army of the Tennessee, the Grand
Army of the Republic and the Association
of Confederate Veterans will be present in
unusual numbers. This official concourse
is to be increased by gathering of an
army of visitors already known TO be so
great that it will tax the capacity of the
railroads centering here and the city to
their utmost capacity.
The Secretary of War and the national
commission, acting under his direction,
have made every possible arrangement
which the expenditures authorized by Con-
gress would allow to insure the COM
fort of visitors; and through large
and influential citizen committees the
city of Chattanooga has given itself
with energy and enthusiasm TO the work
of assisting the Secretary of War
Lieutenant General Schofield has cordially
contributed every assistance which could be
given from the headquarters of the army,
and the movements Of regular troops from
Fort Sheridan. Fort Riley, Fort Thomas,
Columbus barracks and Pensacola, and
presented an instance of rapid concantra-
tlon of special interest. The telegraphic
notices from Washington to the national
commission that distant battalions, batter
les and squadrons had been ordered to
move were scarcely received before dis
patches arrived at park headquarters from
each post that the troops were starting.
THE PARK AND ITS APPROACHES
The park which is to be dedicated is of
unusual dimensions. 1t extends, with its
approaches, from Sherman Heights, in
Tennessee, six miles north of Chattanooga
to Glass Mill in Georgia, a distance of
twenty-five miles. The broad boulevard
between these two points is owned in fee
simple by the government part of the
park and full jurisdiction over this, over
the fifteen square miles of the Chicka-
mauga held, and over many miles besides
of other approaches has been ceded to the
government by the States of Tennessee
and Georgia. This central drive runs for
eight miles along Bragg's line of battle on
the crest of Missionary Ridge. 1t passes
along the fronts of Sherman's army,
the army under Hooker. 1t overlooks all
the battlefields about Chattanooga, includ-
ing Lookout Mountain. and runs for twelve
miles through the center of the fighting
ground of the three days battle of Chick
amauga. OF the territory over which juris-
diction has been ceded to the United states
been already purchased in single block
on the Chickamauga field. The entire
crest about Bragg's headquarters on Mis-
sionary Ridge; Orchard Knob, the head
quarters of Grant. Thomas and Granger
curing the battle of chattanooga, a tract
eight acres in extent; fifty acres at the
ground assaulted by General sherman and
defended by Cleburne; and tract of five
acres on another portion of the ridge,
marking the LETT of the assault of the
Army of the Cumberland. form the por-
tions of the park. Congress has also au-
thorzed ah 5He adariop TO the park OF OF Hook
out mountain. The government already
owns tbs roads to and over Lookout
mountain through Hookers field to Wau-
hatchie on Longstreet's field The park
and it's approaches therefore, embraces or
overlooks the fields of five days of general
battle between great armies and three days
of minor engagements. namely, Chicka-
manga, Orchard Knob, Lookout Mountain
and Missionary Ridge, Browns Ferry and
Wauhatchie.
The plan of the park is to restore the
fields as nearly as possible to their condi-
ton at the time OF the battle, to close
those used in the battles and over which
the armies moved to and fro from the
fields. The lines of the battle have been
towards permanently marking them has
been done. This is accomplished by his
tOrical and guide tablets, which point the
way TO and explain the movements upon
every portion of the lines. These tablets
show the organization of armies, corps
divisions and brigades. with the names OF
their respective commanders and their
stats on the field, ana the commanders of
all regiments and batteries. Full his
torcai text on each tablet sets forth the
details of movements at each point. There
is no distinction in the preparation of these
tablets between Union and Confederate
forces, nor in any other department of the
work of establishing the park is there any
difference The design is to mark with
historical accuracy the identical ground of
engagements which occurred on these fields
and thus present an object lesson in actual
war such as no other nation has attempted
THE STATE TABLETS.
BESIDES the historical tablets which are
prepared by the government, the States are
erecting monuments to mark the position OF
their troops. Already nearly half-mil-
ion dollars have been appro Eriated by States
which had troops here. and all OF the States
but two of the twenty-nine which were rep
resented in the battles have commissioners
at work locating positions for monuments.
There are nearly hundred miles Of roads
opened. and fifty-two have been improved in
the most substantial manner, and all run
through most interesting military positions.
over four hundred guns OF the batteries
used on these fields have been obtained from
the arsenals, and l60 have already been
mounted upon iron gln-carriageS. which are
OF the pattern OF the carriages or the war.
and set up to mark the exact position OF