Fort Oglethorpe, GA:Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park invites the public to participate in a free program on Civil War pontoon bridging on Saturday, April 18, 2015, at 9:30 am.The program, led by Park Historian Jim Ogden, will take place on Moccasin Bend National Archeological District at the Brown's Ferry Federal Road Trail and will include a 1.2 mile round trip walk down to the Tennessee River. Look for the "Special Program" signs beginning on Manufacturers Road just west of US 27.
A pre-dawn amphibious assault may have seized the Lookout Valley side of Brown's Ferry, but for that just-won crossing to really be secure and usable as part of a new supply line, the untamed Tennessee River would need to be bridged.That latter task fell to a set of determined Michigan men.In this program on Civil War military bridging, Historian Ogden will discuss what it took to get, and to keep, a floating military bridge across the river at that vital point, first while still under enemy fire, then during a fall when frequent rains caused regular changes in the river's character.
Comfortable, supportive, wet-weather footwear, clothing appropriate for the weather and water are recommended for this program.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
