Fort Oglethorpe, GA: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park invites the public to attend a special 90-minute car caravan tour of Chickamauga Battlefield on Saturday, Aug. 13, at 2pm. This tour, exploring the experiences of some of the men taken prisoner in the Campaign for Chattanooga, meets inside the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center.
In the late summer and fall of 1863, thousands of men threw down their arms on the battlefields around Chattanooga with the hopes that a brief captivity would be safer than continuing to fight. Unknown to these soldiers in the field, the political winds recently shifted and the year-old prisoner exchange cartel collapsed just prior to the campaign. The men taken prisoner at Chickamauga and Chattanooga eventually became some the longest held prisoners of the Civil War, and the large numbers of captives taken in the campaign prompted both sides to establish large, long-term prison camps like Camp Sumter Military Prison and the Rock Island Arsenal. Join us as we examine the idea of freedom by exploring this landscape of captivity.
As a reminder, please wear comfortable shoes and dress appropriately for the conditions. Lightweight portable chairs are permitted and a water bottle is recommended.
Tags: prisoners of war chickamauga battlefield chickamauga and chattanooga national military park civil war
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
