On the Road - Tennessee Vacation Last Day

We overnighted in Chattanooga and chilled out in the room ... enjoyed the hotel pool and hot tub. Then it was up and about it again. We toured the Chickamauga battleground and were struck by the site. It has been kept much as it was during the battle in Sept of 1863. Open fields are surrounded by dense forest. Over 2000 men were never found and were presumed dead. Seeing the forest, it is easy to believe that a wounded man could die alone and never be found. The battleground is dotted with monuments to the divisions and regiments that fought on both sides (Union and Confederate). The park is also lined with informational boards that tell what happened at the place in the line; color coded blue for Union soldiers and red for the Rebels. The boards are situated in such a way so that if you are reading it, you would be looking in the same direction that a soldier would have been.

This picture is of the battle line of at Snodgrass Field which was the last battle at the site. You can see the monuments, cannon placements and the board with descriptions. The picture also show how dense the forest is at the edge of the field. The Snodgrass family had cleared this field and were farming it when the battle took place.


After touring the battleground, we went to Chattanooga and took the Incline railway up to the top of Lookout Mountain. The incline is a whopping 72.7 degrees! You start out sitting in the car in a reclining position and by the time you get to the top, you are sitting up straight. The first picture is one I took from inside the car. It is a really neat view and the top of the car is glass so you can see it all. The second picture is of the car leaving. In this one you can get a good feel for the incline. Lastly, here is a panorama of Chattanooga taken at the top of Lookout Mountain. Kinda hazy, but still I wanted to share it