29. Stacked High

October 28, 2012 by tnwaltz 7 Comments

My husband is a Civil War buff and on this day we toured the Chickamauga Battlefield, the most significant Union defeat in the Western Theater of the American Civil War and which involved the second highest number of casualties in the war following the Battle of Gettysburg. On a slight hill, this monument (Wilder Tower) with its blocks stacked high to a total of 85 feet was built after the war and completed in 1904. It is a monument to Union Colonel John T. Wilder and his “Lightning Brigade.” Once inside and you climb to the top, you have a view of nearly all of the Battlefield. Construction was paid for by privately raised funds, much of which came from Wilder’s men. It is located near the site of Widow Glenn’s house when Rebel forces broke through at the Brotherton Cabin during the battle of Chickamauga (September 19 – 20, 1863). The Union Commander was William S. Rosecrans, for whom my Great Grandfather was a scout, and the Confederate Commanders were Braxton Bragg and James Longstreet.

If you find yourselves near Chattanooga, TN, especially if you have an interest in the Civil War, by all means take the time to drive through the Chickamauga Battlefield.