By David Israel, Business Manager
Today marks the Opening Ceremony of the celebration of the anniversary of the Civil War battles at the Chickamauga National Battlefield. Vice-President Dick Cheney has arrived at Lovell field and his on his way into the battlefield as a guest speaker for the event. It turns out, after a little reading that his great-grandfather, Capt. Samuel Fletcher Cheney of the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, served in the battle that became known as the "Gettysburg of the West." This information was gathered from The Gadsden Times article posted this week.
Celebrating the 145th Anniversary seems to draw in crowds from all over The United States of America and the world. I have only seen this on the news, but what I have seen seems to be pretty incredible. The re-enactment of the battles take place over three days and thousands of men and women play the roles of these Civil War soldiers and wives. Local students are also attending as a hands on learning experience from some of the local schools.
There are tons of activities planned throughout the entire weekend. You can tour the camps and talk to the solders, you can visit "living tents", attend a concert and experience the Civil War period like never before. The Chattanooga area is rich in history, that includes some good and bad, but this event marks the change that our country made and how we have grown. Before the Civil war the U.S. was referred to as These United States, now we use the term The United States. Many families were torn, brother fought against brother, but in the end it made our country stronger. I hope everyone gets the opportunity to visit the battlefields in their lifetime, it is a very powerful experience.
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