In conjunction with Women’s History Month, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park invites the public to attend a special program at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center. Join a Park Ranger on Saturday, March 17, at 2 p.m. for a 45-minute program to learn about and to discuss the roles local women played before, during, and after the Battle of Chickamauga.
Riding onto the battlefield during the early morning hours of September 19, 1863, Union General William Rosecrans took possession of a small house which sat on a commanding hill overlooking the Dry Valley and LaFayette Roads.
He reportedly told the owner, a young widow named Eliza Glenn, that “she was in great danger” and needed to “depart at once.” Regrettably, Eliza’s fortune did not improve as the battle unfolded. The house her husband built before the war burned during the struggle when an artillery shell set it ablaze. Learn more about the Widow Glenn and other harrowing stories associated with women in the midst of the battle.
Also, throughout the day, from 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Nancy Gentry, author of Rebel in Petticoats, will participate in a book signing at the Chickamauga Battlefield bookstore. This fictional work tells the story of a heroic young girl in the midst of war.
For more information about programs at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, contact the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at 706 866-9241, the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center at 423 821-7786, or visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/chch.