Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park announces two programs that will be offered on Saturday, May 10.
"Fire on the Farm: Artillery at the McDonald Place" will be offered at Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center, 3370 LaFayette Road in Fort Oglethorpe at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The program is 30 minutes long and is free.
Officials said, "Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park invites the public to experience the power of Civil War artillery as park rangers and living historians tell the story of artillery during the Battle of Chickamauga by providing public demonstrations at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center.
"On the morning of Sunday, Sept.
20, 1863, an unexpected frost covered the ground, and an ominous stillness filled the air. Then, a rebel yell was heard, shot and shell streaked across the field, Confederate General John C. Breckinridge changed front, and the battle shifted to the south. Late that afternoon as the Union left retreated across McDonald Farm, groans of wounded and thirsty men filled the air. Then, a rebel yell was heard, and the day closed just as it began – with shot and shell streaking across the field. We hope you will join us as we share the compelling stories associated with the 'long arm' of the army – the artillery."
Reservations or registration is not required.
A second program, "A House Divided: The Intertwined Lives of Two Soldiers Named Samuel Kelly" will be held at Point Park, 110 Point Park Road in Lookout Mountain at 2 p.m. The program is one hour long. There is a $10 entrance fee per adult, ages 16 and older; children 16 and younger enter for free.
Officials said, "Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will host a program exploring the intertwined lives of two men named Samuel Kelly, both of whom experienced the Civil War fighting for very different purposes. This program will take place inside Point Park, on Lookout Mountain.
"In April 1865, Captain Samuel C. Kelly, along with other members of the combined 20th/30th Alabama Infantry Regiments laid down their arms in North Carolina, signaling the largest surrender of a Confederate Army in the field. Not far away, another Samuel Kelly likely felt a much different experience associated with the surrender. Once enslaved by Captain Samuel C. Kelly, this Samuel Kelly ran away and joined the 44th United States Colored Infantry in Rome, Georgia. After being captured in October 1864, Captain Kelly reclaimed his escaped property and brought him along with the army as a servant, which is where the enslaved Kelly found himself as the enslaver Kelly laid down his arms in service to the Confederacy. We hope you will join us as we delve deeper into the intricate and intertwined lives of these two Samuel Kellys during and after the Civil War."
Reservations or registration is not required.