Sculpted by Gary Casteel
 
1863 Signed and Numbered Limited Edition Monument Replicas
 
The Battle of Chickamauga was fought in northwest Georgia from September 18-20, 1863.  After Gen. William Rosecrans’ Army of the Cumberland pushed Gen. Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee out of Chattanooga earlier in the month, Bragg called for reinforcements and launched a counterattack on the banks of nearby Chickamauga Creek.  The 31st Tennessee Infantry, assigned to Strahl’s Brigade, Cheatham’s Division of Polk’s Corps, arrived at the battle on September 19th.  Over two days of battle, the rebels forced Rosecrans to give way, with heavy losses on both sides.  Bragg failed to press his advantage after the victory, however, allowing the Federals to safely reach Chattanooga.  Gen. Ulysses S. Grant soon arrived with reinforcements, allowing the Union to reverse the results of Chickamauga and score a lasting victory in the region that November.
 
At the end of a summer that had seen disastrous Confederate losses at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, the triumph of the Army of Tennessee at Chickamauga was a well-timed turn-around for the Confederates, but it came at a great cost. Chickamauga was the second bloodiest battle of the Civil War, ranking only behind Gettysburg, and was by far the deadliest battle in the Western Theater, with over 34,000 estimated casualties.  
 
“Toward the end of the 19th century, Civil War veterans including the Society of the Army of the Cumberland and the Chickamauga Memorial Association rallied support for creating a national park to preserve the battlefield at Chickamauga as well as nearby sites at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. Congressman Charles H. Grosvenor (who commanded the 18th Ohio at Chickamauga) introduced the bill in Congress in 1890; it was signed by President (and fellow Civil War veteran) Benjamin Harrison in August of that year. Dedicated on the Battle of Chickamauga's 32nd anniversary in 1895, the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park became the first such park established by the Federal government, followed by Shiloh, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Antietam.” (American Battlefield Trust, 10 Facts: The Battle of Chickamauga)
 
The monument was dedicated in 1898 and is located on Brotherton Road east of LaFayette Road, on the right when traveling east.