| Vicksburg Campaign |
| Westward Ho! |
Down East to Maine |
CAMPAIGN FOR EAST TENNESSEE Featuring the Battles of Chickamauga & Chattanooga April 12-18, 2013 |
From the outset of the war, President Abraham Lincoln, considered the mountainous, largely Unionist region of East Tennessee to be a key objective. It possessed a population loyal to the Union and the land was rich in grain and livestock. More importantly, Chattanooga’s railroad hub, providing links to all points in the Confederacy, was the key to any Union invasion of Georgia. Throughout 1862 and 1863, Lincoln pressured a series of commanders to move through the difficult terrain, wrench it from the Confederates, and occupy the area. This tour examines the vital fall campaigns of 1863. ITINERARY
Friday, April 12 Chattanooga (R,D) Individual arrivals. Check into the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Chattanooga, our base for the next six nights. This evening, gather with staff and fellow travelers at our welcome dinner. Overnight Hilton Garden Inn, Chattanooga, TN
April 13 Crossing the Tennessee River (B,L,D) In August 1863, Union troops led by General Rosencrans crossed the Tennessee River in a masterful outflanking movement of Confederate General Bragg’s Army of the Tennessee. Today we will follow the belligerents as they marched, maneuvered and clashed at sites such as Stevenson, Bridgeport, Trenton, McLemore’s Cove, Dug Gap, and Lee & Gordon’s Mill. Overnight Hilton Garden Inn, Chattanooga, TN
April 14 & 15 The Battle of Chickamauga (B,L are included each day) We will devote two days to the Battle of Chickamauga (September 19-20, 1863)-the bloodiest two-day battle of the American Civil War. Confederate troops commanded by Lt. Gen. James Longstreet drove through a gap in the Union line causing a route. A determined defensive stand by Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas on Snodgrass Hill saved the Union army from total destruction, and gave most of Rosecrans's army time to retreat to Chattanooga. Bragg’s army took position on Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain and began a siege of Chattanooga in an effort to starve the Union forces into surrender. Overnight Hilton Garden Inn, Chattanooga, TN
April 16 The Battles for Chattanooga (B,L) At the Battle of Wauhatchee (October 28-29), Union troops secured the “Cracker Line,” a supply route enabling food and munitions to reach the besieged soldiers in Chattanooga. On November 23-24, Union forces struck out and captured Orchard Knob and Lookout Mountain. On November 25, Union soldiers assaulted and carried the seemingly impregnable Confederate position on Missionary Ridge. One of the Confederacy’s two major armies was routed. The Federals held Chattanooga, the “Gateway to the Lower South,” which became the supply and logistics base for Sherman’s 1864 Atlanta Campaign. Overnight Hilton Garden Inn, Chattanooga, TN
Wednesday, April 17 Knoxville (B,L,D) As Confederates under General Bragg besieged Union forces at Chattanooga, a detachment under the command of Lt. Gen. Longstreet moved against General Burnside’s Army of the Ohio at Knoxville. After Burnside escaped a trap at the Battle of Campbell's Station on November 16, his men took up defensive positions around Knoxville and laid siege to Knoxville. Following a devastating repulse at Fort Sanders on November 29, Longstreet withdrew his troops to West Tennessee leaving East Tennessee under Union control for the remainder of the war. Overnight Hilton Garden Inn, Chattanooga, TN
April 18 Individual Departures (B) EXPERT GUIDE: Chief Historian Emeritus of the National Park Service, Edwin C. Bearss is an author, lecturer and America's foremost battlefield guide. Ed's encyclopedic knowledge and unflagging energy is legendary; Ed brings history alive like no other. Two of his recent books are Fields of Honor and Receding Tide: Vicksburg and Gettysburg – The Campaigns that Changed the Civil War. EAST TENNESSEE PROGRAM INCLUDES: COST: 7 DAYS/6 NIGHTS Cost without hotel & breakfasts: $1,695 per person (NOTE: ALL costs are based on a minimum of 15 participants)
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