On these fields and hills, Union and Confederate armies clashed during the fall of 1863 in some of the hardest fighting of the Civil War. The prize was Chattanooga, key rail center and gateway to the heart of the Confederacy. Fighting began shortly after dawn on September 19 when Union infantry encountered Confederate cavalry at Jay's Mill, bringing on a general battle that spread south for nearly 4 miles; the armies fought desperately all day, often hand-to-hand, beginning a series of battles lasting through the end of November and culminating in one of the greatest charges of the war - the scaling of Missionary Ridge by Union forces.

This National Military Park, established in 1890 as the nation's first, honors the Civil War soldiers that fought for control of Chattanooga at the Battle of Chickamauga in Sept. 1863 and the Battles for Chattanooga in Nov. 1863. The park consists of over 8,200 acres spread in several units along the Georgia/Tennessee border. The Cravens House, a strategic location in the Battle of Lookout Mountain, is open to the public on a limited, seasonal basis. There are several interpretive and hiking trails at Lookout Mountain and Chickamauga Battlefield.

• Hike the Chickamauga Battlefield Memorial Trail, created to honor the 4 Union and 4 Confederate brigade commanders who died leading their troops into battle.
• Drive the 7-mile interpretive automobile tour of the Chickamauga Battlefield.
• Walk the Point Park and Lookout Mountain trail and see the same vantage of Chattanooga and the Tennessee River as that commanded by the seried ranks of cannon batteries in the fall of 1863.