David A. Powell's Blog

I am pleased to announce that we have finalized details of the 2026 Chickamauga Seminar in the Woods:

Seminar in the Woods: Chickamauga, March 6—7, 2026

Mission Statement: The purpose of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Study Group is to create a forum to bring students of the American Civil War together to study and explore those events in the fall of 1863 that led ultimately to the creation of the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, as well as explore other nearby Civil War-related sites.

Tour Leaders:  Jim Ogden and Dave Powell

Date: Friday, March 6, and Saturday, March 7, 2026; By bus and car caravan.

Friday’s tour will begin and end at the History Company, 2949 LaFayette Road, just north of the Chickamauga Park north entrance.

Saturday’s tours will begin and end at the CCNMP Visitor’s Center.

Bus – 8:30 AM, Friday March 6 – depart from the History Company, 2949 LaFayette Road, Fort Oglethorpe, GA.

We will revisit sites related to the opening of the Cracker Line and the battle of Wauhatchie on October 28, 1863. We will visit Moccasin Bend and Brown’s Ferry in the morning, and then move across the Tennessee River to explore Brown’s Ferry and Brown’s Tavern, plus the field at Wauhatchie, the Wauhatchie battle monument, and Smith’s Hill.

       We last visited these sites in 2013, and there is now much more that we can explore.

Friday evening, 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. – Q&A Panel with Jim Ogden, Dave Powell.

 Site: Constitution Hall, Fort Oglethorpe, to be confirmed in January 2026.

 Reprise of the Annual free-form question and answer session. We have been informed that Constitution Hall should be available for reasonable rental. If not, we will make other arrangements.

Saturday, March 7: Both tours will meet at the Park Visitor Center

Car Caravan – Morning, 8:30 AM to 12 Noon – Van Cleve vs Johnson Sept 19.

       After John M. Palmer’s Division of the 14th Corps was engaged in Brock Field on the 19th, two brigades of Horatio Van Cleve’s division of the 20th Corps were committed on Palmer’s right-rear. Aligning on the LaFayette Road, both brigades then moved into the woods east of Brotherton Field where they were soon engaged with parts of A. P. Stewart’s Confederate division and Carnes’s Tennessee Battery. Van Cleve was flanked in turn by the arrival of part of Bushrod Johnson’s Provisional Division, which entered the fight on Van Cleve’s right, forcing the Federals back into Brotherton Field.

Break for lunch

Car Caravan – Afternoon, 1:30 to 5:00 PM – Hindman attacks Davis, September 20

       Minus the hole created by the departure of Thomas Wood’s division in Brotherton Field, could the Union right flank held steady on September 20? We will explore the furious fighting between Davis’s battered Federal division and Thomas C. Hindman’s large division of Confederates, which was three times Davis’s strength. This walk will encompass parts of Brotherton Field, the woods to the south and west, and end near the Wilder Tower.

Costs:

 Friday’s Tours will be by Bus. Pre-registration and Fee required: $75, due by February 1, 2026.

As you might have expected, Bus fees are going up, and to make sure we cover all costs, I have raised the fee by $10. Thank you for your understanding.

 Sign-up after February 1 or on-site Fee (based on space available): $80. 

 Saturday: no charge.

In 2025 the group was able to donate $1000 to the Jewell Monument fund, run by the Friends of Chickamauga and Chattanooga, for maintenance and restoration needs. We will continue to make this our priority funding, as maintenance is often massively underfunded.

Send to (and make checks payable to):

David Powell

522 Cheyenne Drive

Lake in the Hills IL 60156

You may also send money via Paypal to dpowell334@aol.com

Note: Your cashed check or acknowledgement from my concerning the Paypal payment confirms your reservation on Friday’s bus.

This fee is NON-REFUNDABLE after February 1st, 2025. Once we are committed to the bus, we will be charged the booking fee, and unable to cancel. 

Please note that everyone is responsible for their own lodging, meals, snacks, and incidentals.

Weather note: Three years ago, we had snow on Saturday, but we did not cancel. We are a (fool)hardy bunch, we go rain or shine. Dress accordingly, If necessary, bring transponders so the rescue teams can find us.

Dear fellow Chickamauga Seminarians:

The Friday Bus is now full. I will be taking names on a Standby basis,, as we usually have a few who cannot make it at the last minute, but I will be accepting no more Friday reservations. If you want to know if you made the bus, If your check clears in the next week, or if your Paypal payment has been processed, you are on the bus. I will notify any individuals who are on standby via email or Facebook.

Also, I have decided to forego the Friday evening discussion. Constitution Hall, which we used to rent for this event, (cost was a mere $50) is no longer available, and all the alternative sites are cost-prohibitive. While I know we all enjoyed the Friday Q&A Sessions, until I can find a suitable alternative, I don’t wish to pay several hundred dollars for an hour and a half’s rental.

If any of you have any ideas concerning a new venue at an affordable rate, please contact me.

See you all in March!

Seminar in the Woods: Chickamauga, March 7—8, 2025

Mission Statement: The purpose of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Study Group is to create a forum to bring students of the American Civil War together to study and explore those events in the fall of 1863 that led ultimately to the creation of the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, as well as explore other nearby Civil War-related sites.

Tour Leaders:  Jim Ogden and Dave Powell

Date: Friday, March 7, and Saturday, March 8, 2025; By bus and car caravan.

Friday’s tour will begin and end at the History Company, 2949 LaFayette Road, just north of the Chickamauga Park north entrance.

Saturday’s tours will begin and end at the CCNMP Visitor’s Center.

Bus – Friday all day, 8:30 to 5:00 p.m.: Bragg’s Lifeline—The Western and Atlantic RR

We will travel to Marietta, Resaca, Dalton and other points to discuss the importance of the W&A to Confederate operations, and why it was the crucial focus of two years of war.

Friday evening, 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. – Q&A Panel with Jim Ogden, Dave Powell.

 Site: TBA, Fort Oglethorpe, GA

 Reprise of the Annual free-form Question and Answer session.

Car Caravan – Saturday Morning, 8:30 to Noon: Palmer and Van Cleve, missed chances?

       John M. Palmer’s division of the 21st corps was sent north on the morning of September 19th to coordinate with Thomas, and ended up in action east of Brock Field. Van Cleve was sent to his support. These two divisions were potentially very powerful force positioned to envelop Cheatham’s flank, but ultimately they were checked, and then in Van Cleve’s case, routed from the field.

Break for lunch

Car Caravan – Saturday Afternoon, 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.: Bushrod Johnson and Mendenhall’s gun line, North Dyer Field

As Bushrod Johnson’s battle line emerged into Dyer Field, he was presented with a confounding sight—Federals fleeing in seemingly every direction. A line of Union artillery, apparently unsupported, was deployed on the far side of the field. We will examine the Confederate effort to assault and ultimately overrun these guns.

Costs:

 Friday’s Tours will be by Bus. Pre-registration and Fee required: $60, due by February 1, 2025.

 Sign-up after February 1 or on-site Fee (based on space available): $65. 

 Saturday: no charge.

The fee increase is due to the increased expense of the bus, which is now $1,800 per day. Fees raised in excess of costs (as well as any donations) will be used to support the causes of battlefield preservation, interpretation, and renovation.

 In 2023 the Study Group made the following donation:

$500 to the Jewell Monument fund, run by the Friends of Chickamauga and Chattanooga, for maintenance and restoration needs.

I anticipate a similar donation in 2024, but given the increased cost of the bus, I have elected to wait and make sure I can cover that cost.

Send to (and make checks payable to):

David Powell

522 Cheyenne Drive

Lake in the Hills IL 60156

You may also send money via Paypal to dpowell334@aol.com

Note: Your cashed check or acknowledgement from my concerning the Paypal payment confirms your reservation on Friday’s bus.

This fee is NON-REFUNDABLE after February 1st, 2025. Once we are committed to the bus, we will be charged the booking fee, and unable to cancel. 

Please note that everyone is responsible for their own lodging, meals, snacks, and incidentals.

Weather note: Two years ago, we had snow on Saturday but did not cancel. We are a (fool)hardy bunch, we go rain or shine. Dress accordingly.

First, we have a change of venue for the Friday night discussion session. Instead of Constitution Hall, we will be meeting at Lee and Gordon’s Mills in Chickamauga. Constitution Hall is not available due to the upcoming primary election.

Adress for Lee and Gordon’s Mills:

71 Red Belt Road #3316, Chickamauga, GA 30707

Second, we have a couple of cancellations, so if you wish to grab a seat on Friday’s bus, meet us at the History Store’s parking lot at 8:15 Friday morning.

March 8-9, 2024

To all: the Friday Bus is now sold out. If you have any question about whether you have a reserved seat, be aware that if I cashed your check, you have a seat. Your canceled check is your receipt (one reason I still ask for checks.)

Going forward, I will take standby reservations for the bus, and you can alternatively elect to follow us in your own vehicle. Inevitably, there will be a couple of cancellations – happens every year – so contact me at dpowell334@aol.com to verify there is room.

Saturday, as ever, is open to all. Let’s hope for balmy spring weather.

Thanks,

Dave

Mission Statement: The purpose of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Study Group is to create a forum to bring students of the American Civil War together to study and explore those events in the fall of 1863 that led ultimately to the creation of the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, as well as explore other nearby Civil War-related sites.

Tour Leaders:  Jim Ogden and Dave Powell

Date: Friday, March 8, and Saturday, March 9, 2024; By bus and car caravan.

Friday’s tour will begin and end at the History Company, 2949 LaFayette Road, just north of the Chickamauga Park north entrance.

Saturday’s tours will begin and end at the CCNMP Visitor’s Center.

Bus – Friday all day, 8:30 to 5:00 p.m.: Bragg’s Right Flank

We will travel to Cleveland, Charleston, Philadelphia, and Loudoun. This exploration will cover events both before and after Chickamauga, including Buckner’s withdrawal to join Bragg, Confederate raiding actions in the Fall of 1863, and Eli Long’s strike at Cleveland in November.  Lunch TBA.

Friday evening, 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. – Q&A Panel with Jim Ogden, Dave Powell.

 Site: Constitution Hall, 205 Forrest Road, Fort Oglethorpe, GA

 Reprise of the Annual free-form Question and Answer session.

Car Caravan – Saturday Morning, 8:30 to Noon: Richard Johnson enters the fight, September 19th, Brock Field.

In sending Richard Johnson’s division of the 20th Corps into action, George Thomas could only tell Johnson to advance “oblique to the general line.” This brought Willich’s and Baldwin’s brigades into contact with Cheatham’s division of Polk’s Corps; Dodge was subsequently committed to attack into Brock Field. We will follow Willich’s and then Dodge’s movements.

Break for lunch

Car Caravan – Saturday Afternoon, 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.: The Confederate assaults in Poe Field, September 20 AM —S.A.M. Wood, Bate, Clayton, McNair.

Before the breakthrough in Brotherton Field, Wood’s Brigade of Cleburne and A. P. Stewart’s three brigades assaulted Brannan and Reynolds’s divisions in Poe Field. All were repulsed. Finally, as the Federal right flank crumbled, McNair’s brigade broke through, though not without tough fighting.

Costs:

 Friday’s Tours will be by Bus. Pre-registration and Fee required: $45, due by February 1, 2024.

 Sign-up after February 1 or on-site Fee (based on space available): $50. 

 Saturday: no charge.

Fees raised in excess of costs (as well as any donations) will be used to support the causes of battlefield preservation, interpretation, and renovation.

 In 2023 the Study Group made the following donation:

$500 to the Jewell Monument fund, run by the Friends of Chickamauga and Chattanooga, for maintenance and restoration needs.

Send to (and make checks payable to):

David Powell

522 Cheyenne Drive

Lake in the Hills IL 60156

Note: Your cashed check confirms your reservation on Friday’s bus.

This fee is NON-REFUNDABLE after February 1st, 2024. Once we are committed to the bus, we will be charged the booking fee, and unable to cancel. 

Please note that everyone is responsible for their own lodging, meals, snacks, and incidentals.

Weather note: Last year, we had snow on Saturday, but we did not cancel. We are a (fool)hardy bunch, we go rain or shine. Dress accordingly.

Important: Friday’s Bus is Sold Out. I will be taking Standby reservations only. If you have questions, please contact me at dpowell334@aol.com

Just a quick update to the Seminar in the Woods:

First, I now have 40 signups. just ten more spaces are left on the Friday Bus – Saturday is of course, open to all.

Second, we will be providing lunch at Greg’s Restaurant in Chickamauga, at 1:30 on Friday. Lunch will run later than usual because we have a lot of ground to cover in the morning, and we want to work around the restaurant’s regular lunch business.

The fare will be of the “meat and three” variety, southern cooking. Lunch will be paid for out of your existing sign-up fee, no need to pay extra.

Thank you and see you in March.

Seminar in the Woods:

Mission Statement: The purpose of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Study Group is to create a forum to bring students of the American Civil War together to study and explore those events in the fall of 1863 that led ultimately to the creation of the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, as well as explore other nearby Civil War-related sites.

Tour Leaders:  Jim Ogden and Dave Powell

Date: Friday, March 10, and Saturday, March 11, 2023; By bus and car caravan.

Friday’s tour will begin and end at the History Company, 2949 LaFayette Road, just north of the Chickamauga Park north entrance.

Saturday’s tours will begin and end at the CCNMP Visitor’s Center.

Bus – Friday all day, 8:30 to 5:00 p.m.: Cavalry Operations on the Union Right

We will travel through McLemore Cove as far as Dougherty’s Gap (not through, the bus cannot navigate the road) and then come back north, discussing cavalry operations up to Glass Mill and Crawfish Spring. This will be a daylong tour. Lunch TBA.

Friday evening, 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. – Q&A Panel with Jim Ogden, Dave Powell.

 Site: Gilbert-Stephenson Park Pavilion, Fort Oglethorpe, GA

 Reprise of the Annual free-form Question and Answer session.

Car Caravan – Saturday Morning, 8:30 to Noon: Confederate Artillery in Action, Williams’s and Robertson’s Battalions, plus A. P. Stewart’s advance on September 20.

Despite artillery’s overall limited effectiveness amid the heavily wooded terrain of Chickamauga, there were instances of that arm’s effective employment during the battle. During the afternoon of September 20, Confederate reserve artillery was used to engage the southern end of the Union Kelly Field position, prior to the final advance of A. P. Stewart’s division. Our morning talk will explore both the artillery engagement and that final advance.

Break for lunch

Car Caravan – Saturday Afternoon, 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.: Confederate Artillery in Action, Cleburne’s batteries reduce the 4th Indiana, and Cleburne vs. Starkweather

A second example of effective artillery use can be found in Cleburne’s Division, also on September 20. After being repulsed in the morning, Rebel gunners focused on suppressing the Federal 4th Indiana Battery. The action that followed provides a fine example of highly effective interarm coordination, allowing Cleburne’s division to drive into Kelly Field against Starkweather’s brigade on the evening of September 20.

Costs:

 Friday’s Tours will be by Bus. Pre-registration and Fee required: $45, due by February 1, 2023.

 Sign-up after February 1 or on-site Fee (based on space available): $50 

 Saturday: no charge.

Fees raised in excess of costs (as well as any donations) will be used to support the causes of battlefield preservation, interpretation, and renovation.

 In 2022 the Study Group made the following donations:

$500 to the Jewell Monument fund, run by the Friends of Chickamauga and Chattanooga, for maintenance and restoration needs.

$750 to the American Battlefield Trust, in support of land acquisition at western battlefields.

Send to (and make checks payable to):

David Powell

1300 Mark Street

Bensenville IL 60106

This fee is NON-REFUNDABLE after February 1st, 2023. Once we are committed to the bus, we will be charged the booking fee, and unable to cancel. 

Please note that everyone is responsible for their own lodging, meals, snacks, and incidentals.

Weather note: Last year, we had snow on Saturday, but we did not cancel. We are a (fool)hardy bunch, we go rain or shine. Dress accordingly.

REVISED – DUE TO CONTINUED COVID CONCERNS

In order to accommodate ongoing safety concerns, as well as NPS regulations concerning bus tours, we are going to change the Friday tours. We are replacing the bus tour into McLemore’s Cove with two car-caravan walking tours.

If you paid a bus fee, and wish for a refund, send me an email at dpowell334@aol.com. Otherwise, I will donate all excess funds to either the park Monument fund or American Battlefield Trust, as I have done in the past.

As noted below, Last year, we donated $500 to ABT, and $750 to the Jewell Monument Fund. In 2022, we should be able to do the same or a bit better.

Seminar in the Woods: Chickamauga, March 11-12, 2022

Mission Statement: The purpose of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Study Group is to create a forum to bring students of the American Civil War together to study and explore those events in the fall of 1863 that led ultimately to the creation of the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, as well as explore other nearby Civil War-related sites.

Tour Leaders:  Jim Ogden and Dave Powell

Date: Friday, March 11, and Saturday, March 12, 2022; By bus and car caravan.

Friday’s and Saturday’s tours will begin and end at the CCNMP Visitor’s Center.

Car Caravan – Friday Morning, 8:30 to Noon: Buckner crosses the Creek, Sept 18 and 19, 1863.

Buckner’s Corps, which was supposed to join the general crossing of West Chickamauga Creek on September 18, did not do so that Friday. Instead, while elements secured the intended fords, Buckner’s two divisions did not establish themselves on the west side of Chickamauga Creek until Saturday, September 19. We will explore these little-visited crossing sites and examine the reasons for the delays.

Car Caravan – Friday Afternoon, 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.: Trigg’s Brigade in Viniard Field and the charge of the 6th Florida Infantry

Despite the proximity of Buckner’s Corps to the fighting in Viniard Field, Col. Robert Trigg’s Florida Brigade is the only element of that corps which became involved in the fighting there, and even that combat was disjointed. We will follow Trigg’s movements, especially that of the 6th Florida, which charged all alone across Viniard Field on the afternoon of September 19.

Friday evening, 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. – Q&A Panel with Jim Ogden, Dave Powell.

 Site: Gilbert-Stephenson Park Pavilion, Fort Oglethorpe, GA

 Reprise of the Annual free-form Question and Answer session.

Car Caravan – Saturday Morning, 8:30 to Noon: Sheridan comes to grief, the fight for Lytle Hill.

Between 12 and 1 PM on September 20, after an unsettled morning’s shifting of position multiple times, Philip Sheridan’s division was dispatched to reinforce George Thomas’ line in the vicinity of Kelly Field. Sheridan’s men never reached their destination. Instead, they ran headlong into the southern flank of the Confederate breakthrough column—Thomas C. Hindman’s large infantry division. Laiboldt’s and Lytle’s brigades were engaged in and around what has come to be known as Lytle Hill, where Brig. Gen. William H. Lytle was killed in action.

Car Caravan – Saturday Afternoon, 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.: Manigault’s brigade vs. Walworth and Wilder.

While Sheridan’s other two brigades grappled with the bulk of Hindman’s division, Col. Nathan Walworth’s brigade (Formerly Bradley’s, wounded on September 19) turned to face Confederate Brig. Gen. Arthur L. Manigault’s large command of Alabamians and South Carolinians. The resultant encounter, first with Walworth and then with the newly-arrived Lightning Brigade under John T. Wilder, delivered a rude check to Manigault’s command—and saved Sheridan’s division from further disaster.

Costs:  Bus Cancelled. If you need a refund, send email to dpowell334@aol.com

Friday and Saturday: no charge.

Fees raised in excess of costs (as well as any donations) will be used to support the causes of battlefield preservation, interpretation, and renovation.

 In 2021 the Study Group made the following donations:

$750 to the Jewell Monument fund, run by the Friends of Chickamauga and Chattanooga, for maintenance and restoration needs.

$500 to the American Battlefield Trust, in support of land acquisition on Lookout Mountain and other western battlefields.

 Send to (and make checks payable to):

David Powell

1300 Mark Street

Bensenville IL 60106

This fee is NON-REFUNDABLE after February 1st, 2022. Once we are committed to the bus, we will be charged the booking fee, no matter what.  

Please note that everyone is responsible for their own lodging, meals, snacks, and incidentals.

Thank you, see you in March.