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.