Field Artillery - Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park - Fort Oglethorpe, GA
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 34° 56.418 W 085° 15.597
16S E 658906 N 3867804
Several pieces are displayed in front of this visitors center.
Waymark Code: WMP9QJ
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 07/26/2015
Views: 4
County of sign: Catoosa County
Location of sign: Lafayette Hwy, Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park Visitors Center, Fort Oglethorpe
Marker erected by: National Park Service
Marker text:
Field Artillery
These guns are among the types used here in 1863
Artillery, together with infantry and cavalry, was one of the most important branches of a Civil War army. The big guns would easily devastate assaulting infantrymen, who often advanced in mass formations, shoulder to shoulder.
At Chickamauga, artillery batteries were handicapped by woods and undergrowth which limited visibility and maneuverability. The guns were most effective when used behind breastworks overlooking open fields.
In front of you are examples of six types of muzzle loading field guns used at Chickamauga and Chattanooga. The iron and bronze tubes are authentic Civil War pieces; the carriages are reproductions. More than 200 other cannon visible on the battlefield today were placed by veterans in the 1890s. These guns mark positions of batteries during the fighting.
Photo on Marker Text:
Bridges Independent Company of Illinois Light Artillery drills in camp at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in spring of 1863. The Union battery later fought in the Battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga.
An experienced six-man crew could fire a field gun up to four times a minute, following a strict procedure. Note the sequence demonstrated in the photo: the gun crew on the far left begins to load, while the crew on the far right stands ready to fire.
Please help to protect yourself and the park's features by not climbing on cannon or monuments.