First Battalion Georgia Sharpshooters - Chickamauga National Battlefield
Posted by: Lat34North
N 34° 56.047 W 085° 15.300
16S E 659370 N 3867126
This monument to the Georgia 1st Battalion Sharpshooters is located on the north side Alexander Bridge Rd. in the Chickamauga NMP. It is one of many similar markers to Georgia units that fought here during the battle of Chickamauga.
Waymark Code: WMCHXM
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 09/10/2011
Views: 3
This monument is dedicated to the Georgia 1st Battalion Sharpshooters is in recognition of their service during the
Battle of Chickamauga, fought September 19–20, 1863. It marks their position at 12:30 p.m. Sept. 20, 1863
during the battle.
Text:
C.S.A.
Georgia
1st Battalion
Sharpshooters
Maj. Arthur Shaaf
Wilson’s Brigade
Gist Walker’s Division
12:30 P. M. Sept. 20, 1863
From the marker located across the road, tour stop #2.
The second day begins
Morning brought repeated attacks on the Union breastworks here
By the morning of September 20, 1863, Gen. Braxton Bragg had organized his Confederate army into two wings -- Longstreet on the left and Polk´s here on the right. Bragg ordered Polk to attack at dawn. However, the attack was delayed, in the Federals used the first critical hours of daylight to strengthen their log breastworks.
Finally, at 9:30 a.m. Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge´s Confederate Division struck the Union breastworks at this point. Other Confederate units joined them as the attack spread southward along the line of monuments behind you. The pressure of these attacks forced Union commander Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans to move men from his center to stop the attack here on his left.
About noon the futile and costly Confederate charges ended, not be resumed until late afternoon. The federals stood firm behind their log wall, awaiting the outcome of the fighting still raging south of here.
From the NRHP nomination form:
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Structure Number: |
MT-1292(see note) |
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LCS ID: |
008839 |
Historical Significance:
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National Register Status:
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Entered - Documented
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National Register Date:
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07/25/1986
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National Historic Landmark?: |
No
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Significance Level:
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Contributing
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Short Significance Description:
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Marker contributes to national significance of park under NR Criterion A because it represents national movement among veterans & related groups to commemorate Civil War battlefields. This was the first U.S. national military park.
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Short Physical Description
A rock-faced, peaked-top granite slab, 4'6" wide x 6' high x 1'8" thick, that carries an inscription, with a cartridge box carved in relief above it. Marks unit's position on September 20, 1863, at 12:30 p.m.
Material(s)
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Structural Component(s)
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Material(s)
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1.
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Superstructure
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Granite
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Construction Period:
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Historic
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Chronology:
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Physical Event
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Begin Year
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Begin Year AD/BC
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End Year
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End Year AD/BC
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Designer
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Designer Occupation
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1.
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Built
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1898
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AD
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1899
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AD
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My Sources
1.
NRHP Narrative
2. Wikipedia -
Battle of Chickamauga
3. The Civil War Home -
The Chickamauga Campaign - Confederate Order of Battle
Note
Trailhead Graphics, Inc. has produced a map of the Chickamauga Battlefield showing the locations of all of the monuments and the markers on the battlefield. Each location on the map has a number associated with it that cross-references to an index on the back of the map that has the name of the marker (called the Chick-Chatt NMP monument numbering system). This number corresponds to the structure Number listed on the NPS List of Classified Structures that is normally prefixed with the letters MT for the Chickamauga Battlefield.