Battlefield plaques
document troop positions and
movements
On August 19, 1890, the U.S. Congress established the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park for the purpose of "preserving and suitably marking for historical and professional military study the fields of some of the most remarkable maneuvers and most brilliant fighting in the war of the rebellion...."
The three park commissioners, all veterans of Chickamauga or Chattanooga, placed hundreds of cast-iron plaques and other markers on the battlefields in the early 1890s. Each plaque identifies the location of a particular army, corps, division, brigade, or artillery battery at a specific time. The plaques also describe military actions.
Hundreds of veterans contributed information for the plaques, and retraced their steps to determine the exact locations of their units. Today the plaques remain valuable tools for those who seek to understand in detail how these complex battles were fought.
Types of Plaques:
Today you will find several types of historic plaques and markers on the Chickamauga and Chattanooga battlefields.
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Blue plaques mark the positions of Union units.
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Red plaques mark the positions of Confederate units.
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Cannon mark the positions of artillery batteries.
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Fingerboards indicate directions, locations, or landmarks.
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Large cannonball pyramids stacked 15-high mark the spots where brigade commanders were killed.
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Small cannonball pyramids stacked 7-high mark headquarters sites.
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Authorized Strengths of
Infantry Units
To understand the information on the plaques and monuments, it helps to know troops were organized. This chart shows theoretically how many men were in each unit; however, most units here went into battle at half-strength or less.
Units were identified by numbers, states, or the names of commanders. For example, "35th Ohio Regiment" or "Longstreet's Corps."
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Company 101 men, commanded by a Captain.
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Regiment 10 companies, 1,046 men, commanded by a Colonel.
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Brigade 2 or more Regiments, 2,100 men, commanded by a Brigadier General.
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Division 2 or more Brigades, 6,000 men, commanded by a Major General.
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Corps 2 or more Divisions, 18,000 men, commanded by a Major General.
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Selected Terms Used on Plaques
Battery, A grouping of cannon, usually four or six.
Casualties, Soldiers wounded, killed, or missing in action. Those captured are sometimes included.
Enfilade, To fire at an enemy line from an angle rather than from the front. This type of fire was especially deadly.
Flank, The right or left end of a line of troops.
Oblique, A direction diagonal to the line of battle.
Skirmish, A fight between small numbers of troops. A minor or preliminary engagement.
Vedettes, Sentries or pickets posted to report on enemy movements.
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