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Military History6th Cavalry Museum Atlanta Campaign Heritage Trail Blue & Gray Trail Chattooga Academy
Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park Chickamauga Campaign Heritage Trail Crawfish Springs Gordon-Lee Mansion Lee & Gordon’s Mills Marsh House McLemore’s Cove Walker County Regional Heritage Museum Walking Tour of Historic LaFayette |
Celebrate the fascinating military history of the “fighting Sixth” at the The 6th Cavalry Museum. This legendary unit formed in 1861 as a U.S. Cavalry Regiment. It was stationed at The Post at Fort Oglethorpe from 1919 until 1942 and serves today in Germany and Korea. Located on the Post’s original parade ground/polo field, the area is listed on the National Register of Historic Sites. Visited by presidents, military heroes and Hollywood celebrities, the museum houses 6,500 square feet of artifacts, uniforms, weapons, accoutrements, photos, a Patton Tank, a Cobra Gunship Helicopter and more. Discover life during the era of the horse soldier at the 6th Cavalry Museum. 
One of Georgia’s Civil War Heritage Trails, the Atlanta Campaign Heritage Trail interprets this historic Civil War campaign along its historic route, while leading visitors along many of the same roads once used
by soldiers wearing blue or gray.
This trail takes visitors to Chickamauga, site of the greatest Confederate victory, then follows a route from Chattanooga to Atlanta, similar to the one that General William Tecumseh Sherman took. 
It is the year of 1863. Beneath a towering oak tree in front of a grand building, Confederate General Braxton Bragg paces as he prepares for the battle of Chickamauga. (The tree, later known as Bragg’s Oak, was destroyed during a storm in the 1920s.) Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Chattooga Academy is yours to discover as you listen for echoes of a tumultuous past. 
In 1863, Union and Confederate forces waged epic battles over the control of Chattanooga—the gateway to the Deep South. Though the Confederate troops were victorious at Chickamauga in September, renewed fighting in Chattanooga in November won the Union troops final control. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National in 1890 to preserve and commemorate these battlefields. From Interstate 75: At Exit 350 take Battlefield Parkway (Georgia 2) west to Fort Oglethorpe. Turn left at the intersection of Battlefield Parkway and Lafayette Road. Go one mile on Lafayette Road to the park entrance and visitor center.
From Interstate 24: At Exit 180 take U.S. Highway 27 south (Rossville Boulevard) to Fort Oglethorpe. At the intersection of Battlefield Parkway, continue straight through the intersection onto Lafayette Road to the park entrance one mile ahead. 
This trail follows the troop movements through four Northwest Georgia counties (including Walker) that were part of the brutal Civil War Chickamauga Campaign. 
The beautiful and historic Gordon-Lee Mansion, one of the South’s grand dames of antebellum beauty, was built in 1847 by James Gordon and is located in the charming town of Chickamauga. Set on seven manicured acres, lined with elms and maples, with formal English and Southern vegetable gardens, the
Mansion is the only structure left standing that was used during the Battle of Chickamauga. The house has been meticulously restored to its prior splendor. Museum quality period antiques, oriental floor coverings, and crystal and brass chandeliers ensure its authenticity. Weddings and special events become magical affairs when held in this treasure from the past. 
Frank Pierce, at his own expense, restored The Old Grist Mill to its original state. Today it stands as it was 167 years ago, with restored turbines and working machinery. Examples of all machinery used in building operations have been placed on display on the main floor, cleaned and repaired to their original operational
condition. The dam has also been restored to its original width and height – an astounding feat in itself ! 
The Marsh House, built in 1836 by Spencer Stewart Marsh, offers visitors a rare glimpse into yesteryear. When it became apparent that the Civil War would come to Northwest Georgia, the Marsh family moved to Cassville, Ga. to escape the oncoming troops. While the family was away, Union troops occupied the house. Upon returning after the war, the Marshes discovered devastation: all of their furniture and household items had been taken, the floors in the downstairs hall were blood soaked and marked with hoof prints, many bullets were found in the outer walls of the house and bullet holes had shattered the glass around the south upstairs outer door. In 2003 the house was purchased by Walker County. Under an agreement with the Walker County Historical Society, the County will own the building and participate in its continuing restoration through the Walker County Historic Preservation Commission. 
This exquisite valley, nestled in the V formed by Lookout Mountain and Pigeon Mountain, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 (the McLemore Cove Historic District). The steep limestone and sandstone walls of the mountains form a remarkable backdrop for a scenic drive through the cove. At the southwest end of the cove is a portion of the picturesque 11,500-acre Mountain Cove Farm.
The cove, which was named for Robert and John McLemore, sons of a white trader and a Cherokee mother, is just south of Chickamauga Battlefield. One of the Civil War battles took place at Davis Crossroads within the cove. Near Cedar Grove Methodist Church, a large number of Union soldiers spent the night of September 17, 1863, immediately prior to the Battle of Chickamauga. Another antebellum structure is the 130-year-old, plantation-plain style farmhouse, located one-half mile south of Mt. Hermon Church on Hog Jowl Road, where the Hise family has lived for generations. Most of the other old houses and buildings
in the cove are not antebellum but date from the 1890s when the railroad was built through the northern part of the cove. Directions: Take GA 193 west from LaFayette 8 miles to Davis Crossroads. Note that the best view of McLemore Cove is from GA 157 atop Lookout Mountain.
Between 1888 and 1889, the railroad came to the little town of Crawfish Springs (later renamed Chickamauga). A hotel opened in 1891 and the train depot was built in anticipation of a throng of visitors. The dreams of the investors did not materialize and, in 1898, the hotel was used as a hospital for soldiers at Camp Thomas, located in the Chickamauga Battlefield. It was later demolished and replaced with the two-story brick community house that survives today. The Train Depot has been restored and exhibits War Between the States collectibles, Indian artifacts and Cherokee arrowheads, WWI artifacts, antique guns and furniture and a complete working display of Lionel Old Gauge model trains that date back to 1947.