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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Southside Historic District in Chattanooga in Hamilton County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
 

Chattanooga's Railroads

Strategically Important

 
 
Chattanooga's Railroads Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, August 19, 2014
1. Chattanooga's Railroads Marker
Inscription. Battles were fought in and around Chattanooga primarily for control of the railroad network. By 1861, the city had become one of the South's most important rail hubs. The lines that crossed here connected the Atlantic Ocean to the Tennessee River and Middle Tennessee and the Mississippi River to East Tennessee and Virginia. To support these railroads, Chattanooga entrepreneur Robert Cravens built the East Tennessee Iron Manufacturing Company two blocks south of here to make "chilled railroad car wheels of the very best quality and freight cars of any description."

Confederate forces controlled the city's vital railroads until November 1863, when the Union army occupied Chattanooga. The Federals renovated and expanded the network of tracks and sidings south of town in this area. From here, General William T. Sherman gathered the supplies for his summer 1864 drive to capture Atlanta.

The most famous incident concerning the rail network was the April 1862 raid led by James J. Andrews to destroy the line between Atlanta and Chattanooga. At Big Shanty (present-day Kennesaw), Georgia, the men stole The General, a Western and Atlantic locomotive, and raced north along the single-track line to destroy bridges and cut telegraph wires. Western and Atlantic employees pursued them with two locomotives, Yonah and Texas, disrupting
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the raiders' work and causing them to abandon The General near Ringgold, Georgia. Four of Andrews's Raiders, who were among the first to receive Medals of Honor, are buried at the Chattanooga National Cemetery. The State of Ohio added a memorial to the cemetery to honor the raiders in 1890.
 
Erected by Tennessee Civil War Trails.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & StreetcarsWar, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1862.
 
Location. 35° 2.247′ N, 85° 18.39′ W. Marker is in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in Hamilton County. It is in the Southside Historic District. Marker can be reached from Market Street (Tennessee Route 8) north of East 14th Street, on the left when traveling south. This marker is located at the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel, on the grounds of the Chattanooga Choo Choo Terminal. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1400 Market Street, Chattanooga TN 37402, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Chattanooga, a City of Historical Significance (a few steps from this marker); Military History of Chattanooga (a few steps from this marker); The Chattanooga Choo-Choo (within shouting distance of this marker); Terminal Station (within shouting distance of this marker); The Chattanooga Choo-Choo Hotel
Chattanooga's Railroads Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, August 19, 2014
2. Chattanooga's Railroads Marker
Close-up view, that is displayed on the marker, of a Civil War era photograph showing a U.S. Military Railroad train pulling out of the depot, with Lookout Mountain seen faintly in the background.
(within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Chattanooga Choo-Choo (within shouting distance of this marker); Dedication of Rose Garden to all Veterans (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); A point in the 2D Line of Works (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chattanooga.
 
Chattanooga's Railroads Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, August 19, 2014
3. Chattanooga's Railroads Marker
Close-up view, that is displayed on the marker, of a Civil War era photograph showing the Western and Atlantic Railroad depot.
Chattanooga's Railroads Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, August 19, 2014
4. Chattanooga's Railroads Marker
Close-up view, that is displayed on the marker, of a Civil War era photograph showing a U.S. Military Railroad construction crew, with tools, in Chattanooga, in 1864.
Chattanooga's Railroads Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, August 19, 2014
5. Chattanooga's Railroads Marker
Close-up view, that is displayed on the marker, of a Civil War era map of Chattanooga's railroads and forts.
Chattanooga's Railroads Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, August 19, 2014
6. Chattanooga's Railroads Marker
Chattanooga's Railroads Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, August 19, 2014
7. Chattanooga's Railroads Marker
A distant view of the marker looking towards the background to the left of the marker.
Chattanooga's Railroads Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, August 19, 2014
8. Chattanooga's Railroads Marker
A distant view of the marker looking towards the background to the right of the marker.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 12, 2015, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. This page has been viewed 730 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on June 25, 2015, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.

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Mar. 29, 2024