Near Fort Oglethorpe in Catoosa County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Preston Smith Memorial Shell Monument
Commanding Brigade
— Cheatham's Division —
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, August 10, 2016
1. Preston Smith Memorial Shell Monument Marker
View of the front side of the mortuary monument.
Brigadier General, C.S.A.
Commanding Brigade
Cheatham's Division
Killed Here About 7 P.M.
September 19, 1863
Erected 1893 by the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Commission. (Marker Number MT-463.)
Topics. This monument and memorial is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant day of the year for for this entry is May 31.
Location. 34° 55.28′ N, 85° 14.629′ W. Marker is near Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, in Catoosa County. Memorial can be reached from Alexanders Bridge Road east of Brotherton Road, on the right when traveling south. This monument is located in the national park that preserves the site of the Chickamauga Battlefield. The monument is located along a park hiking trail that runs through a section of park land, off the southwest corner of the intersection of Alexanders Bridge Road and Brotherton Road. According to the location information provided by the National Park Service the, "Monument located within the Chickamauga Battlefield in
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. 77th Pennsylvania Infantry (a few steps from this marker); Smith's Brigade (a few steps from this marker); 29th Indiana Infantry (within shouting distance of this marker); Dodge's Brigade (within shouting distance of this marker); 79th Illinois Infantry (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); 20th Ohio Battery (about 300 feet away); 30th Indiana Infantry (about 400 feet away); Joe L. Campbell Memorial (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Oglethorpe.
More about this monument. According to the description information provided by the National Park Service, the monument is, "14'10" per side at base and 10' high, the monument consists of a pyramid of cannonballs set in cement & painted black, resting on a triangular molded limestone base. Attached to pyramid is a painted metal plaque identifying the site."
I used the "Chickamauga Battlefield" map, that I purchased at the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Visitor Center, to determine both the marker number for this tablet and the tablet's location in relation to the rest of the park's monuments, markers, and tablets. According to the map it provides the, "numerical listing of all monuments, markers, and tablets on the Chickamauga Battlefield (using the Chick-Chatt NMP Monument Numbering System).”
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, August 10, 2016
2. Preston Smith Memorial Shell Monument Marker
A close-up view of the text on the mortuary monument.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, August 10, 2016
3. Preston Smith Memorial Shell Monument Marker
View of the mortuary monument situated between the Smith Brigade Tablet (foreground) and the 77th Pennsylvania Monument (background).
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, August 10, 2016
4. Preston Smith Memorial Shell Monument Marker
View of the mortuary monument situated between the 77th Pennsylvania Monument (foreground) and the Smith Brigade Tablet (distant background).
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, August 10, 2016
5. Preston Smith Memorial Shell Monument Marker
View of the backsides of the mortuary monument, with a view of the 77th Pennsylvania Monument in the background.
Internet Archive
6. Major-General Preston Smith C.S.A.
from Battles and leaders of the Civil War by Robert Underwood Johnson and Clarence Clough Buel, Vol. 3, 1887.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 20, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 17, 2016, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. This page has been viewed 392 times since then and 55 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 17, 2016, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. 6. submitted on December 10, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.
