Have you ever worked on a project and just felt like everything conspired to go against you? Even as the park was in its infancy of creation, Park Engineer E.E. Betts and other staff members had to deal with numerous challenges including brand new monuments being stolen from the battlefield. In this excerpt from his 1901 Annual Report to the War Department, Betts reports on the prosecution of two junk dealers who had accepted the stolen mountain howitzers and melted them down for scrap. Can you imagine his frustration after acquiring the historic cannons, even just 25 years after the Civil War, only to see these monuments stolen and melted down for scrap? Today, the National Park Staff has even more trouble finding or creating replacement pieces for vandalized monuments. Whether for scrap metal or for souvenirs to mount on a wall, the theft of these pieces robs not only the memory of the soldiers who fought and died on this ground, but also cheapens the hard work of those like Betts who labored to preserve and mark this park. Interested to know more about Betts work? Join a ranger this Saturday at 2:00 pm for a car caravan exploring more about the monuments and those who created them. This tour will depart from the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center. Visitors are invited to bring umbrellas for shade and are encouraged to bring water. If you have any questions, please contact the park at 706-866-9241. (ws)
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 21:45:46 +0000
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