Tunnel Hill Reenactment
Date – Time
September 9, 2018
– 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Additional Information
2018 Battle of Tunnel Hill Reenactment
All are welcome at the 25th Annual Battle of Tunnel Hill Reenactment on September 8-9, 2018 at the Tunnel Hill Heritage Center in Tunnel Hill, Georgia. The Battle of Tunnel Hill Reenactment has been held the weekend after Labor Day on the hallowed ground at Tunnel Hill Georgia since 1993 recreating the Battles and Skirmishes In North West Georgia beginning the 100 Days Fight to Atlanta and The Sea. The battle reenactment is among the few to take place on the actual site of the battle. Because of development or other factors, many other Civil War reenactments have to take place near but not on the actual site of the battle.
Battle of Tunnel Hill Reenactment
Experience the sights and sounds of battle as cannons blast, the horses charge and the soldiers give the Rebel yell as they clash in authentic conflict on the historic grounds of Tunnel Hill. Visitors to the Battle of Tunnel Hill Reenactment will enjoy a weekend of civil war battle reenactments, walk the 1,477 foot long Historic Western & Atlantic Railroad Tunnel built in 1850, Tunnel Museum, “Meadowlawn,” the 1850 Clisby Austin House – headquarters of General William T. Sherman, as well as various food vendors and period sutler tents. Interact with the reenactors, visit Union and Confederate camps, then find your spot along the spectator line to watch the battle unfold at 2:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Between 500 and 700 Civil War reenactors, representing both the Union and the Confederacy, are expected at the Battle of Tunnel Hill Reenactment. That will include infantry, cavalry, and artillery, all part of reenacting the Battle of Tunnel Hill, which was fought on Nov. 25, 1863, when Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s troops attacked troops led by Confederate Gen. Patrick Cleburne as part of the Battle of Missionary Ridge.
Hours
Saturday & Sunday
Gates Open 9:00 am – 4 pm
Battle Reenactments Daily 2:00 pm
Admission
Adults $10
Children 12 and under – Free
Admission includes battle and Tunnel Hill Heritage Center and museum, the historic Western & Atlantic railroad tunnel and the Clisby Austin House.
Location
Tunnel Hill Heritage Center
215 Clisby Austin Road
Tunnel Hill, GA 30755
706-876-1571
Directions: I-75, Exit #336, U.S. Hwy. 41 north 4-1/2 miles, right on Oak Street in Tunnel Hill; or I-75, Exit #339, U.S. Hwy. 41 south 4 miles, left on Oak Street.
Friday School Day
Living History Program for Area School Children on Friday Morning through Afternoon. Contact The Heritage Center for School Group Admission and information at http://www.tunnelhillheritagecenter.com/ Group participation requires coordination through the Foundation.
Saturday Ladies Social
Ladies Social on Saturday Morning at 11:00 AM at the Clisby Austin House. Ladies bring a Teac Cup and a seat or stool for your comfort. Topics of Interest For the Modern 1860 Lady Presented.
Saturday Night Military Ball
Period Attired Participant only at Saturday night ball. Nno modern participation at the Ball, though viewing on side is permitted),
Sunday Services
Period Divine Services will be held on Sunday behind the Austin House in the 35th Tennessee Camp area
Event Hosts
Hosting the Battle of Tunnel Hill Reenactment since it began in 1993, The 35th (Hill’s 5th Regiment) Tennessee Infantry.
No Registration Fee
There is no participant registration fee, but donations are welcome and will go directly to the Tunnel Hill Historical Foundation and preservation (including the W&A Rail Road Tunnel and the Depot).
Reenactor Amenities
Usual amenities are provided: bedding hay, water, firewood, Horse hay for registered units with mounts (CURRENT COGGINS PAPER REQUIRED FOR ENTRY ONTO SITE..NO EXCEPTIUONS), Artillery bounty for first 6 full size guns registered and in both Saturday and Sunday battle (Check issued Sunday… no powder),
Period Civilian Camp
This camp for participants taking civilian roles will be adjacent to the Sutlery Area. This will allow access when the previous areas have required us to move you all to the far side of the Battlefield due to wet ground in front of the Austin House.
Modern Camping
There is no “public” modern camping available on site for visitors or spectators.
“Registered reenactors” participating in battles may camp modern in the reenactor parking area. No Hook-Ups for RV’s on Site.
Other Battle of Tunnel Hill Reenactmentn Information
Clisby Austin House
Built in 1848, the Clisby Austin House served as a hospital during the Battle of Chickamauga. Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood recuperated at the house after his leg was amputated, and the leg was buried nearby. The house later served as a headquarters for Sherman.
Sutlers (Period Vendors)
There will be several “sutlers,” vendors selling food and drink as well as Civil War-style clothing and other items. Sutlery is by prior arrangement through the Sutler Coordinator or Event Coordinator due to site carrying capacity.
PLEASE NOTE FLYING OF CONFEDERATE NATIONAL AND REGIMENTAL COLORS IS ENCOURAGED.
We will not disgrace our ancestors, Confederate or Federal by attemoting to place the Politiccally Corerct Crowd, nor will we bow to Tyrants who wish our History made palatable to them.
This was a Bloody War that Fire-formed this Nation into who it is today. These were American Citizen Soldiers, who held different Loyalties in battles that showed the true Valor of both Sides as well as the terrible sacrifice, showed their Honored Banners from that War.
If you do not like either the Union of States National and Regimental Colors nor the Confederate National and Regimental Colors, please do not attend as a spectator, we respect your beliefs and would fight to protect them but we also recognize our ancestors beliefs and history and will not bow our heads on either side to political expediency nor to ANY hate group.
ADA Accessibility Notes
The museum is equipped with handicap restroom facilities; parking available; there is a lot of walking, both on pavement and on the ground.
Pet Friendly Notes
Dogs must be on a leash at all time; while they are welcome, it’s not recommended due to the loud noise of the battle (cannons and gun fire)
About the Construction & Battle for Tunnel Hill
In 1836 the Georgia General Assembly created the Western & Atlantic Railroad, which would connect Ross’s Landing (soon to be renamed Chattanooga) with a point on the Chattahoochee River. Southern terminus of the 138-mile route was staked out with a “zero mile post” seven miles southeast of the Chattahoochee. A village sprouted around the point, eventually to become the city of Atlanta. Long found a way of not having to tunnel through Missionary Ridge, but in mountainous north Georgia, Chetoogeta Mountain, thirty miles south of Chattanooga, had to be dug through. Work began July 1848 and the tunnel was opened October 1849. Track was laid and the first train passed through on May 9, 1850.
During the Civil War the Western & Atlantic was an important Confederate supply line, especially for the Army of Tennessee. The unsuccessful Union army raid led by civilian James J. Andrews on April 2, 1862 was intended to disrupt it. In the Georgia Campaign of 1864 the W & A served both the retreating and advancing armies.
Union forces seized Tunnel Hill in the opening days of the campaign. On the morning of May 7 Brig. Gen. Jefferson Davis’ Fourteenth Corps division advanced toward Tunnel Hill. Maj. J. T. Holmes’ 52nd Ohio was in the lead and found 50-100 Confederate cavalry near the town. After a brisk skirmish the Southern horsemen retired back toward Johnston’s main line along Rocky Face Ridge. The Confederates did not try to damage the tunnel and only took up some rails, which were quickly replaced. Confederate forces approached Tunnel Hill twice more during the campaign – Wheeler’s cavalry in mid-August, and Hood’s infantry after the fall of Atlanta in mid-October – but neither time did they attempt to damage the tunnel.
Mark your calendar today so you don’t miss the next Battle of Tunnel Hill Reenactment in Tunnel Hill, Georgia.
Tags: Battle of Tunnel Hill Reenactment, Battle of Tunnel Hill Civil War Reenactment, Civil War Reenactment