The Tennessee Historical Commission and Tennessee Wars Commission has awarded nearly $47,500 in grant funding to preserve nearly four acres of Civil War battlefield land in Hamilton County through the Tennessee Civil War Sites Preservation Fund.
The commissions awarded the applicant, the Civil War Preservation Trust, funds to preserve land associated with the 1863 Battle of Wauhatchie in Chattanooga.
The parcel consists of 3.61 acres located at the northern portion of the Chattanooga Battlefield, the site of troop movements of the 23rd Kentucky Infantry during the Battle of Wauhatchie on Oct. 27, 1863.
A part of the larger battle and siege of Chattanooga, Wauhatchie, or Brown’s Ferry, established the bridgehead upon which the Union army built its “Cracker Line,” which allowed it to break the lines of the besieging Confederate troops.
The TCWSPF grant program, begun in 2013, is funded through a portion of growth funds in the Real Estate Transfer Tax. The TCWSPF grants provide a 50 percent match, with the applicant providing for the matching 50 percent.
“Grant programs like this one are critical in ensuring Tennessee continues to lead the way in preserving and protecting the sites of conflict in which we can interpret our shared history as both Tennesseans and Americans,” said Tim Hyder, director of programs for the Tennessee Wars Commission.
To date, the TCWSPF has been utilized to award over $1.5 million dollars in funding, which has helped preserve and protect nearly 160 acres of threatened Civil War battlefield land in Tennessee.
Information: www.tnhistoricalcommission.org.
Source: Tennessee Historical Commission and Tennessee Wars Commission