Day 28 - October 11, 2012: Lookout Point and Point Park

Today is sunny and warm and just the perfect weather to visit Lookout Mountain, a 2,100 foot peak overlooking Chattanooga. This gave us a good overall view and understanding of the Civil War struggles here. We took a bus to board an Incline Railway for the twenty minute ride up. This railway is the steepest in the world, reaching 72.5 % at one point just before the peak. There is an excellent 3D battle map presentation which depicts the battles related to Lookout Mountain, and in the National Service Point Park you can walk to see the views and the site of the Battle of the Clouds.

One goes up as the other goes down

Over the 72.5 % grade 

Lookout Mountain was strategic to the South in defending Chattanooga during the war. From these heights, they could track Union troops and repel any attempts to move the Union supplies up the river or into the area by train. 

View from Lookout Point

Enjoying the View

During the Battle of the Clouds, the Union soldiers were able to take Lookout Mountain by sending troops up the steep hillsides. The Confederate cannons on top were mounted to hit the rivers or valley at a distance. As such, the Confederates were unable to tip these cannons down low enough to be aimed at the approaching troops, thus losing their advantage. 

Later we spent more time walking the city and found a wonderful Italian Restaurant called "Tony's" in the Bluff View Art District. Arriving back on Great Laker, we watched the Southern Belle pass by on one of its nightly river dinner cruises.

The Southern Belle