Fort Wood Civil War Banquet

 Chattanooga, TN . . . An outdoor Civil War Banquet will be held in the Fort Wood Historic District on September 27, joining the list of special events commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battles of Chattanooga. This event will serve as a fundraiser for the Fort Wood Neighborhood Association, a 501(c)3 organization.

The banquet will be hosted under a tent on the lawn at 850 Fort Wood Street, one of the neighborhood’s historic buildings, which now serves as the business headquarters of Jay Robinson Real Estate. The banquet will begin at 6:30 PM with appetizers and spirits, followed by a three course plated dinner at 7:15 PM. Music of the period and Civil War re-enactors will add to the ambiance. Following the dinner, Daryl Black, executive director of the Chattanooga History Center, will speak about Fort Wood’s role in the battles of the Civil War in a 20-minute program entitled "After Chickamauga."

Self-guided historic walking tours of the neighborhood will be offered at no charge, and prints of the original fort in Fort Wood will be offered for purchase.

Attendance for the Civil War Banquet is limited to 150 seats. The ticket price is $75, and may be purchased online at http://www.ChattanoogaPresents.com. Sponsors for the banquet are First Tennessee Bank, Cansler Photography, Jay Robinson Real Estate and the Chattanooga History Center.

The original "fort" in Fort Wood was an earthwork stronghold constructed by Union forces in 1863 during their occupation of Chattanooga. Originally named for Colonel William R. Creighton, killed at Ringgold, Georgia, in November 1863, the fort was renamed after 1864 in honor of General Thomas Wood.

On September 19 and 20, 1863, the Union Army of the Cumberland struggled with Confederate forces south of Chattanooga along the banks of Chickamauga Creek. After an epic collapse on September 20, Union troops retreated into Chattanooga demoralized and beaten. Many feared for the army's survival. Within days, however, these men had created a formidable ring of fortifications around Chattanooga. Centered on Fort Wood, these lines of entrenchments provided security to the harried soldiers and allowed them to hold the town that Abraham Lincoln considered among the most strategic points in the nation. A mere two months later, the decisive attack on the Confederate forces on Missionary Ridge began when signal shots rang out from the Union artillery at Fort Wood. The victory gained that day assured the collapse of the Confederacy.

For more information about the Civil War Banquet, call 423.265.0771 ext. 100. For more information about the Fort Wood Historic District, visit www.historicfortwood.org.