Chickamauga Monuments (Sept 20)

Continuing with yesterday's theme of Chickamauga monuments, here are some for the second day of combat.

The 22nd Michigan monument. I've always been drawn to the monuments with these panels. I guess I like the artwork, how the regiment decided to remember their engagement. Usually the text of monuments is plain enough to not offend another regiment, simply stating where they were at what times and how many men they lost. There is good information there but it often is only a small piece of the puzzle. For a good chuckle read how many monuments at Shiloh say that the regiment retired to the landing. That makes it sound like an organized affair when in some cases it was a matter of the regiment disintegrating rapidly and running everywhere. So these panels in some way shed a bit more light on the action. Of course they are going to be a sanitized version of the regiment's exploits but they are still more interesting than the simple recap of where, when and losses.

The 68th Indiana monument. This one also tells a story, not with a panel but with an engraving. I've never seen a copy of the Indiana at Chickamauga book so I could find out why they choose this moment to present. Its just a solitary soldier looking at his leg. There is no visible wound but that would seem the most logical explanation.