After two-year hiatus, Battle of Tunnel Hill reenactment returns in September

Aug. 17—The roar of cannons and smoke from gunfire will fill the air for the first time in two years at the Tunnel Hill Battlefield on Saturday, Sept. 10, and Sunday, Sept. 11, at 2 p.m. each day.

It's all part of the 27th reenactment of the Civil War Battle of Tunnel Hill, which was fought when Union Gen. William T. Sherman's troops attacked troops led by Confederate Gen. Patrick Cleburne. Unlike some other Civil War reenactments, the Tunnel Hill reenactment takes place on the actual site where the battle took place.

The reenactment was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Most reenactments were canceled in 2020," said Robert Ault, treasurer of the Tunnel Hill Historical Foundation, which sponsors the event. "I think there were a couple of reenactments in 2021. We had planned on having our reenactment in 2021. But Whitfield County had a big burst of COVID-19 starting about a month before we were going to hold it, so we decided it would be prudent to call it off."

The reenactment has usually drawn around 300 to 400 reenactors each year, and Ault said he is hopeful that more will show up this year.

"We don't know exactly how many reenactors we will have, but we hope it will be more as people are eager to get back into it," he said.

The battle reenactment takes place across from the Tunnel Hill Heritage Center and Museum, which is at 215 Clisby Austin Road.

The grounds are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ault said there are plenty of things to do both before and after the battle reenactment.

"We will have what they call sutlers, selling memorabilia. Period clothes and things like that," Ault said. "We'll also have refreshments — hamburgers, hot dogs and barbecue. We might also have someone selling cotton candy. We'll have a man selling homemade root beer. That's always popular."

Admission is $10 for adults. Children 12 and younger are admitted free. Admission includes not only the battle reenactment but also access to the Tunnel Hill Heritage Center and Museum, the historic Western & Atlantic railroad tunnel and the Clisby Austin House.

Built in 1848, the house was 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 was later a headquarters for Sherman, who did the initial planning for the Atlanta Campaign and what became the March to the Sea there.

The Western & Atlantic Railroad tunnel was completed in 1850. Workers tunneled 1,447 feet through the mountain using hand drills and black powder.

In 1862, a group of Union spies stole a train near present-day Kennesaw intending to drive it north, destroying tracks, bridges and the tunnel as they went. But the train's conductor spotted them and gave chase, first on foot, then on a handcart and finally on a succession of locomotives in what was later dubbed the Great Locomotive Chase. The raiders were able to do only minimal damage before abandoning the locomotive just north of Ringgold, and many were captured.

The reenactment is popular with reenactors and typically draws groups from across the Southeast.

Ault said he is hopeful the recently opened Rocky Face Ridge Park may also help draw people to the reenactment as Civil War buffs may be eager to see it before or after the battle. The 1,000-acre site of the park contains numerous Civil War fortifications and was the site of two Civil War battles. It is about seven miles from the Tunnel Hill Battlefield at 2209 Crow Valley Road.

"I know that we will be letting people know about the park and maybe help increase awareness of it," he said.

On the Friday before the reenactment there is always an education day for students from local schools, and this year will be no different.

"We've already got 400 to 500 kids signed up, and we hope to have another 200 or 300 more," Ault said. "They'll learn about the tunnel and weaving and those types of things."