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The two-day event was held at the
Chattanooga Choo-Choo Holiday Inn, a modern hotel adjacent to the
famous turn-of-the-century train terminal. The terminal’s original
and remarkable 85 foot freestanding dome serves as the hotel lobby.
Seminar attendees enjoyed their stay and found it convenient to room where seminar events
took place. It was fun to walk through the host hotel and spy new faces wearing Longstreet
shirts or buttons or carrying Longstreet tote bags. Lots of
wonderful friendship started this way.
The first morning of the seminar, guests
met at the
hotel to preview items for the silent auction, enjoyed a continental
breakfast, and heard a presentation by Dr. William Garrett Piston
(author of Lee’s Tarnished Lieutenant) who set the
scene for the September 20, 1863 battle and for the battlefield
tours about to take place.
Next, all Longstreet admirers and students
boarded buses for
the Chickamauga battlefield where, in two groups, we visited the
Brotherton cabin, site of the great breakthrough of the battle, and
Snodgrass Hill area for expertly led, in-depth, on-the-ground study
of the field and the fighting. One of the tour guides was James
"Ron" Furqueron, associated editor of North and South
magazine.
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Back at the
headquarters hotel, following dinner on our own, Robert Thomas,
Chairman of the General James Longstreet Memorial Fund discussed
how the Longstreet monument at Gettysburg came to be -- and it was a
remarkable story. Soon after, bidding on the silent auction items
began as did an evening social where refreshments were available and
we had a chance to relax with attendees
from all over the world.
One Sunday morning the winners of the silent auction
were announced and items awarded. Then Dr. Piston discussed the
aftermath and significance of the battle of Chickamauga, concluding
the seminar and rounding out our knowledge of the battle and the
General’s role in it. Those who wished to prolong the weekend
could
return, on their own, to the battlefield to watch the Park Service
sponsored re-enactment of the battle breakthrough and to witness
General Longstreet emerging from the woods at Brotherton Cabin.
Chattanooga was a great city, Longstreet a great Genera, and the
seminar was a great opportunity for the General’s
friends to travel, meet, and learn.
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