Catoosa County's rich history touches upon many of the
defi ning events and social changes of America's past. As settlers
expanded westward, Georgia forcibly removed Native Americans from
the boundaries of what would eventually form Catoosa, a Cherokee name
that the settlers adopted as their own. As the site of the second most costly
battle in the Civil War, Chickamauga set the stage for much that followed
in Catoosa's history, from the end of a three-thousand-year-old mode
of warfare to the beginnings of women's service in the military. Though
nearly one million people visit Chickamauga and Chattanooga National
Military Park each year seeking to understand and connect to the Civil
War struggle, many remain unaware of the larger part Catoosa played in
the unfolding drama of America. Join local historian Jeff O'Bryant as he
brings this valuable heritage to light.