Oglethorpe, home base of the Sixth Cavalry until 1942,
is remembered by Barnhardt Circle, the National Historic
District that was the centerpiece of the base. General
John J. "Blackjack" Pershing, leader of the
American Expeditionary Force in World War I was stationed
here, as was Dwight David Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander
in World War II and President of the United States, 1953-1961.
The
famous Buffalo Soldiers, who kept the peace in the old
West for thirty years, returned to here before being
sent to Cuba during the Spanish-American War. In 1942
the facility converted to a WAAC's (Woman's Army Auxillary
Corps) base that Franklin
Delano Roosevelt visited in April, 1943. (see photo,
left)
The
base closed in 1946, but the city that had been created
was incorporated in 1949. Today Ft. Oglethorpe is the
Gateway to Chickamauga battlefield and the start of
the story of America's Civil War in Georgia. Barnhardt
Circle, where many officers made their homes is on the
National Register of HIstoric Places and the aptly named
Captain's Quarters has gained national attention as
one of the nation's best Bed and Breakfast inns. The
Sixth Cavalry Museum tells the timeless story of the
Americans who fought and died for their country during
the Spanish-American War, World War I and World War
II.
Franklin
Delano Roosevelt visited in April, 1943. (see photo,
left)
