The
city of Ringgold is the Catoosa County seat. Located
on I-75 just a few miles south of Chattanooga, Tennessee,
the city grew as a stop along the old Federal Highway
that ran from Nashville, Tennessee to Augusta, Georgia.
Named
for a brave soldier, this historic city was granted
a charter of incorporation on Dec. 23, 1847. Samuel
Ringgold, Jr. entered the United States Military Academy
at West Point, New York on October 24, 1814 as a cadet.
During his military career, Ringgold received a "Meritorious
Conduct in Activity, and Efficiency in the War against
the Florida Indians".
One
of Ringgold's duties was to rewrite the military manual
for artillery with a board of fellow officers using
his European experiences. "Instructions for Field
Artillery" were adopted on March 6, 1845. He also
refined the artillery techniques of the period.
Samuel
Ringgold, Jr.
Known
as the father of Modern Artillery, Ringgold traveled various
cities putting on demonstrations of "Flying Artillery"
as it became known. Major Ringgold took the field in 1845
at Corpus Christi, Texas to join General Taylor's Army
of Occupation. On May 8, 1846 while returning to Fort
Texas with a force of 2,400, Taylor was stopped by a Mexican
force of 3,800 led by General Mariano Arista. In the subsequent
engagement a cannon ball struck Ringgold while astride
his horse named Davy Branch Ringgold was gravely injured.
Soldiers all around came to aid Ringgold but he stated,
"Don't stay with me, you have work to do, go ahead."
He refused to be taken off the field during the battle.
Only when it ended was he removed. Surviving for sixty
hours Ringgold was able to discuss the battle and it's
aftermath. Learning with satisfaction that the artillery
won the day. He took care of all personal concerns with
his fellow officers. He died May 11, 1846. Eulogies all
over the country gave a significant boost to the morale
of the West Point cadre. Ballads, stage plays, poetry,
and songs were all made in his honor. Streets, cities,
and counties throughout the country are named after him,
including Ringgold, Georgia.
The
Great Locomotive Chase sped past the antebellum Ringgold
Depot and ended just north of this structure, present-day
home of the Ringgold Opry. James
Andrews and his northern spies spread out across Catoosa
trying to escape Confederate forces sent to capture
them.
After
the disastrous Battle of Chattanooga, Patrick Cleburne
fought a decisive rear-guard action known as the Battle
of Ringgold Gap just east of the city. Outnumbered 4
to 1 by "Fighting Joe" Hooker, Cleburne held
the gap long enough for Army of Tennessee Commander
Braxton Bragg to take a position in Dalton.
During
the Winter of 1863-64, the Army of the Cumberland was
headquartered here. The just completed Whitman-Anderson
House, which had served as Braxton Bragg's headquarters
prior to the loss at Chattanooga housed future president
Ulysses S. Grant for a short time. It was from Ringgold
that General William Tecumseh Sherman launched his "Atlanta
Campaign" in May, 1864.
