A House Divided: The Intertwined Lives of Two Soldiers Named Samuel Kelly

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will host a program exploring the intertwined lives of two men named Samuel Kelly, both of whom experienced the Civil War fighting for very different purposes. This program will take place inside Point Park, on Lookout Mountain.

In April 1865, Captain Samuel C. Kelly, along with other members of the combined 20th/30th Alabama Infantry Regiments laid down their arms in North Carolina, signaling the largest surrender of a Confederate Army in the field. Not far away, another Samuel Kelly likely felt a much different experience associated with the surrender. Once enslaved by Captain Samuel C. Kelly, this Samuel Kelly ran away and joined the 44th United States Colored Infantry in Rome, Georgia. After being captured in October 1864, Captain Kelly reclaimed his escaped property and brought him along with the army as a servant, which is where the enslaved Kelly found himself as the enslaver Kelly laid down his arms in service to the Confederacy. We hope you will join us as we delve deeper into the intricate and intertwined lives of these two Samuel Kellys during and after the Civil War!

Fee Information

There is a $10 entrance fee per adult, ages 16 and older; children 16 and younger enter for free.