---
kind: "section"
citation: "16 U.S.C. § 424"
title: "16"
title_heading: "Conservation"
number: "424"
heading: "Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/16/424"
units:
  - "Chapter 1 — National Parks, Military Parks, Monuments, and Seashores"
  - "Subchapter LX — National Military Parks"
---

# §424. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park


For the purpose of preserving and suitably marking for historical and professional military study, the fields of some of the most remarkable maneuvers and most brilliant fighting in the War of the Rebellion, those portions of highways in the [States](/usc/16/544.md?p=r) of Georgia and Tennessee in the vicinity of the battlefields of Chickamauga and Chattanooga, respectively, jurisdiction over which has heretofore been ceded to the United States by those [States](/usc/16/544.md?p=r) respectively and as to which the United States has heretofore acquired a perfect title, shall be approaches to and parts of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military [Park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3), and each and all of such roads shall remain open as free and public highways, and all rights of way which existed on August 19, 1890, through the grounds of the said [Park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) and its approaches shall be continued. The lands and roads embraced in the [area](/usc/16/539m–1.md?p=1-A) at and near the battlefield of Chickamauga and around Chattanooga, jurisdiction over which has heretofore been ceded to the United States by the [State](/usc/16/590q.md?p=a) of Georgia and as to which a perfect title has heretofore been secured, together with the roads hereinbefore described, shall be a national military [park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3), to be known as Chickamauga and Chattanooga National [Park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3). The said Chickamauga and Chattanooga National [Park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) and the approaches thereto shall be under the control of the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of the Interior. The [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of the Interior is authorized to enter into agreements upon such nominal terms as he may prescribe, with such [persons](/usc/16/450rr–1.md?p=b), who were [owners](/usc/16/429b–3.md?p=4) of the land on August 19, 1890, as may desire to remain upon it, to occupy and cultivate their then holdings, upon condition that they will [preserve](/usc/16/698u–1.md?p=2) the then buildings and roads, and the then outlines of field and forest, and that they will only cut trees or underbrush under such regulations as the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) may prescribe, and that they will assist in caring for and protecting all tablets, monuments, or such other artificial works as may from time to time be erected by proper authority. It shall be the duty of the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of the Interior to superintend the opening of such roads as may be necessary to the purposes of the [park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3), and the repair of the roads of the same, and to ascertain and definitely mark the lines of battle of all troops engaged in the battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga, so far as the same shall fall within the lines of the [park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3). It shall be the duty of the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of the Interior to cause to be ascertained and substantially marked the locations of the regular troops within the boundaries of the [park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3), and to erect monuments upon those positions as Congress may provide the necessary appropriations; and the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of the Interior in the same way may ascertain and mark all lines of battle within the boundaries of the [park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) and erect plain and substantial historical tablets at such points in the vicinity of the [park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) and its approaches as he may deem fitting and necessary to clearly designate positions and movements, which, although without the limits of the [park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3), were directly connected with the battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga. It shall be lawful for the authorities of any [State](/usc/16/590q.md?p=a) having troops engaged either at Chattanooga or Chickamauga, and for the officers and directors of the Chickamauga [Memorial](/usc/16/450ss–1.md?p=2) Association, a corporation chartered under the laws of Georgia, to enter upon the lands and approaches of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National [Park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) for the purpose of ascertaining and marking the lines of battle of troops engaged therein: Provided, That before any such lines are permanently designated the position of the lines and the proposed methods of marking them by monuments, tablets, or otherwise shall be submitted to the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of the Interior, and shall first receive the written approval of the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1). The [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of the Interior, subject to the approval of the President of the United States, shall have the power to make, and shall make, all needed regulations for the care of the [park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) and for the establishment and marking of the lines of battle and other historical features of the [park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3): Provided further, That [State](/usc/16/590q.md?p=a) [memorials](/usc/16/450ss–1.md?p=2) shall be placed on brigade lines of battle under the direction of the National [Park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) Service.

No monuments or [memorials](/usc/16/450ss–1.md?p=2) shall be erected upon any lands of the [park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3), or remain upon any lands which may be purchased for the [park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3), except upon ground actually occupied in the course of the battle by troops of the [State](/usc/16/590q.md?p=a) which the proposed monuments are intended to commemorate, except upon those sections of the [park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) set apart for [memorials](/usc/16/450ss–1.md?p=2) to troops which were engaged in the campaigns, but operated outside of the legal limits of the [park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3). Notwithstanding the restrictive provisions of this paragraph, the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of the Interior is authorized in his discretion to permit without cost to the United States the erection of monuments or [memorials](/usc/16/450ss–1.md?p=2) to commemorate encampments of Spanish War organizations which were encamped in said [park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) during the period of the Spanish-American War.


## Source credit

(Aug. 19, 1890, ch. 806, §§ 1–11, 26 Stat. 333–336; Mar. 3, 1891, ch. 542, 26 Stat. 978; Feb. 26, 1896, ch. 33, 29 Stat. 21; June 4, 1897, ch. 2, § 1, 30 Stat. 43; Apr. 15, 1926, ch. 146, title II, 44 Stat. 289; Feb. 23, 1927, ch. 167, title II, 44 Stat. 1140; Ex. Ord. No. 6166, § 2, June 10, 1933; Ex. Ord. No. 6228, § 1, July 28, 1933.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Codification

Act Mar. 3, 1891, and act Apr. 15, 1926, provided for a reduced area of the park and provided that title to such reduced area should be procured by the Secretary of War [now Army] as provided and that the Secretary of War [now Army] should proceed with the establishment of the park as rapidly as jurisdiction of the roads and approaches and title to the land might be obtained.

The first sentence of the last paragraph relating to the erection of monuments or memorials was added by act Feb. 26, 1896.

The proviso that State memorials shall be placed on brigade lines of battle under the direction of the Park Commission was added by act June 4, 1897.

Act Feb. 23, 1927 made appropriations for items specified and added provisions relating to monuments or memorials to commemorate encampments of Spanish War organizations.

### Executive Documents

### Transfer of Functions

Administrative functions of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park transferred to Department of the Interior by Ex. Ord. Nos. 6166 and 6228, set out as a note under section 901 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

National Park Service substituted for Office of National Parks, Buildings, and Reservations referred to in Ex. Ord. No. 6166, § 2, by act Mar. 2, 1934, ch. 38, § 1, 48 Stat. 389.