CHICKAMAUGA EVENTS FIELD GUIDE
A Live, Illustrated Valentine’s Salon: Civil War Love Letters from Chickamauga
An intimate, two-hour illustrated program at Southern Shadows that presents original Civil War love letters, poetry, and song to illuminate courting, separation, mourning, and life after the war.
A Live, Illustrated Valentine’s Salon: Civil War Love Letters from Chickamauga.
Step into the private language of the Civil War—letters, poems, and songs that chart devotion, separation, and mourning across battle lines. This live, illustrated salon from Chickamauga presents original love letters written by both Union and Confederate soldiers alongside period poetry and music, projecting images and readings that create an intimate historical evening presented by Southern Shadows.
Highlights
Outing Highlights
Letters from Both Sides
Original correspondence from Union and Confederate soldiers offers a deeply personal view of how love endured amid uncertainty, revealing devotion, longing, and the practical comforts words could carry between battlefields and home.
Courtship, Engagement, and Long-Distance Romance
The program examines 19th‑century courting practices—how couples became engaged and married during wartime and how relationships were sustained across slow, uncertain lines of communication.
Mourning, Remembrance, and Rebuilding
Presentations cover mourning practices and the lives of war widows and families after the conflict, alongside poetry and songs that articulate grief and remembrance in the war’s wake.
What the day feels like
What the evening feels like
The salon unfolds as an illustrated, guided program: projected letters and images are read aloud and contextualized, period poetry and songs punctuate the narrative, and the evening closes with brief reflections and an optional, facilitated writing activity inspired by 19th‑century love letters—an intimate format suitable for both in‑person and virtual audiences and presented by historian Courtney McInvale.
Suitability
Who it's for
Who this program suits
Practical planner
Details to review before reserving
The program runs for approximately two hours.
The presentation takes place in a dimly lit indoor space to allow projection of images and texts.
This is a seated program with no walking required and is suitable for guests with limited mobility and for pregnant guests; attendees should be comfortable remaining seated for roughly 75–90 minutes.
Review cancellation policies before reserving.
Frequently asked questions
Planning Your Outing
How long is the program?
The program lasts two hours.
Where does the program meet?
The meeting location is Southern Shadows Inc. in Chickamauga.
Is the program accessible to guests with limited mobility?
Yes. The program is seated, indoor, requires no walking, and is suitable for guests with limited mobility and for pregnant guests.
Is the optional writing activity required?
No. Participation in the optional writing activity is entirely voluntary.
Will visuals and primary sources be shown?
Yes. Letters, images, and supporting visuals are projected and read aloud during the illustrated presentation.
Is this program available for virtual audiences?
Yes. The evening is designed for both in‑person and virtual audiences.