A typical comment of visitors to the Chickamauga battlefield is that it is difficult to get your bearings as to just what was going on during your first visit (or like me, your second, third, or fourth visit). The wooded terrain is a big culprit here just as it was in 1863, but what also throws many people off is that the cannons along US-27 are pointing almost every which way.  The main point to remember is that the battle was essentially a north-south engagement with the battle lines right along the main central road (US-27). The cannon positions often point north-south instead of east-west because as bulges formed in the lines the batteries changed their facing to fire into the flanks of the advancing enemy.  The batteries also reflect two days of fighting so their positions do not reflect a single point in time.

Below are the approximate positions of the armies overlaid on the official Chickamauga and Chattanooga Park Service Map.  Click on each for an enlargement. North is at the top with US-27 running almost straight down the middle (in red on enlargements).