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Click here and here to see SnapHappy photo galleries from the Battle of Chickamauga and Vice President Cheney’s visit.

“It was here upon these fields in Chickamauga that thousands of men covered themselves in glory,” Cheney said, describing soldiers who wore both blue and gray during the Civil War.

“I join you as a fellow citizen today honoring the bravery and courage of the men who fought on these fields, whose legacy continues to live in each of us,” Cheney said.

As a part of the battle event, the great-grandfather to Cheney, Samuel Fletcher Cheney, was recognized for the role he played in the Battle of Chickamauga while fighting in the Union’s Army of the Cumberland under Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans.

Samuel Cheney was a 34-year-old lieutenant who served in the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the two-day battle Sept. 19-20, 1863.

“I know his service to his country meant as much to him as it did to those who joined him on these fields,” Cheney said.

Rome’s 8th Regiment Band, which has helped preserve music from the time period, played during Friday’s opening ceremonies.

The 145th re-enactment of the Battle of Chickamauga will continue through the weekend with battles scheduled throughout Saturday and Sunday. Living history displays and vendors will also be on hand throughout the weekend.

The Union forces were pushed back into Chattanooga from Chickamauga by Confederate divisions led by Confederate leaders such as Nathan Bedford Forest and James Longstreet. Heavy fighting at Chickamauga resulted in one of the bloodiest battles fought in the four-year conflict.

There were more than 34,000 causalities in the Chickamauga battle — 16,170 federal and 18,546 confederate.

“I know that many of you here today also had ancestors that fought on these fields before us,” Cheney said. “They were an example for us all of moral valor, bravery, and devotion that helped forge out the greatest nation on the face of the earth. Their deeds were, and continue to be, well known in both the North and the South.”

Cheney was presented with a painted portrait of his ancestor Samuel Cheney on horseback on the banks of Chickamauga Creek. It was presented by the Civil War Courier, a monthly magazine detailing the Civil War and events surrounding it.

Cheney said the legacy of the men who fought at Chickamauga continues on through the “heroic service of our brave men and women who are fighting for our nation in foreign conflicts.”