Built in the late 1700s, the Ross House is the oldest remaining structure in northwest Georgia. John Ross was an influential Cherokee leader who became the first and only elected chief of the Cherokee nation in 1828. His home is a featured Native American site in north Georgia.
Union Major General Gordon Granger used the Ross House as his headquarters during the Battle of Chickamauga. For most of the day, Granger’s troops, designated as a reserve corps, held a position near the house observing the battle. When Granger discovered Union Major General George Thomas holding a thin line around Snodgrass Hill, on his initiative, Granger ordered Brigadier General James Steedman’s division to advance, reinforcing the desperate Union army.