Some major Civil War battles were fought in and around Chattanooga, and the area includes a number of historic sites related to the war. The Civil War is a BFD in Chattanooga, because it's such a big part of local history.
I remember hearing about the Civil War in school constantly. What I don't remember is ever hearing it called the "Civil War." It was always the War Between the States. That's the only name I knew it by. I was vaguely aware that there was something called the Civil War but wasn't sure what it was or when or where it happened, much less that it was the same war that was fought in my hometown. 
We moved to Illinois in 1962, and I eventually learned what the phrase "Civil War" meant. It still boggles my mind to know that I grew up in an area that was literally steeped in Civil War history but insisted on calling it something else.
Of course, we were also fed the "happy negro" tropes in school. That goes without saying.
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