After the war, General John Wilder returned to Chattanooga, and was even elected Mayor in 1871.
From 1898 until World War II, the area around Wilder Field was an important training area for soldiers. During the Spanish-American War, Sternberg hospital sat in the shadow of the incomplete Wilder Brigade Monument.
During the 1920s, Army pilots used the field by the Wilder Brigade Monument as a training space, and the tower became an impromptu air traffic control tower.
Wilder's "Lightning Brigade" was outfitted with Spencer repeating rifles and horses, and served as "mounted infantry.' Pictured here is John Munson of the 72nd Indiana