Battle of Chattanooga Overview

Battle of Chattanooga Overview The fall of 1863 was a critical moment for both the Union and the Confederacy. Earlier that summer the Confederates suffered severe setbacks in both the Eastern and Western theaters. On July 3, after three of the bloodiest days of fighting in American history, the Rebels under Gen. Robert E. Lee withdrew from Gettysburg and began their long march back to Virginia. A day later and more than 1,000 miles away, the Confederates surrendered the vital Mississippi river town of Vicksburg to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant after a 40-day siege. The Confederates were desperate to stem the tide of defeat. The Federals were eager to press the advantage. In September in the rugged wilds of Northwest Georgia the hardluck Rebel Army of Tennessee, after continually being forced to retreat, turned aboutface and achieved a stunning tactical victory at the Battle of Chickamauga. The battered men in blue were forced to retreat back to the confines of the small but important river town of Chattanooga less than five miles away. For all intent and purposes, the Rebel victory at Chickamauga was a hollow one. More than 18,000 Confederates were killed, wounded or missing after the three days of fighting on Sept. 18, 19 and 20. Chickamauga would go down as the second deadliest battle in American history behind only Gettysburg. But at this moment, the battle and its heavy losses of men and materiel left the rebel army and its commander, Gen. Braxton Bragg, with little options for following up on their success. But perhaps of greater concern, the Army of Tennessee was afflicted by incompetence, insubordination, jealously and even pure hatred among its most senior leaders. This leadership dysfunction, which had been brewing for months, would play a major role in the forthcoming battle of Chattanooga. The Union Army and Chattanooga Under Siege By Sept. 25, the entire Union Army of the Cumberland, approximately 40,000 men, as well as hundreds of the army s horses and mules, were pinned down within the confines of the small Tennessee River town original named Ross Landing. Bragg situated his men and artillery at key locations surrounding the town, including Missionary Ridge to the east, Lookout Mountain to the south and Lookout Valley to the southwest. Rugged terrain, thick forests and mountain ridges north of the city provided a natural barrier that prevented any kind of Union retreat or escape in that area. Food supply and morale began to diminish among the trapped Yankees. As the days and weeks wore on, with winter beginning to show its teeth, the situation grew more dire. But the Confederates were not without their problems either. Bragg only had one reliable supply line, the Western & Atlantic Railroad, which stretched back to Atlanta. His army, never completely well-fed or supplied, now needed to rely on this rail line more than ever if the siege had any chance of success. Additionally, Bragg s reliance on the Western & Atlantic meant he could not maneuver his army too far away from this line. A stationary army, even during a siege, was not a good thing. But above all, Bragg s thinned out forces were required to cover a vast amount of rugged and 1

sometimes confusing territory. This made communication and supply to all his units surrounding the city a challenge. In the end, Bragg simply did not have enough men to effectively cover any one spot in great force. On Oct. 23, 41-year old Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant arrived in Chattanooga to take command of the beleaguered army and its situation within Chattanooga. The hero of the Battle of Fort Donelson and the victor of Vicksburg, Grant was a nononsense, action-oriented leader who preferred dictating the terms of warfare rather than having them dictated to him. Opening the Cracker Line Grant quickly grasped the situation and set in motion the first priority: opening up a cracker line to feed his starving men. The plan called for an attack at Brown s Ferry only a few miles west of the town on the western bank of the Tennessee River. If the Union could drive off the rebels at Brown s Ferry, they would have easy access to a Union supply depot at Bridgeport, Tenn. Within four days of Grant s arrival, on Oct. 27, two Union brigades one by water and one over land --attacked and beat off an outnumbered Rebel force at Brown s Ferry. Additional Union forces under the command of Gen. Joseph Hooker arrived shortly thereafter and Grant s cracker line was firmly established. The Confederates, recognizing the loss of this strategic spot, attempted an ill-fated and poorly planned counter attack at midnight on Oct. 29. The Battle of Wauhatchie resulted in 400-plus Confederate casualties and left Lookout Valley firmly in Union control. Just as important, it left Bragg wondering about the competence of the vaunted Gen. James Longstreet and sowed further discontent between the two rebel leaders. For it was Longstreet, Gen. Robert E. Lee s Old Warhorse, who was sent from Virginia with two divisions to provide vital assistance to Bragg. Now, with Longstreet s almost incomprehensive blunder at Brown s Ferry and Wauhatchie, the irascible Bragg was forced to reconsider how to best use Longstreet in the siege of Chattanooga. Breaking the Siege Grant, meanwhile, was already devising his plan of attack to completely break the siege. The main thrust of his attack would be led by his trusted friend and comrade, Gen. William T. Sherman, who had arrived in Chattanooga with four divisions from Iuka, Miss., on Nov. 20. One division would move south toward Lookout Mountain in a diversionary maneuver, while the other three divisions would march north of city, then east, all the while shielded by mountain ridges. These march-weary, but high spirited troops would then cross the Tennessee River and attack at the north end of Missionary Ridge. The 600-high foot chunk of land about two miles east of downtown Chattanooga was vitally important to the Confederates since the rail road lines to Knoxville and Atlanta ran through here, providing both a supply and an escape route, should they need it. Grant s plan also called for Gen. Thomas and his 20,000 men of the Army of the Cumberland to attack the center position of the Rebels on Missionary Ridge. Gen. Hooker s men would also join Thomas in the attack. With Sherman s men surprising the Rebels on the north end (the Confederate right), rolling them up and then being 2

supported by Thomas and Hooker in the center, the men in grey would be swept from the ridge and the siege lifted. Bragg s Blunder While Grant s plan was taking place, Bragg was making his own plans, many of which proved to be fatal. On Nov. 4, Bragg gave Longstreet orders to take his two divisions (about 17,000 men) east to Knoxville to attack Union Gen. Ambrose Burnside. Bragg had several good reason for this move. One, if the valiant Longstreet and his superior forces could best Burnside, it would provide a much needed victory for the Confederates. Second, it would completely shore up the Knoxville rail road line, enabling Bragg s troops to move that way or receive reinforcements farther east from Virginia, if they were available. Third, it would make it more difficult for Grant to receive supplies and men directly from the east. Fourth, it would remove the recalcitrant Longstreet from Bragg s immediate command. Unfortunately for Bragg, Longstreet delayed both his advance to Knoxville and his attack on Burnside once he arrived in the town. Moreover, Longstreet complained he did not have enough men. After this consistent complaining, Bragg decided after much consternation -- on Nov. 22 to send even more troops from Chattanooga to help Longstreet. Men from Gen. Patrick Cleburne and Gen. Simon Buckner s divisions marched to the nearby Chickamauga train station and began boarding cars for the few hour ride to Knoxville. One day later, on Nov. 23, as those Confederates were boarding their trains, Gen. Thomas 20,000-plus men began their advance on Orchard Knob. These veterans, hungry for retribution after Chickamauga and being half-starved for two months, brushed aside a small contingent of Rebel skirmishers on this 100-foot high hill about a mile in front of Missionary Ridge. The hill provided an excellent spot for the Union placement of artillery and signaling, as well as an advancement point for the Yankees here to press on to toward their ultimate goal of Missionary Ridge. As the firing on Orchard Knob began, Bragg immediately ordered Cleburne s and Buckner s men back to Missionary Ridge. Most of Cleburne s men had not yet disembarked for Knoxville and marched on the double-quick back to the mountain ridge. However, only one brigade of Buckner s division remained at the station; the other brigades were already in transit to Knoxville. This depletion of manpower would prove to be vitally important for the impending Battle of Chattanooga, which was now just beginning. The Battle Begins By the afternoon of Nov. 23, Cleburne and most of his men had arrived back on Missionary Ridge taking up strategic locations on the north end. This deployment could not have come at a more important time as Sherman s troops were now beginning their phase of the assault. Before daylight on Nov. 24, the first of 11,000 Union men began crossing the Tennessee River, surprising and overwhelming a small Rebel picket force on the banks of the river at the northern tip of Missionary Ridge. By the early afternoon, 12 Union brigades and 12 batteries were fully deployed and in position to commence their assault -- the key to Grant s overall strategy. Sherman s men began their advance, but were slowed, finding the terrain rough and the defensive positions of the Confederates higher up on the ridge even rougher. With advance 3

slowed and daylight fading, Sherman halted his men, expecting a Rebel counter-attack the next morning. Meanwhile, several miles away, Union troops forced their way up the jagged slopes of Lookout Mountain. These Yankees, mostly from the tough-luck army of the Potomac which had suffered humiliating defeats in the Eastern Theater, now reveled at their success as the Rebels retreated in front of them. The fighting swung from the western side of the mountain and came to a head at a place called the Cravens House on the northern slope. But the Confederates here were overmatched and soon withdrew. As the last of the fighting continued, heavy clouds rolled in and the engagement here on Lookout Mountain would be ever known as The battle above the clouds. The night of Nov. 24 Gen. Bragg called a council of war with his corps commanders to discuss the situation. Lookout Mountain had been lost and Union troops were firmly entrenched on the northern end of Missionary Ridge. A vice was starting to form on both flanks of the outmanned Confederate Army of Tennessee on Missionary Ridge. Gen. William J. Hardee advised retreat. But Gen. John C. Breckenridge was adamant that the army should stay and fight. Bragg, realizing that his men held the high ground and that retreat would almost certainly mean the end of his command, not to mention his military career, gave the orders to fight on the next day. Battle of Missionary Ridge Wednesday, Nov. 25, 1863, began cold and gray. But the weather this day was of little note to the thousands of men that would be engaged in the hottest fighting since the Battle of Chickamauga just two months earlier. Grant s plan for this day again hinged on Sherman s success at the north end of Missionary Ridge. Convinced that Sherman s men would simply roll back the Confederates here, Grant s instructions were then for Thomas men to advance in coordination with Sherman s advancing men. Hooker, meanwhile, was ordered to complete his sweep of the rebels at Lookout Mountain and then march as quickly as possible to the southern end of Missionary Ridge to prevent the escape of the rebels through Rossville Gap. Grant s plan, as it turned out, was not to be. Sherman began his attack at daylight. But as his men had experienced the day before, the terrain was near-impossible for advancement, and a determined enemy stalled them at every turn. By 3:30 p.m., despite six different attacks and fierce hand-to-hand combat, the 43-year old general nicknamed Uncle Billy by his men, had gained little ground or tactical advantage. Realizing this and with daylight quickly fading, Grant gave the orders for Gen. Thomas s 23,000 men at Orchard Knob to attack the Confederates defending the center of Missionary Ridge. This maneuver, Grant believed, would divert the Rebel forces in front of Sherman, making it easier for the Ohioan to continue his assault. Thomas s men, fully four divisions, struck out and began a double-quick march across a nearly a mile of mostly open ground. Overwhelming the undermanned Confederates situated in rifle pits at the base of the ridge, Thomas men regained their breath and continued to attack up the slope. This attack up the slopes, however, caused confusion among Union ranks. Some overeager Federal regiments, sensing a great 4

victory, pursued the fleeing Rebels up the mountainside. Other Federal units simply stopped at the base after initially taking the Confederate rifle pits. Despite the confusion, the blue coats ultimately progressed up the ridge s side toward the top, where the fighting became more intense and desperate. During one poignant moment, 18-year old Arthur MacArthur, the father of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, grabbed the flag of the 24 th Wisconsin Regiment and shouted, On Wisconsin! Soon, Yankees from Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio and other Midwestern states began storming the heights of the ridge, sending the rebels fleeing down the backside to the safety of Chickamauga Creek about a mile away. MacArthur would receive a Medal of Honor for his actions on Missionary Ridge this day. The Rebels were not fairing any better on the Southern end of the ridge. After an all day march from Lookout Mountain, Gen. Hooker s numerically superior forces were too much for the beleaguered and tired Confederates in this area. With his center and left flank (the southern end) now collapsed and nightfall coming on, Gen. Bragg had no option but to call for a withdrawal from Missionary Ridge. Fortunately for the Rebel army, their best escape route, the northern end of Mission Ridge, was still well protect by Gen. Cleburne and his Texas and Arkansas men. Gen. Phillip Sheridan pursued the Rebel army, hoping to smash it completely. But darkness and a spirited defense enabled the Confederates to escape into the safety of Georgia. The Aftermath The day after the Battle of Missionary Ridge was the first official national day of Thanksgiving. The Union, to be sure, had plenty to be thankful for, despite losing nearly 6,000 men killed, wounded or missing during the three previous days of battle. For the Confederates, the loss of Chattanooga was devastating. Nearly 6,600 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing, along with scores of prisoners and artillery pieces lost to the enemy. But more important, Chattanooga now provided the Union with a firm foothold to the Deep South and a way to further hasten an end to America s bloodiest war. Sources: Six Armies in Tennessee: The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns. Steven E. Woodworth. University of Nebraska Press. 1998. Storming the Heights: A Guide to the Battle of Chattanooga. Matt Spruill. University of Tennessee Press. 2003. Mountains Touched with Fire: Chattanooga Besieged, 1863 Wiley Sword. St. Martin s Press. Article: Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge Battles by Henry M. Cist, The Civil War Trust Article: The Campaign for Chattanooga. The National Park Service 5