Battle of Chattanooga III
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Template:Battlebox The third Battle of Chattanooga (popularly known as The Battle of Chattanooga) was fought November 23–25, 1863, in the American Civil War.
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Prelude to battle
After their disastrous defeat at the Battle of Chickamauga, Union forces under Major General William Rosecrans retreated to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Confederate General Braxton Bragg's Army of Tennessee besieged the city, threatening to starve the Union forces into surrender. His pursuit to the city outskirts had been leisurely, giving the Union soldiers time to prepare defenses. Bragg's troops were ordered to Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain, both of which had excellent views of the city, the river, and the Union's supply lines. Confederate troops launched raids on all supply wagons heading toward Chattanooga, which made it necessary for the Union to find another way to feed their men.
The Union government, alarmed by the potential for defeat, sent reinforcements. On October 17, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant received command of the Western armies; he moved to reinforce Chattanooga and replaced Rosecrans with Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas. Devising a plan known as the "Cracker Line", Grant's chief engineer, William F. "Baldy" Smith, launched the Battle of Wauhatchie (October 28–29, 1863) to open the Tennessee River, allowing supplies and reinforcements to flow into Chattanooga, greatly increasing the chances for Grant's forces.
Taking advantage of the fact that Confederate General James Longstreet was moving toward Major General Ambrose Burnside near Knoxville, Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman arrived with his four divisions in mid-November, and the Federals began offensive operations.
November 23: Initial movements
On November 23, Union forces under Thomas struck out and advanced east to capture a line from Orchard Knob to Bushy Knob, placing them halfway to the summit of Missionary Ridge. The advance was made in broad daylight and met little Confederate resistance. Bragg moved Walker's division (under Brig. Gen. Stares R. Gist) from Lookout Mountain to strengthen his right flank.
November 24: Battle of Lookout Mountain
Chattanooga_Battle.png
The plan for the 24th was a two-pronged attack—Hooker against the Confederate left, Sherman the right. Hooker's three divisions struck at dawn at Lookout Mountain and found that the defile between the mountain and the river had not been secured. They barreled right through this opening; the assault ended around 3:00 p.m. when ammunition ran low and fog had enveloped the mountain. This action has been called the "Battle Above the Clouds" due to that fog. Bragg withdrew his forces from the southern end of the mountain to a line behind Chattanooga Creek, burning the bridges behind him.
Sherman crossed the Tennessee River successfully, but his assault was delayed and the division of Patrick Cleburne was rushed in to reinforce the Confederate right flank. No attack would occur on this flank on the 24th.
November 25: Battle of Missionary Ridge and the aftermath
On the 25th, Grant changed his plan and called for a double envelopment by Sherman and Hooker. Thomas was to advance after Sherman reached Missionary Ridge from the north. The Ridge was a formidable defensive position, manned in depth, and Grant knew that a frontal assault against it would be suicidal, unless the it could be arranged in support of the flanking attacks by Sherman and Hooker. As the morning progressed, Sherman was unable to break Cleburne's line and Hooker's advance was slowed by the burned bridges on the creek. At 3:30 p.m., Grant was concerned that Bragg was reinforcing his right flank at Sherman's expense, so he ordered Thomas to move forward and attempt to seize the first of three lines of Confederate entrenchments to his front. The Union soldiers moved forward and captured the first line, but they were subjected to punishing fire from the two remaining lines up the ridge. Without orders, the momentum of the attack continued and Thomas' forces carried the remaining lines, dashing madly up the ridge, shouting "Chickamauga, Chickamauga!". Bragg had misplaced his artillery on the crest of the ridge, rather than the military crest, and it was unable to provide effective fire. Grant was initially furious that his orders hadn't been followed exactly. Thomas was taken by surprise as well, knowing that his head would be on the chopping block if the assault failed. But it succeeded. By 4:30 p.m., Bragg's troops had broken and fled in panic.
One of the Confederacy’s two major armies was routed. The Union held Chattanooga, the "Gateway to the Lower South," which became the supply and logistics base for Sherman’s 1864 Atlanta Campaign. And Grant had won his final battle in the west, prior to receiving command of all Union armies in March, 1864.
Source
National Park Service battle summary (http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/tn024.htm)