Post on 30-Nov-2014
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Battle ofChattanooga,
Tennessee
Battle ofChattanooga,
Tennessee
September - November
1863
September - November
1863
After Gettysburg
The Union had all the momentum after the victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg
Confederate forces were still fighting hard but were running low on supplies and morale was failing
Chattanooga
Chattanooga, in southeastern Tennessee was an important Union target because it was a junction on the main east-west railroad through the south
Its capture would further divide the Confederacy
Chattanooga
The Union commander, William S. Rosecrans met little opposition as his army crossed the Tennessee River south of the city
Chattanooga
Confederate General Braxton Bragg had to evacuate the city and retreat further south, into Georgia where he concentrated his army for a counterattack
Chattanooga
Union commander Rosecrans pursued the Confederate forces and there was a major battle near the Chickamauga Creek on September 18th
The terrain was very thick with forest and vegetation and both sides suffered heavy casualties
Chattanooga
Union commander Rosecrans was outmaneuvered by Bragg and he was forced to withdraw his army back north toward Chattanooga, the intended target
It was a minor Confederate victory, but they had lost many men and had failed to completely stop the Union forces
Chattanooga
Union commander Rosecrans was forced back into Chattanooga
The strategic importance of the location was vital, it stood on a junction of the railroad that linked Virginia with Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama
Confederate General Bragg laid siege to the city, cutting off supplies and trying to starve the Union out
Chattanooga
Now Chattanooga was a trap Union forces were running low on food and
ammunition, much the same way that they themselves had done to Vicksburg
Chattanooga
President Lincoln sent additional troops to reinforce the city
In October Union General Ulysses S Grant arrived and brought new hope by restoring supply lines and going on the offensive
Chattanooga
By November 23rd Grant attempted to break the siege by forcing Bragg’s men out of key positions on hills surrounding the city
This became known as the Battle Above the Clouds
Chattanooga
Bragg had to withdraw his troops to Missionary Ridge, but his generals made some tactical errors
Union troops made a stunning victory and Bragg retreated further south to protect the railroad to Atlanta
Chattanooga
The battles for Chattanooga were overThe capture of the city changed the
course of the warIt gave Union General William T.
Sherman a supply base from which to launch the campaign against Atlanta, planned for 1864
For the Confederacy defeat sealed their loss of rail networks, food supplies, and manpower of central Tennessee