The Chattanooga Campaign

by Woodworth, Steven E.; Grear, Charles D.

• ISBN13: 9780809331192
• ISBN10: 0809331195
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-08-27
• Publisher: Southern Illinois Univ Pr

Summary

When the Confederates emerged as victors in the Chickamauga Campaign, the Union Army of the Cumberland lay under siege in Chattanooga, with Braxton Bragg's Army of Tennessee on nearby high ground at Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain. A win at Chattanooga was essential for the Confederates, both to capitalize on the victory at Chickamauga and to keep control of the gateway to the lower South. Should the Federal troops wrest control of that linchpin, they would cement their control of eastern Tennessee and gain access to the Deep South. In the fall 1863 Chattanooga Campaign, the new head of the western Union armies, Ulysses S. Grant, sought to break the Confederate siege. His success created the opportunity for the Union to start a campaign to capture Atlanta the following spring. Woodworth's introduction sets the stage for ten insightful essays that provide new analysis of this crucial campaign. From the Battle of Wauhatchie to the Battle of Chattanooga, the contributors' well-researched and vividly written assessments of both Union and Confederate actions offer a balanced discussion of the complex nature of the campaign and its aftermath. Other essays give fascinating examinations of the reactions to the campaign in northern newspapers and by Confederate soldiers from west of the Mississippi River. Complete with maps and photos, The Chattanooga Campaigncontains a wealth of detailed information about the military, social, and political aspects of the campaign and contributes significantly to our understanding of the Civil War's western theater.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Maps: Overview of the Battle, November 24 and 25, 1863	p. xii
Introduction	p. 1
A Perfect Storm of Ineffectiveness: The First Corps and the Loss of Lookout Mountain	p. 5
"Lookout Mountain Frowned Down Upon Us": The Union Army and The Struggle for Lookout Valley	p. 22
"The Very Ground Seemed Alive": Sherman's Assault on the North End of Missionary Ridge	p. 53
Baptizing the Hills and Valleys: Cleburne's Defense of Tunnel Hill	p. 70
What Happened on Orchard Knob? Ordering The Attack On Missionary Ridge	p. 84
This Grand and Imposing Array of Brave Men: The Capture of Rossville Gap and the Defeat of the Confederate Left	p. 106
Saving the Army of Tennessee: The Confederate Rear Guard at Ringgold Gap	p. 132
From the Chickamauga with "Old Rosy" to Missionary Ridge with Grant: The Fall 1863 Struggle for Chattanooga and the Press	p. 151
"What I Am Doing I Do Not Consider Desertion": Trans-Mississippian Reactions to Chickamauga and Chattanooga	p. 185
A Chattanooga Plan: The Gateway City's Critical Role in Civil War Battlefield Preservation	p. 203
Contributors	p. 219
Index	p. 221
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