Of the many battles of the American Civil War, Resaca remains one of those little-known today. The battle accounted for the second highest casualty number during the entire Atlanta Campaign – May-September 1864. The 5,500 number, only surpassed by the Battle of Atlanta – 20 July, rated significantly higher than Kennesaw Mountain, the only Federally protected site of the entire campaign. Resaca was the only time in the entire campaign, also, where the full complement of Federal and Confederate units faced off and took part in the fighting during the campaign.
Continue readingTag Archives: Chattanooga
ROCKY FACE START ON THE WAY TO ATLANTA
1863 saw decisions made in the West and East, decisions eventually proving decisive though at the time, an end to the war still lay deep ahead, hidden in the fogbank of the future. Federal armies in Virginia started the new year approximately where they had the previous year. In the West, the Mississippi River returned to Federal control with the fall of Vicksburg and Port Hudson. Further east, near Chattanooga on the Tennessee-Georgia border, the Confederate Army of Tennessee hung on after their serious setback on Missionary Ridge negated their victory earlier at Chickamauga. Under General Joseph E. Johnston’s new command, the Confederates dug in atop nearby Rocky Face Mountain barring the way for the soon-to-come Federal push towards Atlanta.
Continue readingDROPPING THROUGH HISTORY IN THE FORESTED SLOPES OF LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN
Lookout Mountain is an amazing place to discover nature, history and enjoy vistas reaching out to a claimed seven states. The Mountain is best explored on foot along its myriad of trails traversing the dense forest slopes of this quintessential Appalachian prominence. Surrounded to the north, east and on top by urbanity, it is easy to forget you are never far from civilization if not for the subtle roar of traffic on Interstate 24 far below.
Continue readingMISSIONARY RIDGE – ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND CONFOUNDS GRANT
The battle of Chickamauga severely troubled the Federal Army of the Cumberland. Mainly due to a failure in command, the Army suffered a stiff rebuke on 20 September 1863 losing over 16,000 casualties. Routed, the force made its way back to Chattanooga thanks to the steady defense shown on Horseshoe Ridge by men scrabbled together by General George Thomas. Luckily, their antagonist, the Confederate Army of Tennessee suffered even more casualties in victory – over 18,000. More problematic for the Confederate commander Braxton Bragg was a large loss of horses for an army already suffering mobility problems before that epic confrontation.
Continue readingTUNNEL HILL – MAGIC OF SHERMAN; GONE FOR A DAY
The Chattanooga section of the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park consists of several disparate sections separated by over a century of urbanity. Two of the lesser-known parts of the park lie at the northern end of Missionary Ridge – the Sherman and the Pennsylvania Reservations. These two reserves remember the heavy fighting of 25 November 1863 on Tunnel Hill. Tunnel Hill, so-called for the railroad tunnel for the Chattanooga & Cleveland Railroad. Here, the better part of the Army of the Tennessee, led by Major General William Sherman, with additional troops provided by the division of Jefferson C. Davis and the Federal 11th Corps hit the northern flank of Braxton Bragg’s Missionary Ridge position. The goal was to gain Tunnel Hill and roll up Bragg’s position from that end.
Continue readingORCHARD KNOB – DRESS REHERSAL TO GAIN THE HEIGHTS
REHERSAL TO GAIN THE HEIGHTS
The battle of Chickamauga over the last days of September 1863 delivered a severe blow to the Union Army of the Cumberland pushing that army back into the fortifications of Chattanooga while the victorious Confederate Army of Tennessee stood upon the heights surrounding the city – Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge.
Continue readingCHATTANOOGA NATIONAL CEMETERY – DREAMS OF SOUTHERN MAGIC GONE
With the onset of the Civil War in April 1861, 700,000 soldiers would die on both sides in the next four years. It was not until 11 September before the War Department began to have commanding officers keep records of deceased soldiers. At the same time, the Quartermaster General became responsible for tending to the needs of soldiers in death. Each grave marked with a headboard. Not long after, the graves gained numbers on the headboards and recorded in a register.
Continue readingLOOKOUT MOUNTAIN – SOUTHERN MAGIC DISIPATES IN FORECAST OF FUTURE
Flying from the west into Atlanta, looking out the window it is hard to miss the waves of mountains sprawling in long ranks southwest to northeast not unlike a series of geographically arranged ribs. Chattanooga, Tennessee lies smack dab in the middle of these ancient ripples. And flowing right through the middle of the long mountain spines is the Tennessee River looping back and forth onto itself as it brushes through the city. The long ridges, extending for vast distances from Birmingham. Alabama in the southwest all the way to the northeastern edge of Pennsylvania in the northeast, represents a vast area once an ancient seabed that underwent uplift. Eons have worn down the region, though Lookout Mountain still rises 1,500 feet above the city below.
Continue reading