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