This Grand Spectacle: The Battle of ChattanoogaIn the summer of 1863, Federal forces scored major victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, turning the tide of war in favor of the Union. President Lincoln and his advisors now focused attention on the small town of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The important railroad center offered a gateway to the Confederate heartland. But just as complete victory in the West appeared imminent, General Braxton Bragg's reinforced Rebel army struck back at Chickamauga, driving the Federal invaders into Chattanooga, where they were soon besieged. A desperate Lincoln now turned to the hero of Vicksburg, General U. S. Grant, who directed the relief of the beleaguered garrison and, with the help of reinforcements from Virginia and Mississippi, turned a possible disaster into a stunning victory--a victory that opened the door to the Deep South and sealed the Confederacy's doom. In this picturesque setting along the Tennessee River, as Federal troops scaled the heights of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, one Confederate general beheld a scene "grand and imposing in the extreme." Here Lincoln found the winning combination, the men who would lead his armies to ultimate victory--Grant, William T. Sherman, and Philip Sheridan. For the Confederates, who invested such hope and so many resources, the disaster at Chattanooga would be a dark chapter, as veteran troops broke and ran before the Federal onslaught. It was a body blow from which the Army of Tennessee, and indeed the Confederacy, would never recover. |
Contents
The Seeds of Discontent 22 230 | 13 |
So Grand a Military Display | 29 |
The Desired Point | 42 |
Copyright | |
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advance Alabama Army Artillery assault Atlanta attack bank Battalion Battery battle became Born Bragg bridge Brigade BRIG Burnside Campaign Capt Cavalry charge Charles Chattanooga Chickamauga Civil Cleburne colonel command Confederate Corps Creek crest Cumberland defense division East face Federals field fight finally fire flank forces front George George H Georgia Grant ground guns Henry Hill Hooker Illinois Indiana Infantry James John Joseph Kentucky leave Lieut lieutenant Light Longstreet Lookout Mountain major March Michigan Military Missionary Ridge Mississippi Missouri move north end November officers Ohio once orders plain planned position President promoted railroad Rebel regiments remained retreat rifle pits River Rosecrans Second Brigade seemed sent served Sheridan Sherman side slope Smith soldiers soon supply Tennessee Texas thing Thomas thought took troops Tunnel turned Union United Valley Virginia Volunteers West William Wood Yankees York
References to this book
Portraits of Conflict: A Photographic History of Tennessee in the Civil War Richard B. McCaslin No preview available - 2007 |