The name Chattanooga was of North American Indian origin; “Chatto-to-noo-gee”, a Creek term for ‘rock coming to a point’ or ‘end of the mountain’. Following the battle at Chickamauga Rosecrans had withdrawn his Federal forces into this vital transport hub. While Bragg had won the battle, he had lost Chattanooga, and without the town his victory had no strategic value. He had to regain the town.

View of Chattanooga from Lookout Mountain, looking across Moccasin Point. Photo J Dillon

Inside the town the Federals had thrown up strong defensive works, while the Confederates  had taken up their positions on the heights overlooking Chattanooga, heights that could only be taken by a frontal attack. For the time being there was stalemate and while Forrest fumed at the lack of follow-up action “...what does he fight battles for?” Bragg set about using the time to settle scores with his commanding Generals. The atmosphere among Bragg’s staff had not been good during Chickamauga, and some of his subordinates wanted him out. Longstreet, who had his own ambitious motives, said of Bragg that the only thing he had done right was to order the attack on the 20th September; “All other things that he has done he ought not to have done.  I am convinced that nothing but the hand of God can save us or help us as long as we have our present commander.”  Both commanders had their problems, Bragg with his generals, Rosecrans with Washington, and Rosecrans was suffering from the strain of recent days.

From the positions that the Confederates had on the heights they could see out over the Federals in Chattanooga and Bragg wrote in a letter to his wife; “Just underneath my headquarters are the lines of the two armies, and beyond their outposts and signal stations are the Lookout, Raccoon and Waldron mountains.  At night all are brilliantly lit up in the most gorgeous manner, by the myriad of campfires. No fairy scene in the most splendid theatre ever approached it. From my door, we can see it for miles on miles, right, left, front and rear. Many persons, and some who have traveled much, say it surpasses any sight they ever witnessed.” Bragg would have been better off planning his defensive lines rather than waxing lyrical on the night scene.

The Federals, having taken Chattanooga now had a supply problem and they had the Confederates on the heights commanding the town. They had to secure their supply line, which they did with the action at Brown’s Ferry, and they then had to go on to confront the Confederates at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, the planning and initial moves take place between Oct 30 and the 23rd November, 1863.. I have split up the action on Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge by date rather than location. Following these actions the Federals could move on to the Atlanta campaign.

The map above is from the Alabama map archive and shows the area of the battle at Chickamauga the siege of Chattanooga and battle at Missionary Ridge.

The map above shows the moves from the November 23rd to the 25th.  It is taken from the March 2000 edition of the magazine, “America’s Civil War”.