I shall now resume the story of the Battle of Missionary Ridge,
a brief reference to it having been previously made when General
Sherman’s crossing the river near this point was mentioned. On
September 19 and 20, 1863, the Federals in command of General
Rosecrans had suffered a defeat at the battle of Chickamauga, in
which a total of about 34,000 men were killed and wounded, the
casualties being about evenly divided. In the battle of Lookout
Mountain, November 24, the Confederates suffered severe losses,
including that strategic point. During that night the Confederates
withdrew their forces to Missionary Ridge where they joined General
Bragg’s troops. Throughout the day of the battle of Lookout Mountain
Sherman persisted in pounding at Bragg’s right wing, the object
being to force him to weaken his center by strengthening his right
wing. If this had happened, General Grant, then stationed on Orchard
Knob, a few miles south of this dam, would have struck a heavy blow
to Bragg’s center and split the Confederates in two, making their
capture a certainty. This was November 25th. At 2:30 o’clock in the
afternoon the Federals were in battleline facing Missionary Ridge
and were waiting patiently for official orders to attack. Notice was
given them to be ready to advance at a signal of the firing of six
cannons two seconds apart from Orchard Knob.
[Illustration: Passing through the Chickamauga Lock]
[Illustration: Eight sail boats racing on Chickamauga Lake]
Impatient soldiers anxiously counted the minutes waiting for the
booming of the six cannons. The thrill came promptly at 3 o’clock,
when the noise of the half dozen cannons startled their ears. With
a wild rush, even though they were under terrific fire from Bragg’s
army on Missionary Ridge, the Union soldiers succeeded in driving the
Confederates from the first line of trenches. There they had been
ordered to halt and wait for further orders. After a moment’s pause,
as if for the purpose of gaining a deep breath, there was a roar and
shout from thousands of throats along the entire Federal line, as
the troops plunged forward without official orders from commanding
officers. In the next few moments there was made one of the most
remarkable charges that was ever recorded in military history. Just
as General Hooker’s troops had the previous day enthusiastically
stormed the Confederates stationed on the slopes of Lookout Mountain,
so on the following day, did the Federal army under Grant sweep up
the western slopes of Missionary Ridge, taking the advance line of
the Confederates before them. Because of the nearness of the two
contending forces the Confederate batteries stationed on the crest
of the ridge could not be used. The Union men moved forward yelling
as they fired their muskets, whereupon Bragg’s line broke in wild
confusion and was swept entirely from Missionary Ridge’s full
length, except a small section near the railroad tunnel at the north
end. Bragg’s men fled eastward and the Union troops pursued them as
far as the Georgia line. The Confederates lost forty cannon, 7,000
stand of arms, and 6,687 men. The Federals lost 5,815 men. The battle
of Missionary Ridge was so closely connected with that of Lookout
Mountain, some students of military history at least think of it as
the second day’s battle of Lookout Mountain.