After the battle of Chickamauga, Rosecrans' army was cooped up in
Chattanooga, and his sources of supplies were entirely cut off by
Bragg, except from the north of Chattanooga, by which he received his
supplies over mountainous wagon roads, and, on account of heavy rains
which fell during October, the roads became almost impassable. These
trains were attacked by Confederate cavalry under General Forest, and
in one day 300 wagons were destroyed and about 1,800 mules were either
killed or captured. One soldier said "the mud was so deep that we could
not travel by the road, but we got along pretty well by stepping from
mule to mule as they lay dead by the way." Starvation threatened the
camp, and the army must be relieved.
Vigorous measures were now taken. General Grant was now made commander
of the western armies. He had about 80,000 men in addition to
Burnside's force at Knoxville. The Confederates had about 60,000.
General Sherman was directed to reënforce Grant at Chattanooga from
Vicksburg and transported his forces by boat to Memphis, and from there
marched overland.
The authorities at Washington also determined to reënforce Rosecrans
from the Army of the Potomac, and 23,000 men, under General Hooker,
were transported by rail to Chattanooga. This brought the Army of the
Cumberland to numbers far exceeding those of the Confederates. The
immediate command of all the Federal forces was given to General Thomas
until such time as General Grant should arrive. Grant telegraphed to
Thomas to hold Chattanooga at all hazards. Thomas replied, "I will do
so till we starve."
The first and great question of the Federals was to relieve their line
of supplies. General Hooker was sent with a portion of his troops
against a strong position taken by some Confederates in Lookout
Valley, and, after a short but decisive battle succeeded in driving
the Confederates back, which left him in possession of the immediate
country, and thus opened up a route to Brown's Ferry, over which a
route for abundant supplies was at once available. This relieved the
Army of the Cumberland of its perilous position.
Thomas was being reënforced from all sides; Hooker was already on the
ground; Sherman was advancing rapidly from Memphis, while Burnside's
forces at Knoxville offered protection for the left flank of the
Federal army.
General Bragg had his forces in a line extending a distance of
twelve miles across to Missionary Ridge, and was strengthened by
entrenchments throughout the lowlands. He determined to attack
Burnside at Knoxville, and dispatched Longstreet over his protest with
20,000 men to do this, thus weakening his extended lines. This has
been considered a very great mistake of Bragg, as his total force was
much less than had opposed Rosecrans at Chickamauga. Grant had now
arrived and had assumed command of the entire Federal forces, and had
planned to attack Bragg on November 24th, but on receiving information,
which proved to be unreliable, that Bragg was preparing to retreat, he
decided to make the attack on the 23d, and ordered Thomas to advance
upon Bragg's center. This attack took the Confederates by surprise.
After some severe fighting, they fell back more than a mile and left
the Federals in command of some advantageous positions, thus ending the
first day's battle.
Preparations were made during the night for a general engagement the
next day.
Sherman was in command of the left wing, while Thomas held the center,
and Hooker the right, and they had planned to sever communications
between Bragg and Longstreet, and thus keep the Confederate army
divided.
Early on the 24th Sherman moved against the Confederate right, and
with little opposition occupied the northern end of Missionary Ridge.
The Confederates, after discovering this advantageous position taken
by Sherman, fought desperately in the afternoon to regain it, but were
finally repulsed.
While this was going on, General Hooker, with a division of Sherman's
army, was making a desperate struggle for the capture of Lookout
Mountain, whose rugged crests towered above the clouds. This mountain
was ably defended by the Confederates, but they were finally pushed
back by overwhelming numbers and made their final stand within the
breastworks about the Craven house, but were finally dislodged from
this place and retired within their entrenchments in the valley.