Gen. W. T. Sherman was lying, with his corps, along the line of the
Big Black River, in Mississippi, when
General Grant called him, Sept. 22, 1863, and a greater portion of his command to
Chattanooga.
Sherman fought his way eastward.
He crossed the
Tennessee River to the north side, at
Eastport (Nov. 1), under cover of gunboats, and, pushing on, reported to
Grant in person on Nov. 15.
Sherman's corps was then in command of
Gen. Frank Blair, and, on the afternoon of Nov. 23, it was ready to cross the
Tennessee above
Chattanooga, on a pontoon bridge which it had stealthily brought with them, at the moment when
General Thomas was moving the centre of the Nationals towards the
Confederates on
Missionary Ridge, to ascertain whether
Bragg was preparing to flee or to fight.
He was ready for the latter act. When
Thomas moved, the heavy guns at
Fort Wood,
Chattanooga, played upon
Missionary Ridge and
Orchard Knob, a lower hill a considerable distance in advance of the former.
Wood's division of
Granger's corps led the left, and
Sheridan's the right.
General Palmer supported
Granger's right,
Johnson's division remained in the trenches, and
Howard's corps was in reserve.
The
Nationals soon drove the
Confederates from
Orchard Knob by a vigorous charge, carrying the rifle-pits on that eminence and taking 200 prisoners.
Wood immediately intrenched;
Howard moved up and took position on the left, and
Bridge's (
Illinois) battery was placed in position on the crest.
Bragg had been fatally outgeneralled.
To get
Sherman's troops across the
Tennessee without discovery,
Hooker was ordered to divert the attention of the
Confederates by an attack on
Bragg's left on
Lookout Mountain (q. v.). The troops had all crossed before noon of the 24th, and proceeded to attack the
Confederates on the northern end of
Missionary Ridge, and secured an important point.
The night of the 24th was spent in important preparations for battle the next day.
Bragg drew all his troops across
Chattanooga Creek and concentrated them on
Missionary Ridge on the morning of the 25th.
Hooker moved down to the
Chattanooga Valley from
Lookout Mountain, and, in the afternoon, drove the
Confederates out of Ross's Gap, capturing a large quantity of artillery, small-arms, ammunition, wagons, and stores.
He then attempted to clear the ridge of Confederates, but found them strongly fortified behind the intrenchments cast up there by
Thomas at the time of the battle of
Chickamauga (q. v.).
Osterhaus was leading the Nationals parallel with the ridge on its eastern side, while
Cruft was ordered to move along its crest, and
Geary, with the batteries, marched up the valley on the western side.
This dangerous movement in the valley
Bragg's skirmishers attempted to meet, but were driven back upon their main line by a part of
Cruft's forces.
Meanwhile, the remainder of
Cruft's column formed in battle-line, and moving at a charging pace, steadily pushed the
Confederates back, their front line, under
General Stewart, retreating, while fighting, upon the second line, under
General Bate, while
Geary and
Osterhaus were pouring
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murderous fires upon their flanks.
So the half-running fight continued until near sunset, when the
Confederates broke into confusion and fled, and fully 2,000 of them were made prisoners.
Hooker's victory in that part of the field was complete at twilight.
Meanwhile,
Sherman had been busy clearing the ridge at the other extremity
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Battle of Missionary Ridge. |
of the battle-line, where
Hardee was in command.
His order of battle was similar to that of
Hooker, and his troops were roused at sunrise.
The ground to be traversed was very difficult; instead of a continuous ridge, it was a chain of hills, each wooded and fortified.
General Corse led the way. Having gained the second crest from his point of departure,
Corse, in moving forward, had a severe hand-to-hand struggle for an hour, but could not carry the works, nor could the
Confederates repulse him. At the same time,
Gen. Morgan L. Smith and
Colonel Loomis were advancing on both sides of the ridge, fighting their way to the
Confederate flanks.
Up to 3 P. M.
Sherman had not been able to gain much advantage.
General Grant, from his post on
Orchard Knob, had been watching all these movements.
Early in the afternoon he ordered
General Thomas to advance with the National centre.
The divisions of
Wood,
Baird,
Sheridan, and
Johnson moved steadily forward.
They created such a panic among the occupants of the riflepits at the base of the ridge that they fled in great haste towards the crest.
The
Nationals stopped but for a moment to reform, when, by an irresistible impulse, the troops, without orders from their commanders, began to follow the fugitives.
The men of
Willich's and
Hazen's brigade had commenced running forward for security under the ridge, but as they reached it they commenced its ascent.
Hazen then gave the order “Forward!”
and sent his staff-officers to urge everybody forward up the declivity.
The fire they passed through was dreadful, but the men, without preserving lines, formed into groups, wherever the ground gave cover; and each group, led by a color, steadily made its way up. Their colors were often shot down, but they were at once seized and borne along.
The men pressed vigorously on, in the face of a terrible storm of grape and canister shot from about thirty guns on the summit, and murderous volleys of musketry from the well-filled rifle-pits on the crest.
The
Nationals did not waver for a moment, but pressed forward, when
Lieutenant-
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Colonel Langdon, with Ohio volunteers, sprang forward and made a lodgment on the hill-top, within 500 yards of
Bragg's headquarters.
With shouts the remainder of the Nationals pushed upward, and very speedily the whole battle-line of the
Confederates on
Missionary Ridge was in their possession, with all the
Confederate cannon and ammunition.
Sherman soon drove the
Confederates from the front, and the battle ceased at that end of the line.
The divisions of
Wood and
Baird were obstinately resisted until dark, when, at the edge of the evening, the
Confederates fled.
General Breckinridge barely escaped capture.
Grant reported the
Union loss in the series of struggles which ended in victory at
Missionary Ridge at 5,286, of whom 757 were killed and 330 missing.
Bragg's loss was about 3,000 in killed and wounded and 6,000 made prisoners.
The Nationals captured forty pieces of artillery and 7,000 smallarms,
