Who Won the Battle of Chattanooga?

At Antietam and Gettysburg, the Union successfully repelled Confederate invasions of the North. Although the Union had been steadily seizing Confederate territory in the Western Theater since the start of the war, a recent Confederate victory at Chickamauga signaled a potential stall of Union advancement. Could Union general Ulysses S. Grant score a victory in this theater and retake the initiative?

The Battle of Chattanooga was a solid military victory for the Union that re-established its momentum in reclaiming Confederate territory. For a few months, the Confederacy had taken the offensive after its upset victory at Chickamauga, besieging Union troops in the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee. A few weeks later, Union General Ulysses S. Grant was put in charge of that military district and decided to break the siege and take Chattanooga. Due to its prime location, Chattanooga could then be used as a Union supply hub for retaking more of the South.

With a strong numerical advantage, Grant attacked in late November of 1863. After a minor skirmish on November 23, two full days of fighting commenced against Confederate forces spread over two separate mountains. On November 24, Union General Joseph Hooker seized Lookout Mountain, and General George Thomas captured Missionary Ridge the next day. General William T. Sherman, meanwhile, held the center against Confederate general Braxton Bragg. By the evening of November 25, 1863, the Confederates retreated from Chattanooga, and the siege was broken.

Timeline of the Battle of Chattanooga

On October 10, General Ulysses S. Grant was given command of the Western Theater in Washington DC. He quickly replaced Rosencrans with George H. Thomas. Despite the Confederates besieging the city, Grant arrived in Chattanooga in late October.

Plans were made to break the siege, beginning with Union seizures of river ports. On October 27, Union forces seized Brown’s Ferry and were able to re-establish a supply line to the trapped Army of the Cumberland.

In November, Bragg reduced his besieging forces by sending units to assist other Confederate objectives.

On November 23, when Grant’s offensive struck, his forces overwhelmed Confederate defenders at Orchard Knob.

The next day, after fierce fighting, the Confederates withdrew from Lookout Mountain to reinforce Missionary Ridge, but Union general Joseph Hooker overran Missionary Ridge anyway on November 25, 1863, winning the battle decisively.

The trapping of the Army of the Cumberland in Chattanooga necessitated a rapid response from the Union, which was smarting over the Confederate victory at Chickamauga. Although the Confederate victory was costly for the South, which lacked the manpower and industrial production of the North, the North was racing the clock. The Civil War was costly, and there was a constant risk of the public deciding it was time to negotiate an end. US President Abraham Lincoln had a year until he faced re-election, and any signs that the South could still militarily resist might mean voters switching to a pro-negotiation candidate.

Therefore, the Union had to break the siege of Chattanooga quickly and forcefully. And, since it was Chickamauga victor Braxton Bragg who was besieging the city, breaking the siege would help reverse Bragg’s momentum. Finally, Chattanooga was a desirable location to liberate due to its location at the “top” of the Deep South: taking the city and its associated railway lines would mean easy access to taking the rest of the South. When Bragg began moving some of his forces to other objectives, the time was ripe for Ulysses S. Grant and his generals to strike.

Why Was the Battle of Chattanooga Significant?

The Battle of Chattanooga was significant in that it restored Union momentum in retaking Confederate territory. Chickamauga had stalled the Union advance and opened up the possibility that the Confederacy could negotiate peace terms. Abraham Lincoln and his supporters wanted to preserve the Union, which meant total capitulation of the Confederacy. If this could not be achieved on a timely scale, the Confederacy could likely retain some of its territory as an independent nation.

Secondly, the Battle of Chattanooga set the stage for the Union invasion of the Deep South. Thus far, most Union offensives had been in the Eastern Theater of Virginia or along the Mississippi River. While 1863 had seen the Union “split” the Confederacy east-to-west by claiming the Mississippi River, the greater part of the Confederacy remained intact; only Texas and parts of Louisiana and Arkansas were split off. Many felt that the South would not surrender as long as it could count on its most productive agricultural lands—the Deep South—remaining free from Union control.

1. Casualties

Casualties during the Battle of Chattanooga were relatively light for so many troops committed. Despite over 120,000 soldiers committed, there were fewer than 14,000 casualties. A majority—8,000—came from the Confederates besieging the city. Thanks to their numerical advantage, the Union forces were able to overwhelm objectives quickly, limiting casualties.

2. Commanders

Union forces were led by generals William T. Sherman, Joseph Hooker, and George H. Thomas, serving under the new Military Division of the Mississippi commander Ulysses S. Grant. Much of the victory goes to Hooker, who seized Lookout Mountain on November 24, and Thomas, who overran Missionary Ridge on November 25. However, Sherman is the best remembered of the three for his famous March to the Sea through Georgia in 1864. Hooker’s reputation was hindered by his defeat at Chancellorsville earlier in 1863, and Thomas was often derided, perhaps unfairly, as being too slow and cautious of a general.

Confederate forces were led by General Braxton Bragg, the outspoken Mexican-American War veteran who was fresh off his victory at Chickamauga. Bragg’s defeat at Chattanooga effectively ended his career; he was unofficially demoted to being a military adviser to Confederate president Jefferson Davis. After the war, Bragg retired to Alabama and worked in various fields, including selling insurance. He died in Galveston, Texas in 1876.

3. Number of Forces Involved

Under Ulysses S. Grant, the Union forces totaled about 72,500 men, which included soldiers in Chattanooga under siege and arriving troops helping break the siege from outside. Though Grant had a numerical advantage, the 40,000 or so troops inside the city were suffering from hunger and malnutrition. Braxton Bragg, the Confederate commander, had just under 49,000 soldiers surrounding the city. Unfortunately for Bragg, his decision to let some units leave to join other Confederate objectives invited Grant’s attack.

Today, visitors can see both the Chickamauga and Chattanooga battlefields as part of the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park. A walking tour will take visitors over the Lookout Mountain battlefield, though there is an entrance fee. The park hosts many special events covering the lore of both battles. As a historic city, visitors can also enjoy pre-bellum architecture in the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

5. Trivia: Ulysses S. Grant’s Last Victory in the Western Theater

Grant was praised by President Lincoln for his victory at Chattanooga on December 8. Months later, Grant was brought to Washington DC and promoted to lieutenant general, becoming America’s first of such rank since George Washington himself. Grant was named general-in-chief of all Union forces, making him the official commander of the Union war effort. Therefore, Grant’s solid victory at Chattanooga helped propel him to the highest military rank and, four and half years later, to the presidency itself.

Aftermath of Chattanooga: Deep South Open for Seizure

The Union victory at Chattanooga had long-term implications for the war. It gave the Union a supply base, including railways, from which to proceed deeper into the South. Specifically, General William T. Sherman, one of Grant’s three field commanders at Chattanooga, used the city as his headquarters before his famous Atlanta Campaign in 1864. In the South, the loss was painful and signaled the unstoppable force of the Union’s larger and better-supplied military.

After Chattanooga, the Union remained on the offensive for the rest of the Civil War, with the Confederacy only able to score temporary defensive victories. The Western Theater saw nothing but Union victories in Tennessee and Georgia followed at the tail end of the war in the Carolinas. Chattanooga opened up the Deep South for Union invasion, and generals like Sherman took full advantage. This demoralized the South and hastened the collapse of the Confederacy in April 1865.