“Your [Gen. Grant’s] dispatches as to fighting on Monday & Tuesday are here. Well done. Many thanks to all.” — President Abraham Lincoln
Counting on the battlefield strengths of General Ulysses S. Grant after capturing the Confederate armies at Fort Donelson and Vicksburg, Lincoln looked to Grant to prevent the seizure of Chattanooga. Grant spoke to key officers about this military crisis and learned about the terrain from General William Farrar “Baldy” Smith. Having fallen out of favor within the Army of the Potomac for criticizing Generals Ambrose Burnside and Joseph Hooker, Smith was nevertheless highly regarded by Grant for his clear reporting of the landscape and enemy positions. Years later, Grant recalled that Smith “explained the situation of the two armies and the topography of the country so plainly that I could see it without an inspection.”
Grant learned that Missionary Ridge was about three hundred feet high and supported the Union defenders against a possible Confederate attack. For the Union, Lookout Mountain was a different story, as Bragg’s troops controlled this twelve-hundred-foot elevated position and the major transportation links into Chattanooga. This information helped Grant secure the supply lines to gain much-needed provisions through the “Cracker Line.”
When Grant, Smith, and General George Thomas were carrying out reconnaissance, they came across Confederate soldiers near a narrow part of the Tennessee River. With 70,000 enemy soldiers in the area, these three main Union officers could have been easily shot by the Confederates. Grant recalled this encounter: “I suppose they looked upon the garrison of Chattanooga as prisoners of war... and thought that it would be inhuman to kill any of them (us) except in self-defense.” Within five days, Grant helped end this siege and looked forward to carrying out a future offensive attack against General Braxton Bragg. Grant wrote to Julia about his health, which had been hurt by a horseback riding accident, stating, “Instead of making my injury worse, it has almost entirely cured me. I now walk without the use of a crutch or cane and mount my horse from the ground without difficulty.”
On November 7th, Grant wrote to Sherman and quickly requested his forces to reach Chattanooga to reinforce the beleaguered Union army. As Bragg weakened his forces by sending troops toward Knoxville — and was resented by his men — Grant worked well with many different officers. While he pushed for action against the enemy, he listened to Thomas, who sought more time to reinforce his troops. Grant left some preparations for the fighting to his generals and informed them, “You have been over this country, and having a better opportunity of studying it than myself, the details are left to you.” He understood that the Union was under-strength and decided to wait until Sherman arrived.
Sherman was ordered by General Henry Halleck to repair the railroad lines as he moved elements of the Army of the Tennessee toward Chattanooga. Both respected generals had struggled financially as civilians, and when they encountered each other in St. Louis, they agreed that the army had not trained its officers to be “good farmers.” As West Pointers, they understood the life of professional officers, but as civilians, they also understood the make-up of the volunteer soldier.
Grant was concerned about Burnside’s strength in Knoxville, and Halleck continually pressed him to exert influence on this general. He wanted to attack Bragg quickly to relieve pressure on Knoxville. Grant worked well with generals like Burnside, despite his disaster at Fredericksburg, and Hooker’s loss at Chancellorsville, giving them enough trust to oppose the enemy. This future lieutenant general had the ability to handle a leadership structure marred by past failures.
Additional supplies of clothing, food, ammunition, horses, 40,000 rations, and 39,000 pounds of forage were brought into Chattanooga under Grant. When these major supplies reached the soldiers, they exclaimed, “The Cracker Line is open! Full rations, boys! Three cheers for the Cracker Line!” At another point, when the commanding general was noticed, some men said, “Grant be damned, a boatload of rations has come!” While there were operations led by Thomas and Smith to support this mission, it was Grant’s steady leadership that led to overall success.
By the end of October, Union steamboats and barges traveled down the Tennessee River with a steady flow of resources. The Army of the Cumberland was gaining strength in supplies and soldiers, determined to defeat Bragg’s forces. At this point, Halleck was heavily criticized by government officials for not doing enough to end the crisis. He frantically wrote to Grant several times, pushing him into action. Through moments of fighting and rest, Grant kept a calm demeanor and informed Julia that he rarely lost any “sleep.” The average soldier admired Grant and observed, “You have no conception of the change in the army when Grant came. He opened the Cracker Line and got a steamer through. We began to see things move. We felt that everything came from a plan. He came into the army quietly—no splendor, no airs, no staff. He used to go about alone. He began the campaign the moment he reached the field.”
On November 13th, Sherman’s forces arrived after traveling more than six hundred miles to reach Grant. Both generals were pleased to see each other, and while vastly different men, they were united in determination to defeat Bragg. Jefferson Davis openly believed that the Union would lose at Chattanooga, and as Secretary of War in 1854, he had accepted Grant’s resignation for intoxication on duty. Grant believed that Davis indirectly benefited the Union war effort through the major mistakes he continually made. By keeping Bragg in command, he weakened Confederate chances of victory. Longstreet, Grant’s close friend from West Point and a guest at his wedding, was critical of Bragg and thought highly of Grant. Davis’s own officers warned that Bragg lacked the confidence of his army and could not oppose Grant effectively.
General Robert E. Lee expressed to Davis that after Longstreet fought Burnside at Knoxville, he should return to the Army of Northern Virginia. As Bragg faced dissension, Grant took a different approach — listening, asking questions, and respecting his senior generals. This was vintage Grant, demonstrating to Lincoln that he was capable of running the entire war effort by early 1864.
Grant expected to attack Bragg’s forces, but conflicting reports indicated that additional reinforcements were being sent to aid Longstreet against Burnside. Rain delayed an attack planned for November 24th against the weaker positions of Missionary Ridge. Grant preferred to use Sherman for the main attack while keeping Thomas in reserve. He could use Thomas either to support Sherman’s advance or to strike the center of Bragg’s lines. The Union had 80,000 soldiers among Sherman’s and Thomas’s four divisions, Hooker’s three divisions, and two divisions led by General Oliver Howard in the rear. As Bragg sent some forces toward Knoxville, he had about 40,000 men left to oppose Grant’s strength.
A deserter captured by Union forces reported that Bragg had fallen back from his position. While Grant could not be certain, he ordered Thomas to attack the center of Missionary Ridge. Early in the morning, Grant ordered Hooker to lead 10,000 soldiers to create a diversion at Lookout Mountain. Hooker, however, wanted to engage the enemy, push them from their elevated positions, and redeem himself in the military and political circles that held him in contempt. His soldiers clung to branches and rocks as they climbed the mountain under Confederate artillery fire, their movements concealed by clouds.
When Sherman’s troops began their assault on Missionary Ridge, poor maps led them up Billy Goat Hill instead. Believing he had captured his objective, Sherman sent a message to Grant claiming success. The next day, as the fighting resumed, Grant moved his headquarters to Orchard Hill to observe the battle. Sherman realized his error; his men were in a ravine near Tunnel Hill. Bragg then ordered General Patrick Cleburne back from Lookout Mountain, strengthening his line. Sherman’s men faced intense fire at close range.
Sherman sent a message asking Grant to have Thomas attack the front of Missionary Ridge. Watching from reserve, Thomas’s men saw Sherman’s troops falling back. Concerned, Grant ordered the Army of the Cumberland to seize the rifle pits in front of them. Facing 16,000 Confederates, Thomas’s divisions advanced under heavy fire, climbing Missionary Ridge — and to everyone’s surprise, Bragg’s men began to retreat. Grant was astonished to see the unexpected charge succeed; the soldiers had no choice but to keep moving as they were exposed in the open and under cannon fire.
During this battle, there were many surprises for Grant, but his forces secured Chattanooga and forced Bragg to retreat in disarray. General Douglas MacArthur’s father, Arthur MacArthur, was an eighteen-year-old captain from Wisconsin who planted the first flags against the Confederates. Hooker reinforced the assault at Missionary Ridge. Despite confusion, three Union armies combined to defeat Bragg’s forces.
When Sherman was sent to help Burnside at Knoxville, it was discovered that Longstreet had retreated to join the Army of Northern Virginia. Grant lifted the siege through the resiliency of the Army of the Cumberland, the drive of Hooker, and Bragg’s poor leadership in sending Longstreet away. Grant later wrote that the victory at Chattanooga was partly due to Davis: “On several occasions during the war he came to the relief of the Union army by means of his superior military genius.”
This battle proved to Lincoln that Grant was the leader capable of winning the war and preserving the nation. Grant led three different armies and multiple generals over terrain he barely knew, achieving a decisive victory. The success at Chattanooga paved the way for Union advances into Georgia, helping bring the Civil War closer to its end.