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The Final Days
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the morning of November 25, Bragg had what was left of his Army dug
in along the 6 mile natural fortress called Missionary Ridge. This
ridge runs north to south along the eastern edge of Chattanooga. It
rises at a steep grade about 400 feet above the grounds below and
presented a formidable challenge to the Union forces.
Grant decided to
concentrate his attack on the north end of the ridge with
Sherman’s Army of the Tennessee. Unfortunately for Grant and
Sherman, Bragg sent General Cleburne and his division (considered one
of the best in the Confederate Army) to defend the north end.
The Battle for Missionary
Ridge was fought on three fronts, the north end with Sherman against
Cleburne (under Hardee), the middle with Thomas against Bragg, and
the south with Hooker against Breckinridge. The Yankees were
successful in the middle and south but Cleburne was successful on the
north end.
The Army of the Tennessee
Before daybreak on
November 24, Sherman began crossing the Tennessee River (the same
time that Hooker was preparing to attack Lookout Mountain). By noon,
most of his troops had crossed. With 30,000 men, Sherman was to lead
the Union's primary assault against the Rebels. His target was the
north end of Missionary Ridge known as Tunnel Hill.
Sherman planned to
capture Tunnel Hill before nightfall and sweep the remaining Rebels
off the ridge on the 25th. The Army of the Tennessee started their
advance about 1:00. By 4:00, they had taken what Sherman thought was
Tunnel Hill (Sherman was at the rear until nightfall). Sherman,
thinking he had accomplished his primary objective and expecting a
counterattack, ordered his troops to stop and fortify their position.
But Sherman had made a critical mistake. He had not taken the north
end of Missionary Ridge, but a separate hill known as Billy Goat
Hill. Sherman's maps were inaccurate and the entire north end of
Missionary Ridge still remained in Confederate control.
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This was
a critical mistake because,
on the 24th, Tunnel
Hill was not well fortified. Cleburne did not arrive at Tunnel Hill
until after 3:00 that afternoon. If Sherman's maps had been accurate,
he could have by passed Billy Goat Hill and captured Tunnel
Hill
with little difficulty on the 24th. |
When Cleburne arrived at
Tunnel Hill, he immediately began preparing for the assault. He had
to defend not only Tunnel Hill, but the railroad a mile east of
Tunnel Hill (the Confederate escape route). Cleburne was to do this
with his division of 4,000 while facing an enemy of 30,000, a seven
to one disadvantage.
Sherman began his attack
at 11:00 am on the 25th. The fighting ebbed back and forth, but the
Yankees slowly made their way to the crest of Tunnel Hill. By 3:30,
the Yankees were just 20 yards from the crest and the Rebels were
running out of ammunition, resorting to rolling boulders down the
slope. It was then that Cleburne made a desperate decision, he would
lead his entire command along Tunnel Hill in a charge down the ridge,
directly into the deadly fire. At the order, more than a thousand
screaming Rebels charged down the slopes. The Yankees along the
slopes were suddenly overwhelmed by this gray tidal wave. Those that
were not able to flee were captured or killed.
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About
500 Yankee prisoners were taken in this charge. Many, however, were
apparently released
in the Confederate retreat. |
Sherman's advance had
been stopped cold. Shortly following Cleburne's charge and after
suffering heavy casualties, Sherman called off his attack.
Sherman
The Army of the Cumberland
When Grant saw
Sherman’s predicament, he ordered Thomas to attack the middle of
the ridge (hoping Bragg would move forces from the north end to the
middle). This despite Grant's belief that the center of the ridge was
impenetrable and a direct attack would be near suicide. Because of
this, Grant ordered Thomas to advance only to the lower rifle pits at
the base of the ridge.
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The
Confederates had three defensive lines along
the center of the ridge. The lower rifle pits along the base of the
ridge, rifle pits halfway up, and breastworks along the top of the ridge. |
The Confederates,
however, had made a critical mistake in constructing their defenses
in the center of the ridge. The breastworks along the top were
constructed along the natural crest of the ridge (at the highest
point) rather than the military crest (giving the defenders the best
range of fire). In addition, the defenders in the lower rifle pits
had been ordered to fire one round and then retreat up the ridge.
This would make it difficult for the defenders on top to get a clear
shot at the advancing enemy.
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If it
had not been for these two mistakes,
Union casualties would have been significantly higher. |
About 4:00 pm the Army of
the Cumberland attacked. This was the first time these Armies had met
since Chickamauga and the Yankees had something to prove. Under
Generals Johnson, Sheridan, Wood, and Baird, the Yankees  advanced
under a heavy barrage. When they reached the lower rifle pits, the
fire from above was so heavy, the Yankees found it safer to scale the
ridge than to stay put. So despite orders, they continued their
advance until the ridge was theirs. The Confederates in the center
broke and ran for their lives, confusion ruled in the Confederate
ranks. Thomas
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A
young Union
soldier,
while advancing up the ridge, grabbed his regiment's colors and lead
his comrades up the slopes. He was later awarded The Congressional
Medal Of Honor for his bravery.
It was Arthur MacArthur, Jr., the father of General Douglas MacArthur. |
The Army of the Potomac
On the south end, Hooker
was advancing from Lookout Mountain. His advance was slow for the
Confederates retreating from Lookout Mountain had destroyed the
bridges over the swollen Chattanooga Creek. Despite this, his advance
units reached Rossville Gap at the south end of Missionary Ridge
about 4:00 and attacked. With little resistance, his Army of the
Potomac moved northward along the top and both sides of the ridge
until it met up with units from The Army of the Cumberland.
By the evening of the
25th, the Union forces held the middle and south ends of Missionary
Ridge and the Confederates were in retreat.
The Retreat
Pat Cleburne's men had
just beaten the strongest of the Grant's Armies. For this reason, he
was stunned upon hearing the Yankees had breached Missionary Ridge at
its strongest points to the south. He was ordered to withdraw from
the north end and to protect the Confederate retreat.
Bragg's Army of
Tennessee was defeated and in retreat. Hooker and his Army of the
Potomac, on the Union southern flank, was in pursuit. Cleburne was
ordered not to let Hooker catch them. Hooker didn't. |
