CHATTANOOGA, BATTLE OF. One of the most important battles of the Civil \Var. fought in the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tenn.. November 23-25. 1863, between a Federal army of 00.000. under General Grant. and a Confederate army of about 40.000, under General Bragg. After the battle of Chickamauga (qa-.1, Bragg had held the Federal troops closely besieged in Chat tanooga, and, by seizing nearly all of their lines of supply. threatened them with starvation. In October Thomas superseded Roseerans, who had commanded at Chickamauga, and on the 23d Grant, recently placed in command of the mili tary operations in the West, arrived in per son. Grant immediately reopened his eonnnuni cations with the Federal base of supplies at Nashville (October 26, 27, and 28). by advanc ing hooker's troops from Bridgeport and send ing a small force from Chattanooga to seize the points in Lookout Valley which controlled Brown's Ferry. After awaiting reinforcements under Sherman. he took the aggressive on Novem ber 2:3. when Thomas, in an engagement lasting two hours. drove back Bragg's advanced guards and established a new- Federal line a mile in advance of the old one On the 24th Sherman, on the left, carried a do taelted point of Slission ary Ridge. and Hooker, on the right, in the fa mous 'Battle above the Clouds,' carried Lookout Mountain, the Confederates retreating from his front during the night. At daylight on the 25th Sherman renewed his attack on the Con federate right, but, owing to the unavoidable delay of Hooker in Pinning to his assistance. was
place,' in a precarious position. and as a diver 'don Grant ordered an assault by troops, under ts.heridau and Wood, against t he Confederate centre. These troops quickly drove the enemy from his rifle trenches, and then, without orders from Grant. or Thomas, rushed impetuously up the steep hill (Missionary Ridge), and, in one of lite most remarkable charges known in military history, carried the fortifications under a terrific fire, gained posses :-on of the crest of the ridge,.and drove the Con federates, from the tield. The Confederate retreat now became general. and during the night Bragg, hotly pursued by Sheri dan, withdrew rapidly up the Chickamauga Val ley. The losses in killed, wounded, and missing for the Federal, 5815; for the Confederates, The victory not only relieved Chattanooga. hut also forced Longstreet, then besieging Burn side at Knoxville, to retreat into Virginia. Con sult: the Official Records, Vol.XXXI. (Washing ton, 18'90) ; ('ist, The .1 rail/ of the Cumberland (New York, 1897) ; Nicolay and Ilay, Abraham Lineo/a: .1 History, Vol. V111.. (10 vols., New York, 1897) ; and Grant. Pcrsona/ Memoirs (2 vols., new edition, New York, 1895).