Chattanooga and Area

Located just north of the Georgia border on the banks of the Tennessee River, Chattanooga was a major prize for both sides almost from the beginning of the war in Tennessee. Its railroads provided links to all points in the Confederacy and were the key to any Union invasion of Georgia. After many false starts, Union forces drew close to Chattanooga in the fall of 1863 after maneuvering the Confederate army into north Georgia. Following the battle of Chickamauga, fought only a few miles south of the city, the defeated Union army retreated in disarray into Chattanooga. Confederates quickly occupied the heights above the city and cut Union supply lines. The Confederate stranglehold on the city finally was broken during a series of dramatic Union victories in late November 1864. The city then became a key supply base for Union operations in Georgia.

Visiting Chattanooga’s Civil War sites

Chickamauga and Chattanooga NMP
Point Park, Point Park Road, Lookout Mountain TN 37350
423-821-7786
 Road map 
    Highlight of the 3,000-acre Lookout Mountain Battlefield is Point Park, which overlooks Chattanooga and the bending Tennessee River.
    Confederates defended this seemingly impregnable position following the Battle of Chickamaugua in September 1863. With Confederates on these and other heights and blocking roads and railroads entering the city, the Union army was in trouble, hunkering down in the city. But Federal reinforcements arrived and a slender supply line opened in late October. Gen. U.S. Grant, placed in overall command in Chattanooga, ordered assaults on the Confederate positions in late November. Aided by a heavy fog on the mountain, Union attacks Nov. 24 against Confederate positions on Lookout Mountain were successful.
    The next day, similar attacks on Missionary Ridge also won success. The Confederate stranglehold on Chattanooga had ended. Gen. Braxton Bragg, who commanded the Confederate army at Chickamauga and Chattanooga, resigned after the defeats. He was replaced by Gen. Joseph Johnston, who consolidated his defeated army in north Georgia to await developments. The Union army turned Chattanooga into a vast supply depot and used the city as a base for future operations in Georgia.
   The Lookout Mountain Visitor Center is located across the street from Point Park. James Walker’s 13-by-33-foot painting “Battle of Lookout Mountain” is displayed there with a short narrative of the fighting. Open daily 8:30 am–5 pm. $3/adult admission to Point Park.

Battles for Chattanooga Museum
1110 E Brow Road, Lookout Mountain TN 37350
423-821-2812
 Road map 
Very good 3-D electronic map presentation of the Battles for Chattanooga. Nice introduction to the area terrain and action including the battles of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge.

Orchard Knob
East Third Street and North Orchard Knob Ave, Chattanooga TN 37404
706-866-9241
 Road map 
The “Orchard Knob Reservation” is officially part of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. On Nov 23, 1863, Union Gen. U.S. Grant moved a substantial portion of his army forward from his lines in Chattanooga toward Missionary Ridge. After a brief fight, the Federals swept Confederate resistance aside and captured this little hill halfway there. Two days later Orchard Knob became Grant’s vantage point for viewing the dramatic victory on Missionary Ridge. Lots of monuments, but little interpretive material ,greet visitors. Worth it for the Union viewpoint of Missionary Ridge. Open daylight hours.

Missionary Ridge
Begin tour at Route US 27 and South Crest Road, Rossville GA 30741
 Road map 
This steep 20-mile-long ridge east of Chattanooga rises about 400 feet. It was one of the strong points in the Confederate line and considered nearly impregnable when attacked Nov. 25, 1863. Grant watched from Orchard Knob as spontaneous attacks by the Army of the Cumberland overran the defenses at the top of the ridge. The fall of Missionary Ridge, combined with the defeat at Lookout Mountain, ended the Confederate presence at Chattanooga. The battlefield is now an upscale neighborhood accessible from Crest Road. Only glimpses of the slopes attacked in 1863 are available. Small park areas, known as “reservations,” are located along Crest Road with monuments and interpretive markers.

Chattanooga Regional History Museum
400 Chestnut St, Chattanooga TN 37402
423-265-3247
 Road map 
Items from the museum’s extensive Civil War collection are on display including weapons, uniforms, original photographs and Grant’s camp chair. Open 11 am-5 pm daily. $4/adults.

Chattanooga Cemeteries

National Cemetery
1200 Bailey Ave, Chattanooga TN 37404
423- 855-6590
 Road map 
Union Gen. George Thomas first ordered that Union soldiers who died in the Chattanooga area be buried here, near the Orchard Knob battlefield, in 1863. After the war, the U.S. government purchased the land and began to consolidate the graves of Union soldiers buried in the wider area. More than 12,000 Civil War soldiers are buried there now. One of the highlights of the cemetery is a memorial to the Andrews Raiders with a replica of “The General,” the locomotive they stole in Georgia. (link to Raid) Six of the conspirators who were hanged after the event are buried here. Open dawn to dusk.

Website links to these places: Tennessee Links