The fighting 257strength, while Bragg depleted the size of his
command by detaching Longstreet and
15,000 men. Grant could use this
considerable numerical superiority to his
advantage. He ordered Hooker to attack up
Lookout Mountain on the Rebel left, while
Sherman's forces would roll up the right.
Thomas's army, which, Grant assumed,
suffered from a lack of confidence after
Chickamauga, would play a less active role.
It would threaten the enemy center, a long,
steep hill called Missionary lodge.
The battle opened up well for the
Federals. On 23 November 1863. Thomas's
people attacked and secured Orchard Knob,
from which they threatened an assault on
Missionary Ridge. The next day, Hooker
assailed a lightly defended portion of
LEFT The Union plan did not call for Federal forces to break
through the Confederate line in the center, but men from
the Army of the Cumberland did just that In the excitement
of battle and their desire to restore their reputation after
the disaster at Chickamauga these Federals exploited the
steep incline along Missionary Ridge, pursuing the defenders
so closely that Rebels near the top could not fire for fear of
hitting their own men. In a massive rush, depicted here in
the sketch, Yankees carried the heights in one of the greatest
assaults of the entire war: (Library of Congress)
This is the crest of Missionary Ridge, where Thomas's
men charged without orders. The steepness of the hill,
and the Confederates in flight, provided protection for
the attackers, who dislodged and routed Bragg's army.
(Library of Congress)Lookout Mountain with almost three
divisions. The successful operation amid
pockets of fog created quite a spectacle and
gained the nickname 'The Battle Above the
Clouds.' Sherman, meanwhile, had crossed
the Tennessee River and planned to roll up
the Rebel right at Missionary Ridge, while
Hooker rushed down on the left.
Yet two factors operated against Sherman.
The narrow ground and rough terrain
limited his options and restricted the
amount of troops he could deploy for battle.
The second factor was a superb Confederate
division commander named Patrick
Cleburne. An Irishman by birth, Cleburne
had run afoul of officials in Richmond by
proposing the use of blacks as soldiers.
Although he was the best division
commander in the army, authorities
somehow managed to overtook him for
advancement, no doubt as a result of his
controversial suggestion. As usual, Cleburne's