What do you really know about the Battle of Chattanooga?

Visit the Historic Grounds of the Battle of Chattanooga.

If you are a Civil War history buff, you may know there were actually three battles that took place at Chattanooga, TN. Most people are only aware of and interested in one - the last one. This is the main battle that took place November 23 through November 25, 1963. During the great Battle of Chattanooga, Union Army Major General Ulysses S. Grant defeated the Confederate forces commanded by General Braxton Bragg.

The battle is incredibly significant because it eradicated Confederate control of any part of Tennessee. The Union forces were then free to invade the Deep South.

The story leading up to the Battle of Chattanooga is intriguing. During an extremely bloody battle at Chickamauga September 19-20, 1863, the Union Army was defeated by Confederate forces. The Union Army of the Cumberland retreated to Chattanooga, and the Confederate Army of Tennessee made their way there, intending to elicit surrender by cutting off supply lines. The besiegement was not swift enough, however, and the Union Army had time to prepare.

Confederate General Braxton Bragg was in charge of the Army of Tennessee. Troops set up on Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain. If you visit the Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park, you can see the advantageous view of the Tennessee River and the city below these locations provide. Despite apparent advantages, the Union government was able to reinforce the Army at Chattanooga, in part due to a surprise attack on a key Confederate position. Today you can take a tour through the Chattanooga Battlefield area of the Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park. You'll recognize the important role the unique landscape of this area played in the Battle. Monuments and markers as well as trails tell the story of the final historic Battle that took place in Chattanooga.

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