Chickamauga and the Siege of Chattanooga
The war's second-bloodiest battle is followed by a siege that Grant breaks with a dramatic charge up Missionary Ridge
Quick facts
- Location
- Chickamauga Creek and Chattanooga, Tennessee/Georgia
- Union commanders
- William Rosecrans, later Ulysses S. Grant
- Confederate commander
- Braxton Bragg
- Result
- Confederate victory at Chickamauga; Union victory at Chattanooga
What happened
Union General William Rosecrans forced Confederate General Braxton Bragg out of Chattanooga, Tennessee in the summer of 1863, but Bragg turned to counterattack at Chickamauga Creek, Georgia on September 19-20. A gap accidentally opened in the Union line let Confederates pour through, routing much of Rosecrans's army; only a defensive stand by General George Thomas, who earned the nickname "the Rock of Chickamauga," prevented total disaster. The battle killed or wounded nearly 35,000 men combined, the war's second-bloodiest after Gettysburg. Bragg then besieged the battered Union army inside Chattanooga, occupying the high ground at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. Lincoln, viewing Chattanooga's fall as comparable to losing Richmond, sent Grant to take command; over three days in late November, Union troops broke the siege, including an unauthorized charge up Missionary Ridge that swept Bragg's army into Georgia.
Why it matters
The victory at Chattanooga secured the gateway to the Deep South for the Union and set up Sherman's subsequent campaign into Georgia, while it also confirmed Grant as the Union's most reliable commander, leading directly to his promotion to command all Union armies.
How we know
The National Park Service's Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park history reconstructs both battles from official Union and Confederate reports and troop-strength records.
Sources
- Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, National Park Service. The Battles For Chattanooga · Reputable sourcenps.gov · The domain "nps.gov" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, National Park Service. The Battle of Chickamauga · Reputable sourcenps.gov · The domain "nps.gov" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
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