American Civil War Battlefields
Lookout Mountain and Brown's Ferry
Hamilton County, TN
View of Lookout Mountain from Browns Ferry, courtesy LCWRT Member John Davis, text by LCWRT Member Holly Jenkins-Evans
Brown's Ferry was a small action, but crucial to ending the siege of Chattanooga. On Oct 27, 1863, portions of the Union Army of the Cumberland made the move. While Brig. Gen. John B. Turchin's brigade marched to and occupied the east bank of the Tennessee river at Brown's Ferry, Union troops under the command of Brig. Gen. William B. Hazen ferried down the river, passing beneath the Confederate guns on Lookout Mountain before landing on the west side, pushing the CSA pickets back and, after engaging Col. William Oats' men , establishing a bridgehead for the Union supply line. Despite Longstreet's attack on the Union troops two days later at Wauhatchie, the supply line was established, effectively ending the siege of Chattanooga.
One month later, resupplied and reinforced, Gen. Ulysses Grant starts the process of breaking out of Chattanooga. After the taking of Orchard Knob on November 23, 1863 by the Army of the Cumberland under Gen. George H. Thomas, Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg took troops from the base of Lookout Mountain to shore up his center line on Missionary Ridge, thus weakening his line at the base of the Lookout. Under Grant's command, Gen. Joseph Hooker made a demonstration against the Confederate left on the 24th. On the morning of Nov. 24, with the Twelfth Corps in the lead, Hooker’s men crossed the creek and formed a line of battle up the slope of Lookout Mountain. Hidden by a heavy fog, Union troops swept in, captured a Confederate picket post, pushed past the Confederates at the Cravens House and resisted a Confederate counterattack around 1:00PM. By 2:00 PM, the Union flag was flying over Lookout Mountain.
View from Point Park at Lookout Mountain, courtesy LCWRT Member John Davis
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