13.0 HISTORICAL COMMENTARY

The Battle of Chattanooga

Following the federal defeat at Chickamauga, Major General William S. Rosecrans withdrew into Chattanooga, behind entrenchments. Confederate commander General Braxton Bragg failed to pursue the beaten Union Army vigorously and decided to lay siege to the city instead. The Confederate Army occupied the formidable heights of Missionary Ridge as their central position and Lookout Mountain anchoring their left, which also overlooked the Federal supply line from Bridgeport, Alabama. The Army of the Cumberland was now threatened with starvation, and spurred the Lincoln administration into decisive action.

Sizable Union reinforcements were ordered to Chattanooga. Joseph Hooker left Manassas with the XI and XII Corps and started arriving at Bridgeport five days later, on 30 September. Strategic use of the railroads moved 20,000 men and 3,000 horses and mules 1,157 miles in less than three weeks. By 15 November, 17,000 men from Major General William Sherman's Army of the Tennessee had arrived at Bridgeport. Rosecrans was relieved from command and George Thomas (the "Rock of Chickamauga") was placed as head of the Army of the Cumberland. Major General Ulysses S. Grant was put in overall command and arrived at Chattanooga 23 October.

During the night of 26 October, Hooker was able to cross the Tennessee River and secure a bridgehead at Brown's Ferry. Geary's division repulsed a Confederate night attack 28-29 October at Wauhatchie and finally opened a supply route to Chattanooga.

Bragg realized he had lost his opportunity to retake Chattanooga and decided to weaken his forces by sending Longstreet and Wheeler against Burnside at Knoxville. This move greatly concerned Grant and the Washington officials, however Grant correctly reasoned that the best way to help Burnside was to launch an attack against Bragg. He therefore ordered Thomas Forward, on 23 November, to seize Orchard Knob and Indian Hill, the chief outposts of Bragg's main Missionary Ridge position. With this accomplished, the Confederate troops of Major General John Breckinridge fell back to the main defensive line.

On 24 November, Sherman crossed the Tennessee River to take up a position against Bragg's right flank, north of Missionary Ridge. Hooker, meanwhile, attacked eastward between the Tennessee River and Lookout Mountain. Finding the position weakly held, the divisions of Geary, Osterhaus and Cruft stormed up the 1100 foot height and swept Cheatham's Confederates from Lookout Mountain following a sharp fight. This engagement has come to be known as the "Battle above the Clouds" because of the low fog.

On 25 November, Grant ordered Sherman and Hooker to assault both of Bragg's flanks simultaneously, but neither made any progress. He then sent Thomas forward in a frontal attack designed to secure the lowest of the three Confederate defensive lines on Missionary Ridge. The attack carried the works, but the Federal troops found themselves exposed to fire from the upper lines and, without orders, continued to ascend the ridge. In long V-shaped lines, the Army of the Cumberland, Wood's division in the lead, gained the heights and drove the startled Confederates headlong in retreat.

Only Cleburne's division managed to hold. Bragg withdrew that night toward Dalton, while Hardee's corps covered the rear. Within an hour and a half Bragg's army had been routed with a loss of 2,000 prisoners. His defeat at Chattanooga cut a vital lateral line of communications in the South and opened the way for a Federal drive on Atlanta. Grant employed 56,359 troops at Chattanooga. His losses were 753 killed, 4,722 wounded and 349 missing. Of Bragg's 64,165 troops, 361 were killed, 2,160 were wounded and 4,146 missing.

10.0 THE SCENARIOS

10.1 The Battle Above the Clouds OOB

Union (1st Player): Place the following units in Area 22 at start: - Officer Sherman - M. Smith's Division Place the following units in Area 21 at start: - Ewing's Division - J. Smith's Division - Army of the Tennessee Artillery Place the following units in Area 30 at start: - Officer Hooker - Cruft's Division - Geary's Division - Osterhaus' Division Place the following units in Area 33 at start: - Commander Grant - Officer Thomas - Army of the Cumberland Reserve Artillery - Sheridan's Division - Wood's Division - IV Corps Artillery - Baird's Division - Johnson's Division - Davis' Division - XIV Corps Artillery - Schurz's Division - Steinwehr's Division - Army of the Potomac Artillery Place the following units in Knoxville (OBD) at start: - Commander Burnside - Army of the Ohio Artillery - Sander's Cavalry Division - Foster's Cavalry Division - Officer Potter - Ferraro's Division - Hartranft's Division - Officer Manson - Boyle's Division - White's Division - Hascall's Division Reinforcements: None

Confederacy (2nd Player): Place the following units in Area 34 at start: - Officer Hardee - Cleburne's Division - Hindman's Division - Gist's Division - I Corps Artillery Place the following units in Area 32 at start: - Stevenson's Division - Cheatham's Division - II Corps Artillery Place the following units in Area 42 at start: - Officer Breckinridge - Stewart's Division - Bate's Division - Army Reserve Artillery Place the following unit in Area 43 at start: - Commander Bragg Place the following units in Loudon (OBD) at start: - Officer Longstreet - Jenkin's Division - McLaws' Division - Wharton's Cavalry Division - Martin's Cavalry Division - ANV Artillery Reinforcements: None

14.0 CREDITS

Game Design: Gary Selkirk and Stephen Rawling
Developement: Stephen Rawling
Counter Artwork: Tom Hannah

Grant Takes Command copyright © 1996 by Clash of Arms Games
Printed in the USA

TURN RECORD TRACK

Battle Above the Clouds Full Set of Rules
Battle Above the Clouds Unit Status Sheet: Confederate
Battle Above the Clouds Unit Status Sheet: Union

This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com