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Under Siege at Chattanooga: September-October 1863:
By September 22, the Union army was safely in Chattanooga, fortifying the city. But Bragg wasn't worried. He planned to starve the occupying army into surrender. He stationed Confederate forces along Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, and the Tennessee River valley roads. From these positions, they could block most Union supply lines into Chattanooga from the Federal's forward supply base at Bridgeport, Alabama, 25 miles to the west.
Union forces struggled to sue an alternate supply route -- a 60-mile wagon trail over crude muddy roads and narrow, rocky paths. A Union officer called it "the muddiest and roughest and steepest of ascent and descent ever crossed by army wagons and mules." The journey took so long, half the transported food was eaten by the mules along the way. Making matters worse, Confederate cavalry conducted a deadly raid against the plodding wagon caravans.
By mid-October, Union rations were reduced by as much as three-fourths. One soldier wrote of having only one pint of corn to last three days. Over 10,000 Union horses and mules died of starvation or overwork. With cold weather approaching, the men also lacked sufficient clothing and fuel.
An Unhappy Visit by Jefferson Davis:
Confederate President Jefferson Davis took a hands-on role with his military. After a dozen officers petitioned him for General Bragg's removal, Davis traveled to the battlefront in early October to hear them question Bragg's competence and fitness. But seeing no alternative, he left Bragg in command and approved the removal or reassignment of some of his dissenters. One of the anti-Bragg contingent, General Longstreet, would soon by sent, along with 15,000 men, on an ill-fated mission to recapture Knoxville, leaving Confederate forces weaker at Chattanooga. |