Existing comment:
Tunnel Hill: November 25, 1863:
Grant had great faith in General Sherman and his Army of the Tennessee troops. Sherman's men had been cleverly hidden in the hills north of Chattanooga, out of sight from the Confederates and well-positioned for a surprise attack against the Confederate right flank near the north end of Missionary Ridge. (If anything, Bragg feared that Sherman's men were headed northeast toward Knoxville.)
Sherman crossed the Tennessee River on November 24, but the hill he took turned out to be separated from the rest of Missionary Ridge by a deep ravine. (From their vantage points, Union generals surveying the area could not see the ravine.) Having launched his attack against the wrong target, he had lost the element of surprise. Sherman resumed his efforts the next morning and struck the Confederate right flank on the true northern end of Missionary Ridge, a place known as Tunnel Hill because a railroad tunnel ran through it. There, Sherman's men faced a well-positioned Confederate division led by one of the best, hardest-fighting Southern commanders, General Patrick Cleburne. Cleburne's Confederates held the hill, and Sherman's attacks failed to achieve their objective. |