2009Riverpark

2009 NPS Riverpark Tour
Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park 146th Anniversary Commemoration

1:30 PM - 3:30 PM, Saturday, November 21, 2009

Chattanooga CWRT Website 146th Anniversary Schedule

Posted November 25, 2009

The National Park Service hosted several tours around the Chattanooga area as part of their 146th Anniversary Commemoration of the Battles for Chattanooga in October and November of 1863. One of these excellent tours, "Over the River and Through the Woods to Missionary Ridge: Grant and Sherman's Main Effort at Chattanooga" is re-told here from photos and text by Harvey Scarborough, Chattanooga Civil War Round Table webmaster.

James Ogden, historian at Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park and U. S. Army Lt. Colonel Gerald Hodge guided a group of approximately thirty Civil War enthusiast. Specifics of this tour included Major General William T. Sherman's Tennessee River "top-secret" floatilla, a river-borne night landing, establishment of a bridgehead, and the initial assault of the north-end of Missionary Ridge at "Billy Goat Hill" on November 24, 1863.

At right is an overview of the area northeast of Chattanooga near today's Chickamauga Dam and Lake. This area was of grave concern to the Union forces as it was the right flank of the Confederate forces gathered along the foot of Missionary Ridge during the seige of Chattanooga. President Lincoln had been pressuring General Grant to help General Burnside in Knoxville free Union friendly East Tennessee from all Confederate influence, but in particular, General Longstreet's Confederate forces. To do so, Grant needed to push aside General Bragg's Army of Tennessee and rush help up to Knoxville. From the north shore of the Tennessee River, the Confederate right flank appeared to be a "open" which would allow an enterprising and stealthy army to launch an attack that would "roll-up" Rebel forces southward along Missionary Ridge toward Rossville. Since the Union Army of the Cumberland was depleted from nearly two months of seige, the "honor" of the attack fell on Grant's favorite, William T. Sherman, and four divisions from the Army of the Mississippi.

Shown below is a small section of the Edward E. Betts 1896 map. It's relationship to the larger map above right is shown by the black box rectangle. The tour focused on this portion of the battlefields around Chattanooga. Betts Map

At right, Jim Ogden points to the map for reference. The Union floatilla hugged that shore during the night prior to crossing the river and making their surprise landing. We speculated that due to a "gentlemen's agreement" between opposing pickets, Confederate forces were not paying too much attention to what was about to befall them. And, along with a dark and dreary night, the light from campfires, and possibly a less nutritous Confederate diet, the Rebels' ability to see very well in the dark was adversely affected. Fortunately for the North, Southern reaction was nill, and the landing was a major success.

At left, with the C. B. Robinson Bridge in the background, our group learns that North Chickamauga Creek was "moved" in the late 1930s to make room for the construction of Chickamauga Dam. It was from that creek that 116 pontoon boats were launched the night of November 23rd carrying approximately 3,000 troops of Giles Smith's Division. Their mission was to surprise and overcome Confederate pickets on the south shore, establish a bridgehead by digging trenches/fortifications and hold the south shore until reinforcements arrived. General Smith succeeded in his mission. Two more divisions would come to his outpost by daybreak Nov. 24th.

At right, Lt. Col. Hodge describes the logistics and difficulties encountered by Union troops as they made their way to the south shore.

At left, we see a drawing of the steamboat "Dunbar" which arrived early on November 24th to assist with the transport of horses, wagons and artillery from the north shore to the south shore. Eventually, in the early morning daylight, Confederates spotted the black plumb of smoke from the steamboat; but, by then, Union forces had a well established beachhead.

Below, the group views the Tennessee River from the "Confederate" side. Around 9 P.M. on the night of Nov. 23rd, Union forces boarded a floatilla of 116 pontoon boats at North Chickamauga Creek, and floated down river, hugging the north side until they arrived opposite our position. They then paddled over to the south side, undercover of darkness, to surprise and capture fourteen Confederate pickets stationed along the river where we now stand. Union Geneal Giles Smith quickly unloaded his three thousand Union soldiers who immediately established a beachhead. The pontoons were stretched across the river and by dawn an important bridge was now utilized by Sherman to bring three more infantry divisions. The stage was set for additional Union troops to cross the river. The rest of the Confederate army would not realize what was happening until it was too late!

Jim Ogden points to the north side of the Tennessee River where Union troops embarked on a freshly constructed pontoon bridge following the successful landing of the initial assault force. These boats were then used in the construction of the bridge. A road came to the river's edge just behind the evergreen trees. Union artillery was placed on top of the hills to fire upon Confederate counter attacks which never came.

Below, after going southwest along the Riverpark about 1/2 mile, the group stops and views "Billy Goat Hill" from near Sherman's staging area for the assault. Three divisions were positioned here in eschelon facing southeast. After cresting Billy Goat Hill, and much to the Union's surprise, the attacking troops uncovered "an error in the maps" used to plan the assault. They also uncovered a well-positioned Confederate division!
Overall Map

Below, with the sun blinding us from seeing Lookout Mountain and the City of Chattanooga, we stand atop "Lightburn Hill," on the Eastern portion of "Billy Goat Hill." To the very right is "Alexander's Hill" and to the left is "Tunnel Hill" and the rest of Missionary Ridge. Below us is the "unseen" valley separating Billy Goat Hill from the rest of Missionary Ridge. This depression formed an exposed draw through which Federals would have to attack. However, Confederate Major General Patrick Cleburne had just occupied the Tunnel Hill portion of the ridge and repulsed each attempt Sherman tried. Although this sector of the battlefield was supposed to be the "main effort, " General Thomas and the Army of the Cumberland would steal the show with their famous charge up Missionary Ridge.
Overall Map