Private Royall Figg and Lieutenant John T. Brown were members of Parker's Virginia Battery, one of the batteries of artillery traveling from Virginia to Chattanooga with General James Longstreet's First Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia. Although arriving too late to participate in the Battle of Chickamauga, they ascended Lookout Mountain and participated in the Siege of Chattanooga. Figg and Brown's reminiscences will be briefly shared during this program.
In the early morning hours of October 27, 1863, Union soldiers surprise unsuspecting Confederates in a ridge saddle, on the banks of the Tennessee River, known as Brown's Ferry. For the beleaguered Union army, bottle up in Chattanooga, taking this important ferry crossing could literally mean life and death. Also, if Union soldiers are successful, could this be the beginning of the end for the Confederate siege of Chattanooga?
On October 28, 1863, Confederate Generals James Longstreet and Braxton Bragg met on Lookout Mountain to plan their next move against the Union army after it successfully took the important river crossing at Brown's Ferry.
In the early morning hours of October 29, 1863, troops who previously met on some of the bloody battlefields in Virginia and Pennsylvania, clashed once again in Tennessee near a small railroad junction known as Wauhatchie.
Images found in this presentation have been audio described in a separate file, located on this page.
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Chief of Interpretation and Resource Education Kim Coons welcomes everyone to the park's virtual programs commemorating the 157th Anniversary of the Battles for Chattanooga.
By the time of the Civil War, Robert Cravens was one of Chattanooga's most industrial citizens. His white house, sitting on the side of Lookout Mountain, became a focal point prior to and during the Battle of Lookout Mountain.
In order to fire a Civil War artillery piece, a team of men worked together to be successful. Learn about some of the artillerymen's jobs and what it took to load and fire a cannon.
During the siege of Chattanooga, an unlikely individual will bring a brief glimpse of humanity to the two sides bottle up in the city and looking down from the surrounding heights.
Confederate soldiers atop Missionary Ridge, had a difficult time training their cannon on the attacking Union soldiers. Although, you are not able to fire a real cannon during this program, you can construct your own marshmallow cannon and practice your skills.
Making a marshmallow cannon is relatively easy. If you would like to try it, here is what you will need:
1. Balloon, or balloons
2. Plastic cup
3. Scissors
4. Marshmallows
Remember, you will need to have an adult present when using scissors.
On Monday, November 23, 1863, thousands of Union troops flooded from Chattanooga's eastern fortifications and arrayed themselves in front of Orchard Knob. Their goal was a reconnaissance in force. Surging forward, they engulfed the knob and a little over 600 Confederates of the 24th and 28th Alabama Infantry Regiments. The fighting ended in minutes.
On November 24, 1863, Union soldiers launched a fog enshrouded attack against Confederates stationed on Lookout Mountain in what came to be known as "The Battle Above the Clouds."
On November 25, 1863, Union General William T. Sherman was tasked with assaulting the northern tip of Missionary Ridge, going up against entrenched Confederates of arguably one of the best divisions in the Confederate Army of Tennessee, the division of Major General Patrick Cleburne.
On November 25, 1863, US General George H. Thomas' Army of the Cumberland was tasked to take the earthworks at Missionary Ridge's base. However, his men not only took the works but continued up the ridge, eventually puncturing the thin Confederate line and routing the bulk of the Confederate Army of Tennessee.
As the Confederate Army of Tennessee fled south into Georgia, after their devastating defeat at Missionary Ridge, a select few stood in the way of the pursuing Federals, and the main Confederate body. Those few put up a fierce resistance at Ringgold Gap to allow the Confederate army to slip away.
According to some Union soldiers, the Battle of Ringgold Gap was the harshest they experienced during the war, even for those who fought four months earlier at the deadly Battle of Gettysburg.
