THE COAST ARTILLERY JOURNAL - Air Defense Artillery

BATTLES AROUND CHATTANOOGA
V. COMMENTS
THE SIEGE OF CHATTANOOGA
After the battle of Chicamauga, Bragg, according to the cu!?f'6mof the
times, delayed pursuit for a day, allowing Rosecrans to entrenCh himself in
Chattanooga. Thereafter, Bragg, as Longstreet remarks, attempted to starve
out Rosecrans by investing him on the only side from which he (Rosecrans)
could not get supplies. After a week's delay Bragg sent his cavalry to operate
on Rosecran's line of supplies. In the meantime this cavalry had been scattered
to the four winds, and Bragg, instead of assembling it for a coordinated
operation, ordered it against the Federal communications in three columns.
Two of these columns were defeated in detail by the Union cavalry, while the
third never moved. The chief reasons for the failure to starve out Rosecrans
are therefore obvious.
Bragg's failure to hold Lookout Valley was due to the fact that there was
no road leading from the position of the Confederate main body to Lookout
Valley.
Jenkin's night attack on Geary depended for success on Law's containing a
force three times his strength. It could not be done at this stage of the war.
GEUu~T'S TACTICS
Thomas's attack on November 23 was too strong to serve the purpose of a
reconnaissance in force. If Bragg was really withdrawing he would, in the
twenty-four hours that had elapsed between the time of origin of the deserter's
information and the time of attack, have already cleared his position by several
miles with his main body and a force of 10,000 men would certainly have been
able to puncture his rear guard. The remainder of Grant's army could then
have been set in motion in the decisive direction. In fact, the attack actually
served to cause Bragg to strengthen his forces by the recall of Cleburne, whose
entrainment for Knoxville was under way and had originated the report, and
whose stubborn defense of the right of the line and later rear guard action
probably saved Bragg from annihilation. This attack secured Sherman's river
crossing, however, though not made for that purpose, and was therefore, by
accident, a sound tactical move.
Hooker's attack was forced on Grant but it should have been, according to
the rules of war, postponed until the twenty-fifth. However, its astounding
success actually probably served to lower greatly the morale of the Confederate
forces as the Union flag on Lookout Mountain was a symbol of disaster that
every Confederate on Missionary Ridge could see.
Sherman's river crossing as originally planned by Grant was a hazardous
undertaking. Grant did not originally intend to have Thomas attack until
Sherman had effected his crossing. With Orchard Knob still in their possession
Sherman should have been defeated by the Confederates at the river. It looks
as though Grant was trying to repeat Vicksburg on a small scale. Bragg was
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