Edited by Steven E.
Woodworth and Charles D. Grear
When the Confederates emerged as victors in the Chickamauga
Campaign, the Union Army of the Cumberland lay under siege in Chattanooga, with
Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee on nearby high ground at Missionary Ridge and
Lookout Mountain. A win at Chattanooga was essential for the Confederates, both
to capitalize on the victory at Chickamauga and to keep control of the gateway
to the lower South. Should the Federal troops wrest control of that linchpin,
they would cement their control of eastern Tennessee and gain access to the
Deep South. In the fall 1863 Chattanooga Campaign, the new head of the western
Union armies, Ulysses S. Grant, sought to break the Confederate siege. His
success created the opportunity for the Union to start a campaign to capture
Atlanta the following spring.
Woodworth’s introduction sets the stage for ten insightful
essays that provide new analysis of this crucial campaign. From the Battle of
Wauhatchie to the Battle of Chattanooga, the contributors’ well-researched and
vividly written assessments of both Union and Confederate actions offer a
balanced discussion of the complex nature of the campaign and its aftermath.
Other essays give fascinating examinations of the reactions to the campaign in
northern newspapers and by Confederate soldiers from west of the Mississippi
River.
Complete with maps and photos, The Chattanooga Campaign
contains a wealth of detailed information about the military, social, and
political aspects of the campaign and contributes significantly to our
understanding of the Civil War’s western theater.
ISBN 978-0809331192, The Southern Illinois University Press,
© 2012, Hardcover, 256 pages, Maps, Photographs, Illustrations, Notes &
Index. $29.95
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