Storming The Heights: A Guide To The Battle Of Chattanooga

The Civil War Battle of Chattanooga, Tennessee, took place in late November 1863, after the Confederate victory in the Battle of Chickamauga drove the Union Army of the Cumberland back to the key railroad hub of Chattanooga. In early October it had appeared that all Union gains in southern Tennessee might be lost. But the end of November saw a complete reversal of the previous Confederate triumph. Not only had the Union efforts driven the southern forces out of Chattanooga, but the victory also established a base from which General W. T. Sherman began his famous campaign through northern Georgia to Atlanta.

In this guide, Matt Spruill recounts the story of the Battle of Chattanooga using official reports and observations by commanding officers in their own words. The book is organized in the format still used by the military on staff rides, allowing the reader to understand how the battle was fought and why leaders made the decisions they did.

Unlike other books on the Battle of Chattanooga, this work guides the reader through the battlefield, allowing both visitor and armchair traveler to see the battle through the eyes of its participants. Numerous tour "stops" take the reader through the battles for Chattanooga: Wauhatchie, Lookout Mountain, Orchard Knob, Missionary Ridge, and Ringgold Gap. With easy-to-follow instructions, extensive tactical maps, eyewitness accounts, and editorial analyses, the reader is transported to the center of the action. Storming the Heights offers new insights and covers key ground rarely seen by visitors to Chattanooga.