CHAPTER XV.

GUIDE TO THE CHATTANOOGA FIELDS-LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, WAUHATCHIE, ORCHARD KNOB, MISSIONARY RIDGE.

Arriving in Chattanooga in clear or fair weather, it is best to take advantage of it and first visit Lookout Mountain. From this point all the general features, and many of the details of the various campaigns and battles which resulted in the capture of Chattanooga, can be readily understood.

The view presented of the ranges over which Rosecrans marched makes it easy to comprehend the strategy of his campaign.

The electric cars from the city connect at the base of the mountain with the Incline, which is a cable road to the foot of the palisades, connecting with steam cars that run along the western bluff, overlooking the Wauhatchie Valley, and the whole scene of Hooker's operations there, up to and including the battle of Lookout Mountain. The train then runs across the top of the mountain to its eastern side, and, turning again toward the point, stops at Lookout Inn, to which station it is best to purchase a round trip ticket at the foot of the Incline. From the Inn a short walk brings the visitor to the jutting point of the mountain, which is so plainly seen from Chattanooga. From this open rocky floor above the palisades, one of the most interesting views which any land affords spreads widely in all directions. Points in seven states are within the range of vision when the day is absolutely clear. Large areas of Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee are close at hand. The mountains of South Carolina and North Carolina can be seen in ordinary conditions of the atmosphere, and on exceptionally clear days the

eye reaches northward across Tennessee to the mountains about Cumberland Gap in Kentucky and Virginia.

Standing on the point and facing Chattanooga, Wauhatchie Valley, with the Raccoon Range beyond it over which Rosecrans' army marched from Bridgeport, are at the left. Wauhatchie Station is at the forks of the railroad toward the upper end of the valley. The branch to the right runs to Bridgeport, the one to the left to Trenton and Valley Head, at which points the Fourteenth Corps, and the Twentieth and Cavalry Corps, respectively, crossed Lookout, before the battle of Chickamauga, into the rear of Chattanooga.

The little church and farm house a short distance toward the river from Wauhatchie Station is the ground of the night attack of Longstreet's troops on Geary's Division. (See Chapter X.)

Looking down the Tennessee, in its last bend lies Williams' Island. Just above it on the left bank is a low range of hills parallel to the river. Brown's Ferry is opposite the first gap in this range above the island. To this point the flotilla of 52 boats carrying 1,600 men floated from behind Cameron Hill, the highest point in the city, before daylight of October 27th, and, landing there, captured the hills on either side of the road to the ferry. A bridge was then thrown, and a short way opened across the narrow neck to Chattanooga out of range of the guns on Lookout. This movement, in conjunction with Hooker's forces, which marched simultaneously from Bridgeport, re opened the Tennessee. The first crest in the range to the right of the railroad where it crosses Lookout Creek is Tyndale's Hill, and the next to the right of that is Smith's Hill, so called after the brigades of the Eleventh Corps, which captured them in the night fight of October 28th. For full details, see Chapters IX and X.

Turning toward Wauhatchie Station, a short distance beyond it and to the left, is seen a low range running parallel to the mountain. Through the first gap in that range Geary's

forces passed to cross Lookout Creek and ascend to the foot of the palisades, as the first move in the battle of Lookout Mountain.

The Confederate works, held by the brigade of Gen. E. C. Walthall, were parallel to the palisades along the western side of the mountain and upon the first bench of the mountain below their foot. They are still well preserved. The left of these works was some 1,500 feet south of the point of the mountain. Directly under this north point lies the Craven House plateau, where the Union line, advancing from the west side of the mountain during the battle, first came into view from Chattanooga. The Craven House, known at the time of the battle as the White House, was the headquarters of Gen. Walthall. The great bend in the river opposite Lookout is Moccasin Point, the heel of the moccasin being near Brown's Ferry. The Union batteries were on the highest ground, and so swept the north face of the mountain that troops could not move upon it in daylight with safety. At its base, to the left and across Lookout Creek, is the ground from which Osterhaus' Division of Sherman's army crossed to take part under Hooker in the assault on the mountain. One brigade crossed from the open ground to the right of the railroad bridge, and one through the gap to the left of it. One brigade of Cruft's Division crossed with Geary, and the other near Osterhaus' upper crossing. For full details of the battle of Lookout Mountain, which was the second of the three day's battle of Chattanooga, see page 116.

Looking toward the city, and to the extreme right of it, a large, low stand-pipe can be seen. It marks the site of Fort Wood (afterward Creighton), a strong work which was the eastern salient of the Union line. Upon the slope under its eastern face the Union forces formed on the afternoon of November 23, 1863, for the movement on Orchard Knob, which lies half way between Fort Wood and Missionary Ridge. The Knob can be seen just beyond the National

Cemetery. For the details of this engagement, the first of the three days' battle of Chattanooga, see page 113.

Fort Sheridan, the strong work of the city defenses upon the Union right, is still nearly perfect. It is upon the point of the Cameron Hill Ridge nearest Lookout. The circular road plainly seen at the base of the slope under it, marks its position. Fort Lytle was near the large schoolbuilding on the next height in the city east of Fort Sheridan, and Fort Negley (afterward Phelps) stood about half a mile south-east of the Public Building. It was also known as the Star Fort, and by the Confederates as Fort Cheatham, it having been begun by them. It was the strongest outer work at the center of the line.

To the right across the plain, is Missionary Ridge. Rossville Gap, through which the main road runs across the Chickamauga Field to La Fayette, is the low depression directly east of the point of the mountain. The distance from Rossville to the north end of Missionary Ridge is eight miles. The first tower north of the Gap marks the site of Bragg's Headquarters. It is four miles from Rossville. The second tower marks the point where Baird's Division, the left of Gen. Thomas' assaulting column, gained the Ridge. The right of the storming line of the Army of the Cumberland reached nearly half way between Bragg's Headquarters and Rossville.

The small town in the gap of Missionary Ridge near its northern point marks the ground of Gen. Sherman's fighting in the battle of Missionary Ridge. For the details of his crossing of the river, see page 120, and for the account of the battle of Missionary Kidge, see page 123.

The next depression south of Rossville is McFarland's Gap. The battle field of Chickamauga lies about two and one-half miles east of Missionary Ridge and between Rossville and McFarland's Gap. Through the latter, the Union army withdrew at the close of the battle, and, passing out again through Rossville Gap, formed its lines at its southern