The Chattanooga and Knoxville Campaigns

Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee besieged Union forces in Chattanooga after the Battle of Chickamauga in September 1863. Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George Thomas took control of the Union Army there and exploited the complex mountainous topography to create a “Cracker Line” to the west. With the siege effectively broken by late October, Bragg sent Lt. Gen. James Longstreet’s Corps to Knoxville to retake that railroad city, which had been occupied by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside’s Army of the Ohio since early September. In late November the Union Army of the Cumberland and Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s recently arrived Army of the Tennessee broke out of Chattanooga while Burnside’s men defeated Longstreet’s attack on Knoxville’s Fort Sanders. The Union Army’s successful Chattanooga and Knoxville military campaigns opened Georgia to Union invasion, confirmed Grant’s suitability for leadership over all Union forces, and recalibrated the politics of loyalty in a bitterly divided section of the South.

A Pathway to Victory

There were several reasons the Army of Tennessee kept fighting despite demoralizing losses. Some considered the war a fight to the death; that is, being brought back into the Union was not an option. Others hoped for foreign intervention, but most knew this was unlikely. Some found comfort in rumors of international recognition. Others believed the war would bankrupt the North. The re-election of Republican Abraham Lincoln ended hopes that a Democrat in office would end the war and grant the south its wishes. In general, the Army of Tennessee believed that they could keep fighting until the North was too war-weary to continue. There was no talk of surrender.

Struggle for Atlanta

Beginning in May 1864, the Army of Tennessee engaged in several confrontations with Sherman’s Union forces. At the Battle of New Hope Church, the Union sustained 1,732 casualties while the Confederates only sustained 448. The battle was dubbed “The Hell Hole” because of the gruesome sight of so many dead Union soldiers. In a subsequent battle, Sherman lost 1,600 and Cleburne’s division only lost 500. Despite these victories, Johnston and the Army of Tennessee were gradually pushed back to Atlanta. Officer Hood replaced Johnston after Davis and other military officials expressed displeasure at Johnston’s constant retreating and lack of plan for defending Atlanta. After several engagements throughout August and July, the Confederates lost Atlanta.

Home Sweet Home

The sight of refugees and damaged towns and countryside often lowered troop morale. Some historians argue that after mid-1863, the Union adopted an unofficial strategy that consisted of destroying private property, which took a significant toll on civilians. Labor shortages left non-slave holding Whites in a tough position, and many women and children faced poverty with the men in their familial units absent. Many men in the Army of Tennessee suffered from severe homesickness and expressed this in letters to their families.

Logistics

Feeding the men and animals of the Army of Tennessee required thousands of tons of food to be transported by wagon, train, and steamboat. In addition to transportation, feeding the army proved difficult because its food supply had to be shared with other branches of the Confederate Army. Soldiers often complained of monotonous rations. Capt. Moses H. Wright’s Atlanta Arsenal supplied most of the Army of Tennessee’s ammunition. However, the Atlanta Arsenal struggled to keep up with demand, and army personnel complained about defective equipment. An attempt to uniformly equip soldiers with weapons ultimately failed. The Atlanta Quartermaster Depot made shoes exclusively for the Army of Tennessee. This depot also made clothing for the army. Shortages of clothing and shoes persisted. The Army of Tennessee relied on the Western & Atlantic railroad to transport materials from Atlanta, which at times did not have enough engines to provide adequate supplies. Overall, the Army of Tennessee had industrial assets, but an inadequate transportation system led to meat shortages, which decreased morale and resulted in desertions. Additionally, the poor transportation system prevented additional troops from reaching the disastrous Battle of Chickamauga.

The Sway of Religion

Two revivals occurred in the Army of Tennessee: The first in spring 1863 and the second in Winter 1864. Before the revivals, the army was generally apathetic toward religion. The war had been dragging on with no victory in sight, and some thought individual soldiers must begin behaving more righteously to ensure God’s favor for the cause. Then, in late April and early May, visiting ministers inspired a revival. The ministers were not very focused on dogma or denominationalism, but believed because slavery was part of God’s design that he would ensure a Confederate victory. Bragg was not swept up in revivals but did get baptised in June. Ultimately, the new religious fervor boosted morale. The revival in February 1864 coincided with enlistment.

Epilogue

Overall, the failure of the Army of Tennessee had myriad causes. First, the leaders of the Army of Tennessee, like General Bragg, did not receive enough cooperation to be successful. Second, an insufficient number of Kentuckians joined the army. Next, geography, notably how to handle the Mississippi, Tennessee, and Cumberland rivers, created strategic challenges. Additionally, an inadequate railroad system incumbered the transportation of people and goods. Finally, Union forces were better managed.

Conquered

Morale plummeted after the loss of Atlanta, though Davis came to visit the Army of Tennessee and was well received. Hood began his North Georgia Campaign in late September. His plan was to destroy the Western & Atlanta railroad to cut off Sherman’s supply line and then have the Army of Tennessee attack from the rear. The army succeeded in destroying the railroad and moved on to Tuscumbia, Alabama. Next, Hood planned to go to Nashville, march into Kentucky, threaten Cincinnati, and recruit men along the way. Ultimately, the Tennessee campaign failed. George Thomas’s Union forces defeated the Army of Tennessee at Nashville and they were forced to retreat to Mississippi. The Army of Tennessee surrendered on April 26, 1885, 17 days after Robert E. Lee.