(Source: New York Times, November 1, 2013)
NEW YORK — On Sept. 20, 1863, Union Gen. William S. Rosecrans was defeated at the crucial battle of Chickamauga that left 16,000 men killed, wounded and captured, after which he retreated into Chattanooga, situated on the south bank of the Tennessee River. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg pursued him, taking possession of the heights of Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain, east and south of town. Rosecrans was trapped — the only main road out of town, along the river toward a railhead that linked Chattanooga with Nashville, was in range of Confederate artillery in the mountains. Rosecrans’s only good supply route was lost.
Full story: New York Times