Overview
The Battle of Wauhatchie took place from October 28 to October 29, 1863, in Hamilton and Marion counties, Tennessee, and Dade County, Georgia. It was one of the largest night battles of the Civil War and was part of the Chattanooga Campaign.
After the Confederate victory at Chickamauga, General Braxton Bragg occupied the high ground around Chattanooga and placed the Union Army of the Cumberland under siege. Union officials sent reinforcements under General Joseph Hooker and General William T. Sherman. They also placed General Ulysses S. Grant in command of Union forces near Chattanooga.
Grant approved General William F. “Baldy” Smith’s plan to open a new supply route through Brown’s Ferry. Union troops captured the ferry on October 27. Hooker then marched through Lookout Valley and left General John W. Geary’s division at Wauhatchie Station to guard a supply train.
Confederate forces led by General James Longstreet and General Micah Jenkins launched a night attack against Geary’s isolated troops. Geary’s men formed a V-shaped line and held their position. Hooker sent reinforcements under General Carl Schurz, prompting Jenkins to withdraw. The Union victory protected the supply route known as the “Cracker Line,” which helped Grant supply Chattanooga and later break the Confederate siege.
Essential Facts
- Also Known As: Battle of Brown’s Ferry.
- Date: October 28–29, 1863.
- Location: Hamilton County, Tennessee; Marion County, Tennessee; and Dade County, Georgia.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: Joseph Hooker and John W. Geary.
- CSA Commanders: James Longstreet and Micah Jenkins.
- Who Won: The United States won the Battle of Wauhatchie.
- Campaign: Chattanooga Campaign.
- Era: Civil War, July–December, 1863.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: An estimated 420 soldiers killed, wounded, captured, or missing.
- Forces Engaged: 11th Army Corps and 12th Army Corps.
- Troop Strength: Unknown.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: An estimated 408 soldiers killed, wounded, captured, or missing.
- Forces Engaged: Jenkins’ Brigade and Longstreet’s Corps.
- Troop Strength: Unknown.
Significance
The Battle of Wauhatchie is important to American History because it protected the Union supply route into Chattanooga during the Confederate Siege of Chattanooga. The victory allowed General Ulysses S. Grant to establish the “Cracker Line,” which provided food and other supplies to the Army of the Cumberland. Once supplies reached Chattanooga, Union conditions improved, and Grant could prepare further operations against General Braxton Bragg. Union forces later broke the siege and drove the Confederate army south into Georgia. This success helped prepare Chattanooga as a base for General William T. Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign. The battle was also one of the largest night battles of the Civil War.
History
Rosecrans Moves Toward Chattanooga
On December 26, 1862, Major General William S. Rosecrans led the Union Army of the Cumberland out of Nashville, Tennessee, with orders to capture Chattanooga, Tennessee. Chattanooga was an important railroad junction that connected the upper Confederacy with the Deep South. Between Rosecrans and Chattanooga was Lieutenant General Braxton Bragg and his Confederate Army of Tennessee.
Bragg Abandons Chattanooga
The two armies clashed in a series of battles over the next nine months, and the Confederates consistently retreated south. On September 9, Bragg abandoned Chattanooga and led the Army of Tennessee through the mountains into northern Georgia. Although Rosecrans achieved his objective of capturing Chattanooga, he decided to pursue Bragg’s army into Georgia.
Battle of Chickamauga
Stung by the criticism he received for abandoning Chattanooga, Bragg counterattacked at the Battle of Chickamauga (September 19–20, 1863). The victorious Confederates drove the Federals back toward Chattanooga, forcing them to occupy the defensive works previously constructed by the Confederates. Bragg seized the high ground overlooking Chattanooga (Lookout Mountain, Seminary Ridge, and Raccoon Mountain) and laid siege to the city.
Federals Reinforce Chattanooga
Reacting to the Army of the Cumberland’s dire situation, Northern authorities sent 20,000 soldiers under the command of Major General Joseph Hooker, as well as 16,000 men that Major General William T. Sherman led, to help lift the siege. Officials placed Major General Ulysses S. Grant in command of all Union soldiers in the vicinity of Chattanooga and also replaced Rosecrans with Major General George Thomas as the commander of the Army of the Cumberland.
Smith’s Plan to Open Supply Lines
As reinforcements began to arrive in late October 1863, Grant launched an operation to ease the Army of the Cumberland’s supply problems. Brigadier General William F. “Baldy” Smith had proposed a plan to create a new supply line earlier, but Rosecrans had failed to act on his subordinate’s recommendation. Smith’s plan required seizing the road connecting Chattanooga to the Tennessee River at Brown’s Ferry.
When Grant arrived in Chattanooga, he adopted the plan and placed Smith in charge of taking control of the river at Brown’s Ferry. Under the cover of darkness, two brigades under Smith’s command floated past Confederate lookouts on the river and easily established a beachhead at Brown’s Ferry early on the morning of October 27.
Hooker Moves through Lookout Valley
Meanwhile, Hooker marched three divisions from Bridgeport, Alabama, through Lookout Valley towards Brown’s Ferry from the southwest. As Hooker passed through Lookout Valley on October 28, he detached Brigadier General John W. Geary’s division at Wauhatchie Station, a stop on the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad.
Confederates Attack at Wauhatchie Station
From their position on Lookout Mountain, Bragg and Lieutenant General James Longstreet observed the Union movements on October 27th and 28th. Noting that Geary’s isolated division was guarding a large train of supplies, which the Confederates desperately needed, they launched a night attack against Geary on October 29. At around midnight, General Micah Jenkins’s brigade of South Carolinians surprised Geary’s men, who quickly formed into a V-shaped battle line and managed to hold their position.
Federal Reinforcements Force Confederate Retreat
Upon hearing the sounds of fighting, Hooker dispatched two divisions of the 9th Corps, commanded by Major General Carl Schurz, to assist Geary. As the federal reinforcements began arriving, Jenkins halted the attack and returned to Lookout Mountain.
Aftermath of the Battle
The Battle of Wauhatchie was a relatively minor engagement in terms of casualties. The Union lost an estimated 420 soldiers (killed, wounded, and captured/missing) compared to 408 for the Confederacy. The battle was significant, however, because it enabled Grant to establish a much-needed supply line (known as the Cracker Line) to provision his starving army at Chattanooga. Once supplies began flowing, the Federals broke Bragg’s siege and drove the Confederate army south into Georgia, paving the way for Major General William T. Sherman’s successful Atlanta Campaign.
Timeline
- 1862, December 26 — William S. Rosecrans led the Army of the Cumberland out of Nashville with orders to capture Chattanooga.
- 1863, September 9 — Braxton Bragg abandoned Chattanooga and moved the Army of Tennessee into northern Georgia.
- 1863, September 19–20 — Confederate forces won the Battle of Chickamauga.
- 1863, Late October — Union reinforcements arrived near Chattanooga as Ulysses S. Grant worked to improve the army’s supply situation.
- 1863, October 27 — Union forces established a secure position at Brown’s Ferry.
- 1863, October 28 — Joseph Hooker marched through Lookout Valley and left John W. Geary’s division at Wauhatchie Station.
- 1863, October 29
- Micah Jenkins launched a night attack against Geary’s Union troops.
- Union reinforcements arrived, and Jenkins withdrew to Lookout Mountain.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Wauhatchie (1863) — The Battle of Wauhatchie was fought from October 28 to October 29, 1863, during the Chattanooga Campaign. Union forces first captured Brown’s Ferry and opened a route through Lookout Valley. Confederate troops then launched a night attack against General John W. Geary’s isolated division at Wauhatchie Station. Union reinforcements forced the Confederates to retreat, protecting the Union supply line, known as the “Cracker Line,” and allowing supplies to reach Chattanooga.
Alignment
The Battle of Wauhatchie is part of the following AP US History sections:
