The battle of Chattanooga was actually three separate battles on three successive days.
The battle of Chattanooga consisted of three separate battles fought over three days in November 1863. The three battles were the battle of Orchard Knob, the battle of Lookout Mountain, and the battle of Missionary Ridge. However, if all went according to Grant's plan, the fighting of the past two days would have been in a single focused attack on the entire Confederate line. On Monday afternoon, November 23, 1863, Union troops under the command of General George H. Thomas formed battle lines in an open valley between the city of Chattanooga and a rocky mound, known as Orchard Knob, to the east. Confederate sentries atop Orchard Knob anxiously watched as the Union lines moved into a parade-like formation in front of their positions. The battle of Lookout Mountain also known as the Battle Above The Clouds was fought on November 24, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga Campaign of the American Civil War. The battle on Missionary Ridge was fought on November 25, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the Union victory in the Battle of Lookout Mountain on November 24, Union forces in the Military Division of the Mississippi under Maj. Gene. Ulysses S. Grant assaulted Missionary Ridge and defeated the Confederate Army of Tennessee, commanded by Gen. Braxton Bragg, forcing it to retreat to Georgia.
These three separate battles contribute greatly to the meaning and are one of the facts about the battle of Chattanooga. Although the Orchard Knob was a minor skirmish, it showed Grant that Bragg's army was still a fighting force capable of fighting and helped Bragg realize that he should be concerned about the possibility of a Union attack on his line. On November 25, Orchard Knob became General Grant's forward observation post as he watched the Confederate assault on Missionary Ridge. Missionary Ridge was so named for the early missionaries who made their way along paths climbing the ridge on their way to Brainerd Village to the settlement of the Cherokee. It was also referred to as "Mission Ridge" in the early years. The southernmost end of the ridge extends into Georgia.
