THE FIRST OCCUPATION OF CHATTANOOGA BY CONFEDERATES
At the outbreak of the Civil War, there were no Confederate soldiers in Chattanooga. They made their appearance in the spring of 1862—a year after the war started. These troops were commanded by Generals Floyd, Maxey and Leadbetter. It was only a short time until Union forces, commanded by General Mitchell, arrived. They shelled the city on June 7th and 8th, and the Confederates made a hasty exit. In August, General Braxton Bragg, commanding the Confederate army, invaded Chattanooga and started a campaign into Kentucky. After an unsuccessful campaign in Kentucky, Bragg was forced to fall back to Murfreesboro, Tennessee. At this time the Union army was at Nashville, Tennessee. On December 31, 1862, and January 1-2, 1863, the battle of Stones River, or Murfreesboro, was fought. This was a fierce battle which resulted in a Union victory. The victory enabled the Union army to spend the remainder of the winter in Murfreesboro, while the Confederates retreated southeastward to Tullahoma, Tennessee. At this time the Army of the Cumberland (Union) was commanded by Major-General William S. Rosecrans. The Army of Tennessee (Confederate) was commanded by General Braxton Bragg whom Fort Bragg, one of our most modern army posts, is named in honor of. Both armies were making preparations for future battles which they realized were forthcoming once winter was over. The Confederates posted a strong line of cavalry on the north side of the Duck river. Their infantry positions were strongly fortified. The winter months were long and severe, and you may be sure that both armies endured many hardships. The Union plans called for Rosecrans to take Chattanooga and Atlanta, both important railroad centers, during 1863. In fact, Chattanooga was an important railroad center as early as 1850. Both armies were rather idle for several months although Rosecrans was being urged to renew hostilities against Bragg.