Online Encyclopedia
Battle of Missionary Ridge
The Battle of Missionary Ridge was a major battle of the American Civil War fought on November 25, 1863 in Chattanooga, Tennessee as part of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaign. The Ridge runs basically north-south for several kilometers that varies in with from a few meters to over 200 meters in width, with very steep, nearly vertical sides that rise over 100 meters from the ground surrounding it. The southern most end of the Ridge extends into Georgia. The Ridge was slightly east of the city at the time of the battle but now largely bisects it. Due to the steep angle and the presence of Confederate artillery on the Ridge, casualties were extremely high. The Confederates were finally forced to withdraw. The Ridge today is an affluent residential area with many plaques and monuments, some of which are in the yards of residents but most of the larger of which are surrounded by small reservations which are part of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park .