NEWS OF 150 YEARS AGO
November and December 1863
From The Missouri Democrat, Thursday, November 26, 1863.
THE LATEST NEWS.
BY TELEGRAPH.
FROM CHATTANOOGA.
GRANT’S OPERATIONS IN THE SOUTHWEST.
Assault on Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge.
BOTH POINTS SUCCESSFULLY CARRIED
Cheering from Burnside.
HE BATTLES EVERY ATTEMPT TO DISLODGE HIM.
The Rebels Completely Routed.
5,000 PRISONERS CAPTURED.
Thirty Pieces of Artillery Taken.
FULL PARTICULARS OF THE THREE DAY’S FIGHTING
PARTIAL LIST OF CASUALTIES.
Gens. Matthias and Corse Wounded
ETC., ETC., ETC.
[Special Dispatch to the Missouri Democrat.]
CHATTANOOGA, Nov. 25. – The success of our arms to-day was very brilliant. The enemy were driven from every position. All portions of our army fought splendidly, but the piercing of the enemy’s centre by Woods, Sheridan and Baird’s divisions, and their occupation of Missionary Ridge, is regarded as one of the grandest exploits of the war.
Hooker’s capture of Lookout Mountain yesterday, enabled him to sweep around on the Rossville road to-day, and occupy the right of the ridge and pouncing in force on the rebel left.
Part of Sherman’s force, with Howard’s Corps, went around between the end of Missionary Ridge and the river, thus placing themselves directly upon the rebel right.
The situation is one of great interest, and we scarcely know how the Union arms can fail to achieve a complete triumph if the rebels fight on our left.
We met with but one trifling misfortune, the brigade of John E. Smith’s division having been repulsed in attempting to take a rebel battery on Tunnel Hill.
Our losses are comparatively small, and will not probably exceed 3,000 killed, wounded and missing in the entire three days battle. Of the enemy we have killed and wounded at least 2,000 and taken 5,000 prisoners, besides 30 pieces of artillery. But the strategic moral of our great victory cannot be measured by the material losses of the enemy.
Among the killed her Major Irwin, 6th Ohio; Lieutenant Scitt, 69th Ohio; Captain Cling, 64th Ohio.
Wounded: Captain Warwick, 2d Ohio; Lieutenant Zerg, 12th Ohio; Lieutenant Emery, 2d Ohio; Captain Moore, 69th Ohio; Captain Lemons, 69th Ohio; Captain Neeper, 64th Ohio; Lieutenant Hall, 64th Ohio; Captain Wolf, 64th Ohio; General Corse and General Mathias.
[To the Associated Press.]
WASHINGTON, Nov. 25. – The Star has the following dispatch:
CHATTANOOGA, Nov. 25. – Bragg evacuated the summit of Lookout mountain last night, and our troops now occupy it. He, however, still holds the rifle pits at the base of Missionary Ridge.
The news of the glorious success of Grant creates the greatest delight and rejoicing.
The Star says: We have positive and reliable intelligence from our army under Burnside at Knoxville up to noon of day before yesterday, embracing twenty-four hours later than has previously reached here. Burnside has been able not only to hold his position without loss, but to keep open and intact all his communications. Everything is progressing as well as could be desired.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 25. – The following was received here this afternoon from a responsible source:
CHATTANOOGA, Nov. 25, 11 a. m. – We have had a brisk engagement this morning, and I have driven the enemy entirely off from Lookout Mountain, a considerable portion of which they held up to this morning.
We have also taken Mission Ridge from him, and the troublesome rifle pits, in possession of which yesterday’s engagement left him, and its cross-firing has ceased for sufficient time to warrant the conclusion that Bragg has retreated certainly, leaving all the ground and strong points in our possession, for which we have been fighting for the last three days. Our army is in glorious exultation over their series of victories.
CHATTANOOGA, Nov. 25, 7 p. m. – We are completely victorious. The enemy is totally routed and driven from every position. Our loss is small,. The enemy’s loss is heavy in prisoners. Finding Hooker so successful in his movements against Lookout Mountain, the enemy evacuated that position during the night.
Hooker took possession early this morning and moved south and got on Missionary Ridge somewhere near the battlefield of Chickamauga. He is expected to intercept the flying rebels. General Hooker is said to have captured not less than two thousand prisoners in his magnificent assault of Lookout Mountain.
General Sherman being all prepared began an assault at 8 p. m. to-day upon the strong position of the enemy at the north end of Missionary Ridge. He had the day before taken a hill near the position of the enemy, but commanded by their artillery, and he had to descend into a valley, and from there make another ascent to the position held by the rebels.
Two unsuccessful assaults were made by Sherman, but with the co-operation of the center he ultimately gained the position and completed the victory.
The brigade of General Schurz, with a portion of General Lighthead’s brigade composed the storming party in the first assault.
They were repulsed with quite a heavy loss, after an attack persisted in for an hour, but not being reinforced, they were unable to hold a part of the hill. In this attack General Corse was wounded quite severely in the thigh.
The 37th Ohio, 6th Iowa and 103d Illinois were in the assault.
A second assault was made at 1:30 p. m., in which Mathias’s, Loomis’s and Raum’s brigades were engaged. This force reached within twenty yards of the summit of the hill and works of the enemy when they were flanked and broke, retreating to the reserves.
In his assault General Mathias was wounded, and Colonel Putnam, of the 93d Ohio, killed. Their persistent efforts compelled the enemy to mass heavily on his right in order to hold the position of so much importance to him.
About two o’clock General Grant started two columns against the weakened centre, and after an hour’s desperate fighting succeeded in breaking the centre and gaining possession of the Ridge on which the enemy was posted.
The main force was driven northward, towards Sherman, who opened on them, and they were forced to break and seek safety in disordered flight down the west slope of the ridge and across the Chickamauga.
We’ve taken not less than 5,000 prisoners, and perhaps as many as 10,000. General Hooker will probably intercept the flying enemy in the vicinity of Rossville in the region east of it.
There are reports that we have taken a whole corps. Among the casualties are Lieutenant Colonel Espy, 80th Indiana; Major McCauly, 10th Iowa; Colonel Omars, 50th Illinois; Major Walker, 10th Missouri; Major Welch, 56th Illinois; Major Innes, 6th Iowa, wounded.
Full reports of killed and wounded cannot be obtained, as most of the killed were in Sherman’s corps, and remained at dark in the hands of the enemy. The list will be telegraphed to-morrow. Prisoners say that Bragg was on the Ridge just before they were taken.
The successful storming party consisted of Wood’s and Baird’s divisions on the left-center, and Johnson’s and Sheridan’s on the right-center. Some of our wounded were left in the hands of the enemy after Sherman’s unsuccessful assault, but were ultimately recovered.
LATER.
TEN P. M. – The captured artillery is reported at about forty pieces. General Hooker captured five boxes of new muskets on Lookout Mountain.
We are in entire possession of the field, and have control over the railroad and river to Bridgeport.
Two boats came to this morning. Our loss will not amount to more than 500 killed and 2,500 wounded in the three days’ operations. The success has been most brilliant. The enemy is reported bivouacking two miles beyond Mission Ridge.
Colonel Phelps, of the 38th Ohio, and Major Glass, of the 32d Indiana, are killed. Gen. John E. Smith is reported wounded. Colonel Avery, of the 102d New York, lost a leg. Major Eliott is the same as dead.
