Marching into Chattanooga with the 97th Ohio

     For more than a year, the Army of the Cumberland had sought to capture the strategic city of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Nestled into a bend of the Tennessee River and dominated by the towering heights of Lookout Mountain to the west, Chattanooga was the major railroad junction and primary supply depot for Braxton Bragg's Army of Tennessee. The key to the Confederate heartland lay through Chattanooga and by early September that key was about to slide into the Union's pocket. 

    General Thomas L. Crittenden's 21st Army Corps had been demonstrating against Chattanooga since late August, a feint designed to keep Braxton Bragg's attention away from the Tennessee River crossings further downstream where General William S. Rosecrans intended to move the 14th Corps and 20th Corps of his army across the river, aiming to fall on Bragg's rear and force his departure from Chattanooga. The ploy worked, and on September 9th the Confederates evacuated the city. Lieutenant Colonel Milton Barnes' 97th Ohio was among the first Federal troops to march into the city as Colonel Barnes relates in the article below. 


    Wagner’s Brigade, of which the 97th Ohio was a part, crossed the Cumberland Mountains direct from Pelham approaching Chattanooga from the north. Several days were spent about the hills north of the river, fronting the city, skirmishing with Rebel pickets and exchanging shot and shell with the enemy. They occupied a strong fort on a beach on the east side of Cameron Hill about 400 feet high immediately overlooking the river inside the city limits. We had pushed their pickets back across the river and our picket line finally extended along the north bank of the river immediately opposite the city.

Lieutenant Colonel Milton Barnes and his 97th Ohio were among the first Federal troops to occupy Chattanooga, Tennessee in the opening moves of the Chickamauga campaign. Chattanooga, Tennessee had grown into a major Union army depot by the time this image was taken in 1864. 


          On the 8th day of September 1863, the 97th Ohio was on picket duty and occupied that line skirmishing with the enemy across the river all day. The next morning (September 9th) as soon as it was light enough to see, it was discovered that the heavy guns in this fort had been removed, although the pickets were still there and resumed their firing. It soon became evident that the Rebels were evacuating the city and about 8 a.m. their officer of the day rode down the line and took off his pickets. A citizen then waved his white handkerchief to us. Two line officers of the 97th Ohio were immediately dispatched in a dugout to cross over and bring back the old mule ferry boat that lay at the wharf at the foot of Market Street. Taking two companies of the 97th with the colors, Major Moore and myself with our horses boarded the ferryboat, crossed over quickly, deployed as skirmishers, and climbed the steep declivity into this fort, took possession of it, and immediately planted the colors of the 97th Ohio on its parapet.

Lt. Col. Milton Barnes
97th O.V.I.  

          At the sight of the flag as it floated from this fort from which we had been vigorously shelled for several days, the whole brigade on the hill north of the river sent up a shout, while Cox’s battery fired a salute of six guns. On reaching this fort (which has since been converted into a reservoir for the city waterworks), a fine view was spread out before us of the city and its surroundings including the old Crutchfield House which was but a few blocks away. The rear of the retreating column of the Rebel army was still visible in the lower part of the city, but the Stars and Stripes had not yet made their appearance on the Crutchfield House or surely someone of the 70 or 80 soldiers then in the fort and in full view would have noticed it. In this connection, an important fact will be remembered by those who had reached the fort and run up the 97th Ohio’s flag, that is that skirmishing was distinctly heard at the foot of Lookout Mountain. This firing, however, ceased pretty soon and it was not long until there was a demonstration of Union troops coming in from that direction. It was recognition of the fact that Wagner’s brigade was the first in the city that they were placed on provost duty and General Wagner was made commandant of the post and we held in reserve, not called into action at the Battle of Chickamauga.

 

The national colors of the 97th Ohio that flew over Chattanooga in September 1863 bear the names of numerous battles including Perryville and Stones River. The regiment remained in Chattanooga as provost guards during the Battle of Chickamauga and hence missed out on that engagement. But there was plenty of fighting yet to come as the flag eloquently attests. 

Sources:

“Taking of Chattanooga,” Lieutenant Colonel Milton Barnes, National Tribune, April 15, 1886, pg. 4

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