Mountains Touched with Fire: Chattanooga Besieged, 1863

Sword (Embrace an Angry Wind) makes a significant contribution to Civil War battle history in this account of the dramatic breaking of the Confederate siege of Chattanooga in November 1863. The Confederacy's defeat began with Gen. Braxton Bragg's conviction that his positions on Missionary Ridge were so naturally strong that they precluded direct attack. It was facilitated by vicious infighting among senior commanders of Bragg's army. But the North still had to win the battle. Initially Ulysses Grant's attack was checked on both flanks. Even William Sherman could make no headway against Pat Cleburne, whom Sword regards as the best general on either side. Then the Army of the Cumberland took matters into their own hands with a headlong frontal assault up the steep slopes of Missionary Ridge. Caught by surprise, the Confederates retreated, then broke and ran, carrying with them the last faint prospects for Southern independence. (Apr.)