Abstract
The purpose of this work is to demonstrate the importance of the Chattanooga Campaign. The campaign was important to the war because the Confederate loss opened the deeper Southern states to the advancing Union Armies. Due to the ineptitudes and failures of their leader, Braxton Bragg, the Army of Tennessee was forced to relinquish their hold on east Tennessee. Bragg's failures were equally matched by the insubordination he received from his subordinate officers, Leonidas Polk, William Hardee, and James Longstreet. These men failed to work together and consequently Tennessee was lost to the Union. Chattanooga was a major rail hub and industrial city in the South. Its loss was devastating to the South because it could not afford to lose the important commodities that the city offered. By examining the official records, diaries, memoirs, and secondary sources, it becomes clear that Chattanooga was more than just a city to the South, it was their last bastion of hope that they could win the war. This thesis aims to illustrate the importance of this campaign by showing what the South lost and North gained from the campaign. Throughout the year 1863, the South had many devastating losses and Chattanooga was the final one. Bragg and his army had failed during the campaign, and the once dominant Confederacy began to crumble.
Advisor
Kathleen Gorman
Committee Member
Matt Loayza
Committee Member
Lori Lahlum
Date of Degree
2013
Language
english
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Arts (MA)
College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Smith, J. R. (2013). The Chattanooga Campaign: Death of the Confederacy [Master’s thesis, Minnesota State University, Mankato]. Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds/143/
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