During the night of Nov. 23, 1863, Gen. Sherman crossed the Tennessee at the mouth of the Chickamauga, under orders to carry the north end of Missionary Ridge to the railroad tunnel. He seized the ground now known as Sherman Heights and held it during the night.
Gen. Thomas having obtained permission for Gen. Hooker to make a demonstration against Lookout Mountain, the latter having Geary's, Cruft's and Osterhaus' Divisions, the latter of Sherman's Army, crossed Lookout Creek at Light's Mill, just south of Wauhatchie at 8 o'clock A.M. with Geary's Division supported by Whitaker's Brigade of Cruft, ascended the mountain by the flank to the foot of the palisades, and moved north toward the point of the mountain. Cruft's remaining brigade crossed above the railroad bridge and Osterhaus' just below it, and the whole line attacked the flank and front of Walthall's Brigade which alone at the opening of the battle held the slope of the mountain below the palisades.
At noon the Cravens House was carried. Walthall fell back 400 yards southeast of Cravens, and was there re-enforced by Pettus' Brigade, and had Moore's Brigade on his right. Carlin's Brigade from Chattanooga re-enforced Hooker at dark, and Clayton's Brigade, commanded by Col. Holtzclaw, relieved Walthall and Pettus at 8 P.M. The Confederates held their line until 2 A.M. when they abandoned the mountain retiring to Missionary Ridge.
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