[Text from the outer plaque facing north]:
On Nov. 23, 1863, Maj. Gen. Hooker was directed to make a demonstration early the following morning on the Point of Lookout Mountain with the troops in Lookout Valley under his command, aggregating 9,681.
Geary's Division started at 8:00 A.M., crossed Lookout Creek at Light's Dam, and, moving by the flank, enveloped in fog and mist, until its right rested under the palisades. Marched northerly by brigades in echelon; Cobham's Brigade the right, Ireland's the center, and Candy's the left. Whitaker's Brigade was in support. Grose's Brigade drove the enemy from the bridge near railroad crossing and put it in repair.
Columns of Confederates moved from their camps and occupied protected positions on the western slope of the mountain. From these vantage points and the summit, they swept, with a fire of musketry, the ground over which the Union troops advanced. The Union artillery from ridges west of Lookout Creek and at Moccasin Point, fired effectively upon the enemy on the mountain side.
Geary's line smartly engaged the Confederate advance about 10 o'clock and, after his column had cleared the approaches to the railroad bridge, Woods' and Grose's Brigades crossed and extended the Union left to the road over the point of the mountain, pushing forward with Geary's Division whose right and center shortly thereafter attacked Walthall's Brigade behind breastworks. Though resisting stubbornly, the enemy was outflanked and speedily pushed back at all points until the head of the Union column reached Craven's House about noon. The Confederates retiring southerly to a line 400 yards beyond, which they occupied until their final withdrawal at 2 A.M. on the 25th. At 7 P.M. Carlin's Brigade reached Craven's House from Chattanooga, relieving Geary's right, and held this position throughout the night.
[Text from the outer plaque facing west]:
Union Troops in Battle of Lookout Mountain
Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker, Commanding.
2nd Division, 12th Corps (Slocum) - Brig. Gen. John W. Geary
First Brigade - Col. Charles Candy & Col. William R. Creighton
Second Brigade - Col. George A. Cobham, Jr.
Third Brigade - Col. David Ireland
1st Division, 15th Corps (Blair) - Brig. Gen. Peter J. Osterhaus
First Brigade - Brig. Gen. Charles R. Woods
Second Brigade - Col. James A. Williamson
1st Division, 4th Corps (Granger) - Brig. Gen. Charles Cruft
Second Brigade - Brig. Gen. Walter Whitaker
Third Brigade - Col. William Grose
1st Division, 14th Corps (Palmer) - Brig. Gen. Richard W. Johnson
First Brigade - Brig. Gen. William P. Carlin
Artillery
I, 1st New York, Capt. Michael Wiedrich: K, 1st Ohio, Lt. Nicholas Sahm: Knap's E. Pennsylvania, Lt. Jas. D. McGill: K, 5th U.S., Capt. E. C. Bainbridge: 1st Iowa, Lt. Jas. M. Williams: F, 2nd Missouri, Capt. C. Landgraeber: 4th Ohio, Capt. Geo. Froehlich: 10th Indiana, Capt. Wm. A. Naylor: 7th Indiana, (section) Lt. O. H. Morgan: 18th Ohio, Lt. J. McCafferty: 8th Wisconsin, Lt. O. German.
[Text from the outer plaque facing south]:
The Confederate forces west of Chattanooga Creek after dark, Nov. 23, 1863, were placed in command of Major General C. L. Stevenson. His division, consisting of Brown's, Pettus' and Cumming's Brigades, with Corput's Battery, occupied the summit of Lookout Mountain. Walthall's Brigade its westerly slope and Moore's the easterly side near Craven's house, both of Cheatham's Division. Cumming's Brigade moved that night to east base of the mountain.
About 10 A.M., Nov. 24, Walthall's advanced line was attacked in front and on left flank under cover of dense fog, and fell back slowly, "fighting over the rocks," to breastworks running down north slope of the mountain. His troops, though desperately resisting, were forced out by superior numbers and searching artillery fire and retired, passing Craven's house about noon, to trenches 400 yards south of that point, where his brigade reformed on Moore's left. After 250 pickets of Moore's Brigade were taken in reverse on north slope of mountain and captured, Walthall lost nearly half his command.
Pettus' Brigade about one P.M., relieved Walthall's, which soon returned to the front line and held it with the brigades of Pettus and Moore on its right. About 8 P.M., Holtzclaw's (Clayton's) Brigade of A.P. Stewart's Division relieved Walthall's and the 20th and 21st Alabama of Pettus'.
The attacking lines were hidden by heavy mist from sight of Brown's Brigade on the summit, but sharp-shooters were deployed down the mountain side who guided their firing by noise of the Federal musketry: at the same time men stationed along the crest rolled down rocks. All fighting was below the Palisades and the main battle lines diverged therefrom.
The Confederates on the summit began to withdraw about seven P.M., covered by sharp skirmish firing from troops in trenches south of Craven's house. At 2 A.M., Nov. 25, these troops also retired.
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