The siege of Chattanooga continued as a new general was given command of the Federal armies in the West. Braxton Bragg continued alienating his subordinates. The Republican rift in Missouri continued, and crucial state elections took place in various northern states. With both the armies in Virginia weakened, George G. Meade’s Federals tried to begin a new campaign against Robert E. Lee.
Joseph Wheeler’s Confederate cavalry force enters the Sequatchie Valley in Tennessee to raid the supply lines of William S. Rosecrans’s Federal Army of the Cumberland.
Inspire with Undivided Confidence
Troops from the Federal Army of the Potomac arrive at Bridgeport, Alabama, to reinforce the Federals trapped in Chattanooga, while dissension grows within the Confederate Army of Tennessee.
Nathaniel P. Banks launches another Federal offensive intended to capture eastern Texas and stop the flow of supplies into the Confederacy via Mexico.
Joseph O. “Jo” Shelby’s Confederate “Iron Brigade” enters Missouri and conducts the longest raid of the war.
A small Confederate torpedo boat named the C.S.S. David detonates a mine against the Federal ironclad U.S.S. New Ironsides outside Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.
Confederate partisan William C. Quantrill launches a merciless raid on a small Federal force in southeastern Kansas.
Federal signalmen from the Army of the Potomac report that Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia is mobilizing to possibly attack.
Demoralization in the Army of Tennessee
President Jefferson Davis holds meetings with the top officers in the Army of Tennessee to try resolving the deep dissension among them.
The Federal Army of the Cumberland is reinforced, but it becomes clear that its commander, William S. Rosecrans, is not up to the task of breaking his troops out of Chattanooga.
Lee Attempts Another Flanking Maneuver
Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia attempts another flanking maneuver after George G. Meade’s Federals fall back.
The 1863 Northern State Elections
President Abraham Lincoln anxiously awaits the outcome of elections in several northern states considered crucial to the war effort.
The Bristoe Station Engagement
Parts of Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and George G. Meade’s Federal Army of the Potomac clash as Lee tries flanking Meade in northern Virginia.
The Northern Virginia Campaign Ends
George G. Meade’s Federal Army of the Potomac continues its withdrawal, preventing Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia from turning its right flank and rear.
The Lincoln administration orders Ulysses S. Grant to Louisville, where he takes command of the new Military Division of the Mississippi, with the top priority being to break the besieged Federals out of Chattanooga.
Confederate Strategy Changes at Chattanooga
The Lincoln administration orders Ulysses S. Grant to Louisville, where he takes command of the new Military Division of the Mississippi, with the top priority being to break the besieged Federals out of Chattanooga.
A lopsided cavalry engagement near Buckland Mills marks the end of the 11-day Bristoe campaign.
Grant Sets Out for Chattanooga
Ulysses S. Grant leaves Louisville to take personal command of the Federals besieged in Chattanooga as the commander of the new Military Division of the Mississippi.
Weighing Options in Northern Virginia
George G. Meade attends a meeting at Washington to discuss what, if anything, could be done to confront Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.
Preparing to Open the Cracker Line
Ulysses S. Grant personally inspects the proposed supply route at Brown’s Ferry on the Tennessee River and approves the plan to open the “cracker line” to feed the Federals besieged in Chattanooga.
Knocking the Cover Off the Cracker Box
Federal forces move to open the “cracker line” to feed the starving troops in Chattanooga, while Confederates try to block them.
News that Federals had secured Brown’s Ferry outside Chattanooga enrages Braxton Bragg, and James Longstreet plans to counter with a Confederate night assault.
The Siege of Chattanooga is Broken
Federals secure their new supply line into Chattanooga, while Jefferson Davis suggests that Braxton Bragg detach one of his troublesome commanders from the Confederate Army of Tennessee.
Last Updated: 10/30/2023