Mountains Touched With Fire: Chattanooga Besieged, 1863

by Wiley Sword

A dramatic recreation of the 1863 siege of Chattanooga, Tennessee, details the events of the pivotal battle, the personalities of soldiers and officers on both sides, and the impact of the battle on the Civil War.

Genres: Civil War, History, American Civil War, Civil War Western Theater, Military History, Nonfiction, American History

430 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1995

About the author

A graduate of the University of Michigan, Wiley Sword worked as a manufacturer’s representative to the automobile industry until his retirement. He was also a prolific collector of Civil War memorabilia, and wrote several works of military history.

Reviews

[Theo Logos · Rating 4 out of 5]

The siege and the battle of Chattanooga presents a complex challenge to a writer that’s not necessarily present in most battle histories. The action was spread out over more than a two-month period. There was the critical but inactive month long siege when the Army of the Cumberland was besieged and nearly starved out of Chattanooga by Bragg's Confederates. When the action did start, it was broken up into various actions, small and large, dragging out for yet another month. This complex story was further complicated by the political moves that were altering the Union command, and the counterproductive, vicious infighting among Bragg's high command. Both played huge roles in the eventual outcome of the campaign.

Wiley Sword does a masterful job of tackling the daunting task of weaving a clear, informative, and exciting tapestry from all of these various threads. He begins with the bloody battle of Chickamauga. By devoting the first three chapters to this devastating defeat of the Union Army of the Cumberland that set up the conditions for the siege at Chattanooga, Sword wisely avoids opening his book with the long inaction of the siege. By necessity, a large section is devoted to the siege, and even Sword's fine writing sometimes fails to enliven this dull but crucial build up to the final crisis. He then expertly makes sense of the various and confusing military actions that started in late October, and did not end until the desperate rear guard action of the Confederates in flight on November 27. His account of Thomas' "demonstration" which turned into a full scale assault up Missionary Ridge and turned the tide of the battle is the most stirring of any that I have read of this stunning event.

Sword vividly paints Chattanooga as the most devilishly unpredictable of campaigns. Men with impressive reputations such as General Sherman and Confederate General Longstreet met with only failure and embarrassment here. The best plans of the Union's hero, General Grant, utterly failed, while actions planned only as diverting demonstrations turned into major victories at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. The action which against all odds swept the Confederates from their nearly impregnable position atop Missionary Ridge was based on a spur of the moment, ill-considered mistake made by Grant, and succeeded at least in part because it should never have been attempted. Sword shows a campaign won not by the generals, but by the vagaries of chance and the mettle of the men in the ranks.

Mountain Touched with Fire may not be the last word on Chattanooga, but it is the most accessible, the most engaging book on the subject, and the best place to begin to understand this complicated and crucial campaign.

['Aussie Rick' · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must say that the author provides more than enough detail of the events and personalities leading up the battle of Chattanoogo in 1863. And as the previous review makes mention he certainly covers all aspects of the soldiers and generals lives during this campaign . Of interest was the in-fighting between the Southern Officers and the decent and honest appraisal of Grant, Sherman & Thomas and who the real hereo/s were. The only thing that I could fault this book on was that you had to read nearly half of it until you got to the fighting, however once there it became a great book. The maps were OK but there could have been more and an index to their locations. The actual accounts of the fighting were excellent, however the lead up to the battle was, at time, tedious. Overall a good solid book which covers all aspects of the battle and the men involved and as good as Peter Cozzens; Shipwreck of their hopes.

[Todd Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

In November 1863, the United States Civil War found its center at Chattanooga, Tennessee. Chattanooga was an important railroad hub, considered by leaders on both sides as the gateway to the Deep South. Two months earlier, the Confederate Army of Tennessee had inflicted a crushing defeat on the Union Army of the Cumberland several miles south of Chattanooga in North Georgia at the Battle of Chickamauga. In retreating from the defeat at Chickamauga, the Union forces built protective fortifications around Chattanooga, which the Confederate Army immediately besieged. The topography of Chattanooga is dramatic and difficult for military operations of the Civil War period. A stalemate ensued between the two armies, until in late October, General Ulysses Grant was assigned command and arrived to replace the defeated General William Rosecrans in the wake of his loss at Chickamauga.

Wiley Sword performs impressive work in telling the story of the Battle of Chattanooga on November 23-25, 1863. Only one other major historical account of the war had been written prior to Sword’s work of the mid 1990’s, so it was a sadly lacking gap of historical writing and research to that point. Eminent historian Peter Cozzens later wrote “The Shipwreck of Their Hopes”, a highly technical and detailed account of the Battle of Chattanooga, but he heavily referenced the work of Sword in “Mountains Touched With Fire”. Sword explores both command and enlisted men level issues, while offering a detailed description of the actions during the battle. This is an excellent piece of American Civil War historical writing, and is written in a very accessible manner, allowing even those with little knowledge of the Civil War to enjoy learning the of the battle. While dedicated Civil War readers will similarly find much to enjoy.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A common complaint that my friends and family have about history is that their exposure to that field of study has too often comprised a mind-numbing series of dates, locations, and names, which they are asked to memorize (and which they rarely do). As a result, they have shied from histories until or unless someone else gives them an opportunity to see history as being nothing more than a series of interesting stories (in the right hands). I have to admit that I also like the storytellers — such as David McCullough and Bruce Catton — more than the detailed accountings that show me the trees without being able to convey the beauty of the forest.

Meet Wiley Sword.

I picked up Mountains Touched with Fire on Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, because the battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga have been somewhat of a blank slate for me. I'm not sure why that has been the case, but I suspect that the stories of those battles just haven't fit into a neat narrative. Chickamauga was a Union defeat — in some ways, the last of the war — and was the last major action of the war that didn't involve Grant or Sherman. Chattanooga was a victory in which the Union and Grant succeeded almost in spite of themselves. And there I stood on Lookout Mountain (the perfect place to put the entire battle of Chattanooga together in your head), wanting more detail so that I could understand how the Confederates managed to allow Union troops to drive them off of multiple heights… a feat that is completely at odds with the lessons of Fredericksburg and Gettysburg.

Meet Wiley Sword.

The impressive part of Mr. Sword's Mountains… is that he has managed to provide an enormous amount of detail about the Battles of Chattanooga without losing sight of the need to tell a compelling story. Thanks to Mr. Sword, I now have a detailed understanding of the rout of William Rosecrans at Chickamauga and how that turned into a desperate struggle for survival in a besieged Chattanooga. I now understand how Braxton Bragg's serious flaws in judgment created a situation in which he turned victory into defeat. I understand the "Cracker Line", the "Battle Above the Clouds", and how the Army of the Cumberland overcame their defeat and the low esteem in which Grant held them to turn what would have been a serious set-back on Missionary Ridge into a decisive Union victory.

At the same time, Mr. Sword was able to tell the tale in a way that was compelling and entertaining. He spun a yarn with mythic figures and household names: Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, Thomas, Rosecrans, Hooker, Burnside, Bragg, and Longstreet. But he also allowed me to spend some serious time contemplating the genius of General Pat Cleburne, who in a competent army would have risen higher than he did.

In the end, this is probably not a book for the casual reader, but for someone like me who craves insight and better understanding of the Civil War, this book was a rare find. And for anyone who has those same cravings, I recommend that you meet Wiley Sword.

[Sam Steffen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Mountains Touched with Fire" by Wiley Sword is a riveting dive into the Chattanooga Campaign of 1863, blending impeccable research with novelistic flair. Sword vividly captures the chaos of battles like Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, bringing Union heroes like Grant and the gritty realities of Civil War soldiers to life. An engaging, authoritative read that seals its place as a must for history buffs—highly recommended!

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though not quite the intense experience I had reading Sword's other western theater book 'The Confederacy's Last Hurrah', this is still some of the most top notch historical war writing you are going to find.

[Kevin Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent narrative about an important campaign

The author’s research was impeccable. My only complaint is that I got lost occasionally among all the names that were thrown at me. A few more maps would help as well.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wiley Sword is an incredible Civil War historian and his book Mountains Touched With Fire is excellent. His research on the the battle of Chattanooga and the writing of the civilians as well as the soldiers from both side of the conflict makes this book valuable reading on many levels.

[Kendrick Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent book, best I've read on Chattanooga

[Chris Eckard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid history of a remarkable and rather chaotic campaign.

[Paul Hyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

Very detailed story about the battle of Chattanooga . I live close to there and have seen the battle fields in passing. Now I better understand the whole story,

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gettysburg and the battles between Grant and Lee later in the war get the most coverage but the western front is where the Confederacy really lost the Civil War. Mountains Touched with Fire details the battle of Chattanoga, where Grant cemented his reputation and ended any hope of success for the Amy of the Tennessee.

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book on the Chattanooga campaign; covers the major decisions (and blunders) made by both sides. However, the maps could have been done batter, some of which were pages away from the military action they show. Also, the role of some of the corps commanders are ignored; for example, John Breckinridge was barely mentioned at all in the Confederate defense of Missionary Ridge.

[Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up as I read on the Emerging Civil War blog that the author passed. I'm saddened by that. I enjoyed the book, although as other reviewers have said the book starts slow and picks up. I have never been a Grant fan and this book just adds to that. The way he treated George H Thomas was just shameful.

[Cameron Beatty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The author was able to keep an entertaining story based on facts that were interesting. It took me longer to get through than most types of books I read, but that doesn't mean I didn't have a good time doing it. Author used the word arouse excessively.

[Alex Ghio · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far pretty good. I do get the impression that there are some gaps in research, but I cannot confirm that.

[Iain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started slow, but ramped up with the events it covered and was hard to put down.

[Ronald Vasicek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. I found the infighting amongst commanders within the same army most interesting. Though, at times, there was a bit more detail than I needed.