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Battle above the Clouds: Lifting the Siege of Chattanooga and the Battle of Lookout Mountain, October 16 - November 24, 1863
In October 1863, the Union Army of the Cumberland was besieged in Chattanooga, all but surrounded by familiar opponents: The Confederate Army of Tennessee. The Federals were surviving by the narrowest of margins, thanks only to a trickle of supplies painstakingly hauled over the sketchiest of mountain roads. Soon even those quarter-rations would not suffice. Disaster was in the offing.
Yet those Confederates, once jubilant at having routed the Federals at Chickamauga and driven them back into the apparent trap of Chattanooga's trenches, found their own circumstances increasingly difficult to bear. In the immediate aftermath of their victory, the South rejoiced; the Confederacy's own disasters of the previous summer--Vicksburg and Gettysburg--were seemingly reversed. Then came stalemate in front of those same trenches. The Confederates held the high ground, Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, but they could not completely seal off Chattanooga from the north.
The Union responded. Reinforcements were on the way. A new man arrived to take command: Ulysses S. Grant. Confederate General Braxton Bragg, unwilling to launch a frontal attack on Chattanooga's defenses, sought victory elsewhere, diverting troops to East Tennessee.
Battle above the Clouds by David Powell recounts the first half of the campaign to lift the siege of Chattanooga, including the opening of the "cracker line," the unusual night battle of Wauhatchie, and one of the most dramatic battles of the entire war: Lookout Mountain.
Yet those Confederates, once jubilant at having routed the Federals at Chickamauga and driven them back into the apparent trap of Chattanooga's trenches, found their own circumstances increasingly difficult to bear. In the immediate aftermath of their victory, the South rejoiced; the Confederacy's own disasters of the previous summer--Vicksburg and Gettysburg--were seemingly reversed. Then came stalemate in front of those same trenches. The Confederates held the high ground, Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, but they could not completely seal off Chattanooga from the north.
The Union responded. Reinforcements were on the way. A new man arrived to take command: Ulysses S. Grant. Confederate General Braxton Bragg, unwilling to launch a frontal attack on Chattanooga's defenses, sought victory elsewhere, diverting troops to East Tennessee.
Battle above the Clouds by David Powell recounts the first half of the campaign to lift the siege of Chattanooga, including the opening of the "cracker line," the unusual night battle of Wauhatchie, and one of the most dramatic battles of the entire war: Lookout Mountain.
284 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 19, 2017
37 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
David A. Powell
26 books29 followersGraduated from the Virginia Military Institute with a B.A. in history. He has spent years studying the Battle of Chickamauga and wrote several books on the campaign. His book Failure in the Saddle: Nathan Bedford Forrest, Joseph Wheeler, and the Confederate Cavalry in the Chickamauga Campaign won the 2011 Richard Harwell Award for the best book on a Civil War topic published in the last year. In addition to his books, he has written articles for the magazines North & South and Gettysburg Magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 22, 2021
Very good book about the opening section of the Chattanooga campaign, with a good driving tour of this section of the battlefield.
August 12, 2017
The Emerging Civil War Series has brought introductory books to many in the public who have shown interest in certain parts of the American Civil War. Battle Above the Clouds continues that tradition by giving the reader an introduction to the Siege of Chattanooga and the Battle of Lookout Mountain for which the book is named. Written by David A. Powell, this material is in fine hands upon the completion of his Magnum Opus, The Chickamauga Campaign. I, as a reader, have always felt that this battle was not well covered in the past, but with a renewed interest in this campaign, this book is a great starting point for any reader who might be interested not only in the Siege of Chattanooga, but the Civil War in the West.
David A. Powell is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute with a Bachelors in History. He has written many articles and has been focused on the Battle of Chickamauga for which he is nationally recognized. His other works include The Maps of Chickamauga, Failure in the Saddle, and the previously mentioned, The Chickamauga Campaign. All three volumes have been released and were widely acclaimed. His is also the Vice President of Airsped Inc., a specialized delivery firm.
Once again, as mentioned in the introduction, this book handles a lot of information which can be seen as an introduction to these conflicts. This book surrounds the first half of the campaign to lift the siege of Chattanooga but within its spine, there is so much more. Portions of the book which I found to be interesting was the arrival of Ulysses S. Grant as commander and there were even portions of the book which were dedicated to the appendices as it is with previous Emerging Civil War books. This work, however, limits those appendices to only three which aids the book in the narrative flow. The coverage of the Battle of Lookout Mountain was well handled, as in my own experience, it is not covered enough in the scholarship of the Civil War. All of these things help the book to become a great aid for anyone interested in the engagements here. As always, there are driving tours which shows how versatile these books are, that they can be brought along with the reader in order to help them understand what happened in these locations. Once again, very well done.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who has read the Emerging Civil War Series. These books not only aid in the understanding of the battle, but help those who want to get into the Civil War. On top of that, Mr. Powell handles this book with the same narrative grace which he offered to his Chickamauga series which has just finished. With photographs and or maps on every page, this book should be a fine offering to those who wish to gain a further understanding. Highly recommended.
Matthew Bartlett
David A. Powell is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute with a Bachelors in History. He has written many articles and has been focused on the Battle of Chickamauga for which he is nationally recognized. His other works include The Maps of Chickamauga, Failure in the Saddle, and the previously mentioned, The Chickamauga Campaign. All three volumes have been released and were widely acclaimed. His is also the Vice President of Airsped Inc., a specialized delivery firm.
Once again, as mentioned in the introduction, this book handles a lot of information which can be seen as an introduction to these conflicts. This book surrounds the first half of the campaign to lift the siege of Chattanooga but within its spine, there is so much more. Portions of the book which I found to be interesting was the arrival of Ulysses S. Grant as commander and there were even portions of the book which were dedicated to the appendices as it is with previous Emerging Civil War books. This work, however, limits those appendices to only three which aids the book in the narrative flow. The coverage of the Battle of Lookout Mountain was well handled, as in my own experience, it is not covered enough in the scholarship of the Civil War. All of these things help the book to become a great aid for anyone interested in the engagements here. As always, there are driving tours which shows how versatile these books are, that they can be brought along with the reader in order to help them understand what happened in these locations. Once again, very well done.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who has read the Emerging Civil War Series. These books not only aid in the understanding of the battle, but help those who want to get into the Civil War. On top of that, Mr. Powell handles this book with the same narrative grace which he offered to his Chickamauga series which has just finished. With photographs and or maps on every page, this book should be a fine offering to those who wish to gain a further understanding. Highly recommended.
Matthew Bartlett
March 30, 2021
Just so you know, this and Dave Powell’s accompanying volume in this series, “All Hell Can’t Stop Them” are a duplication of his “Impulse of Victory”, written for the “World of Ulysses S Grant” series. The three books even all use the same excellent Hal Jesperson maps. So buy these two or that one for the Chattanooga Campaign, but not all of them. There are only minor differences.
This volume is the expected excellent treatment from Powell. There are a few interesting appendices. A couple of well described auto tours, a fascinating Frank Varney discussion of whether things before Grant’s arrival were really as bad as has been portrayed in pro-Grant histories, and one on civil war tourism of lookout mountain.
This volume is the expected excellent treatment from Powell. There are a few interesting appendices. A couple of well described auto tours, a fascinating Frank Varney discussion of whether things before Grant’s arrival were really as bad as has been portrayed in pro-Grant histories, and one on civil war tourism of lookout mountain.
August 3, 2019
Really easy to read book. Made for basic understanding. Not something for someone knowing something about it. But saying that. The tour guide piece is awesome. I visited the battlefield the other week and it made it very easy to find the sites. And at 9 dollars. You can’t beat it. I enjoy the entire series of books.
Really easy to read book. Made for basic understanding and does its job. If you are looking for a deep dive. This is not the book for you. But it is an awesome tour book. Used it the other week to view the sites
Really easy to read book. Made for basic understanding and does its job. If you are looking for a deep dive. This is not the book for you. But it is an awesome tour book. Used it the other week to view the sites
May 8, 2021
This book is an excellent primer on the opening of the battles around Chattanooga in late 1863. It is well worth the read.
January 12, 2025
I purchased this book while visiting the Lookout Mountain visitor's center. It helped to make what we were seeing come to life.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews