NOVEMBER 29, 1863:
Skirmishes
continue between The Army of The Potomac and The Army of Northern Virginia, in
and around Mine Run, but the two sides seem equally chary of committing to
battle.
The Battle of Fort Sanders:
In
Knoxville, Tennessee, General James Longstreet, C.S.A. is determined to break
through the Union’s defenses and capture the city. He launches an attack on the
Union redoubt of Fort Sanders, but it goes badly awry. His men are forced to
attack in freezing rain across slippery ground, and they find themselves
confronted by a steep, deep ditch they must cross, over which only a few planks
have been laid as causeways. His men must cross these icy planks slowly in
single file, making them perfect targets for Union sharpshooters. Once across
the ditch, the surviving men charge, only to find themselves snagged up in
telegraph wire. A number of men don’t see the wire, and have their throats
sliced open as they dash forward. The entangled men are again picked off by
Union riflemen. After only 20 minutes, Longstreet calls a retreat. The
Confederacy loses 1000 men (over 800 killed) in the battle. The Union loses 13,
killed and wounded. This marks the effective end of the Siege of
Knoxville.
Combined with the ignominious
end of the Siege of Chattanooga, the Confederacy loses all hope of maintaining
a presence in East Tennessee.
