Missionary Ridge is a geographic feature in Chattanooga, Tennessee, site of the Battle of Missionary Ridge, a battle in the American Civil War, fought on November 25, 1863. Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, and George H. Thomas routed Confederate forces under General Braxton Bragg and lifted the siege of the city.
Missionary Ridge runs basically north-south for several kilometers and varies in width from a few meters to over 200 meters, with very steep, nearly vertical sides that rise over 100 meters from the ground surrounding it. It is named for its former proximity to the Brainerd mission to the Cherokees. The southernmost end of the Ridge extends into Georgia. The Ridge was slightly east of the city at the time of the battle but now largely bisects it.
The Ridge today is an affluent residential area with many plaques and monuments to the battle, some of which are in the yards of residents, but most of the larger of which are surrounded by small reservations which are part of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park , administered by the U.S. National Park Service.
Last updated: 10-21-2005 06:02:08