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Murray: Second guessing the Confederate failure on Missionary Ridge

Gen. Braxton Bragg, commander of the Confederate Army on Missionary Ridge during the Civil War, was less concerned with his troops' defenses and more concerned about his status among his subordinates. Gen. Braxton Bragg, commander of the Confederate Army on Missionary Ridge during the Civil War, was less concerned with his troops' defenses and more concerned about his status among his subordinates.

By R. Smith Murray June 12, 2016 10 min read

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The quick collapse of the Confederate center in the Battle of Missionary Ridge on Nov. 25, 1863, surprised both sides. The Rebels had occupied the ridge for two months and should have had enough time to make their position impregnable.

But they didn’t.

Historian James McDonough said, “The chance of the Confederates making so many mistakes, particularly fighting on the defensive, is unlikely, and yet it happened.” So, what went wrong?

For starters the Southern commander, Gen. Braxton Bragg, was more concerned with battling his subordinates than dealing with Federal capabilities and intentions.

The deployment of the Confederate troops was deplorable. In the center, the South had 14,000 troops opposing the Federals’ 23,000. With the Confederates fighting on the defensive, this should not have been a problem. However, the poor Rebel deployment diminished its fighting strength. At least one-fourth of their troops were posted in rifle pits at the base of the ridge, but this wasn’t sufficient to stop a Federal attack. In fact, it hardly slowed the North down.