Chattanooga, Tennessee's Missionary Ridge was so named for the early missionaries who climbed the ridge on their way to the Brainerd mission to the settlement of the Cherokee.
In the Civil War, the Battle of Missionary Ridge, on November 25, 1863, was a turning point in the war, when Union troops rushed the ridge, pushing the Confederate troops entrenched at the crest of the hill to the south. This forced the Southern army to retreat into North Georgia, setting the stage for the Union advance on Atlanta.
The ridge now is known for its great views of the city, with many beautiful homes along its crest. Scattered along Crest Road are lots of monuments to the war, with several small historic parks along the way.
According to local lore, next to the war, the worst thing to happen to the ridge came in the mid 1960s when the majestic natural mountain ridge was carved out right down the middle for an interstate highway.
Crest Road is still a beautiful drive, with all the old homes, war monuments, and views of nearby mountains and Chattanooga.
(click to enlarge) An illustration of the Storming of Missionary Ridge in the Civil War. The illustration is captioned, "The Army of the Cumberland - The Fourth Corps, Under General Gordon Granger, Storming Missionary Ridge. - Sketched from the Left of the line by Mr. Theodore R. Davis" - as printed in Harper's Weekly newspaper and found on website Sons of the South.
Missionary Ridge History
My trip up the ridge.
