The Battle Above the Clouds

Chattanooga, Tennessee

High atop Lookout Mountain overlooking the Tennessee River and the city of Chattanooga is the Lookout Mountain Battlefield, part of the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park. It was here that the Battle of Chattanooga was fought, a fierce battle of the War Between the States. After the Union army was defeated at Chickamauga (in northern Georgia), they fled to Chattanooga. However, the Confederate General Braxton Bragg soon came after them, setting a siege on the city and stationing his men on Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge.

Although the siege was successful at first, the Union army came out of the city to fight against the Confederates, both on the mountain and the ridge. During the battle on Lookout Mountain, the mountain was shrouded in fog, from which the name "The Battle Above the Clouds" was derived. Sadly, when the battles were over, the Union forces had won, and Chattanooga was in Northern hands.

At the Lookout Mountain Battlefield today, there is a place called Point Park, which has a large monument in the center and great views of the valley below and of Chattanooga. While we were there, we were privileged to listen to a park ranger, who told the story of the Battle of Chattanooga very vividly. After seeing Point Park, we went across the street to the Visitors Center, where we found not only many books and other interesting things concerning the War, but also a great mural.

This painting, which is 33 feet long and 13 feet high, is extremely detailed, and shows in color a part of the battle with many mounted Union soldiers, with Major General Joseph Hooker in the center, and in the background you can see the foggy slopes of Lookout Mountain. While many paintings of battles such as this were made by people who lived many years later, this one was truly authentic, painted by James Walker, a Northern artist born in England.

As we listened to the audio program while gazing upon the huge canvas, we learned that the painting was done by an eyewitness who saw first-hand the battle which he later depicted. Furthermore, when commissioned to paint it by the aforementioned General Hooker, he went back to the battlefield to take photographs of the landscape and remind himself of the setting in which the battle took place.

I thought this painting was very interesting, and although I was able to find a picture of this painting on the internet, you must see it for yourself to truly appreciate the brilliant color and detail of this historically accurate work of art.

         View more photos from Point Park