Battle of Fort Sanders facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Fort Sanders |
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| Part of the American Civil War | |||||||
 Assault on Fort Sanders, by Kurz and Allison, 1891. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States (Union) |
 Confederate States of America |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Ambrose Burnside | James Longstreet | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Army of the Ohio | Confederate Forces in East Tennessee | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 440 | ~3,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 13 total 8 killed 5 wounded |
813 total 129 killed 458 wounded 226 captured |
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The Battle of Fort Sanders was a very important fight during the Knoxville Campaign of the American Civil War. It happened in Knoxville, Tennessee, on November 29, 1863. Confederate General James Longstreet tried to attack and break through the Union army's defenses. But the Union forces, led by General Ambrose Burnside, held their ground. The Confederates suffered many more losses, and this battle helped end the Siege of Knoxville.
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Why Was the Battle of Fort Sanders Fought?
The Confederacy never fully controlled East Tennessee. Many people in East Tennessee did not own slaves. This meant they felt more loyal to the Union than to the Confederacy. In fact, more people from Tennessee joined the Union army than from any other Confederate state. Most of these volunteers were from East Tennessee.
So, when Union General Burnside took over Knoxville in September 1863, the local people didn't cause much trouble. The Union army had a harder time getting to Knoxville because of the tough mountain roads.
Building Fort Sanders: A Strong Defense
Union engineers, led by Captain Orlando M. Poe, built several forts around Knoxville. These forts were made of earth and had strong walls. One of these was Fort Sanders, located west of downtown Knoxville. It was named after Brig. Gen. William P. Sanders, who was badly hurt nearby.
Fort Sanders was a key part of the city's defenses. It stood about 70 feet (21 meters) above the land around it. A wide ditch, 12 feet (3.7 meters) across and 8 feet (2.4 meters) deep, protected the fort. The fort's inner wall was almost straight up, about 15 feet (4.6 meters) high. Inside the fort, there were 12 cannons and 440 soldiers from the 79th New York Infantry.
Confederate Plans to Attack
Confederate General Braxton Bragg was fighting Union forces in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He sent General James Longstreet to Knoxville. Longstreet's job was to stop Burnside's Army of the Ohio from helping the Union army in Chattanooga. After a fight at the Battle of Campbell's Station, Burnside's men went into their defenses around Knoxville. The Siege of Knoxville began on November 17, 1863.
Longstreet decided that Fort Sanders was the best place to try and break through the Union lines. He first planned to attack on November 20. But he waited for more soldiers to arrive. His attack was carried out by three groups of infantry soldiers.
On November 23, 1863, Longstreet's soldiers took control of Cherokee Heights. This was a tall hill south of the Holston River (now called the Tennessee River). It was only about 2,400 yards (2,200 meters) from Fort Sanders. Longstreet first wanted to use cannons to weaken Fort Sanders. But at the last minute, he changed his plan. He decided on a surprise attack by foot soldiers at dawn. He hoped that surprising the Union troops would be better than using cannons.
However, he accidentally gave away his plan. He sent out skirmishers (soldiers who fight in small groups) hours before the main attack. This put them in good spots for shooting. But it also clearly showed his plans to the Union soldiers.
The Battle: A Difficult Fight
The attack happened on November 29, 1863. It was not well planned. Longstreet did not realize how hard the obstacles would be for his soldiers. He had seen a Union soldier walk across the ditch with field glasses. He didn't know the soldier used a plank. So, he thought the ditch was very shallow. He also thought his men could climb the steep walls by digging footholds. He didn't think they would need ladders.
The Confederate soldiers moved very close to the fort during a night of freezing rain and snow. They waited for the order to attack. Their attack at dawn was very harsh. First, they ran into telegraph wire strung between tree stumps at knee height. This might have been the first time such wire was used in the Civil War. Many soldiers were shot as they tried to get free.
When they reached the ditch, they found the wall almost impossible to climb. It was frozen and slippery. Union soldiers fired heavily into the attacking Confederates. They used rifles, cannon fire, and even threw artillery shells like hand grenades. The Confederates could not dig footholds. They climbed on each other's shoulders to try and reach the top. Many flag bearers were shot down as they tried to put their flags on the fort. For a short time, three Confederate flags reached the top.
What Happened After the Battle?
Longstreet had gone to Knoxville to draw Union troops away from Chattanooga. He also wanted to get away from General Braxton Bragg, with whom he was arguing. Longstreet realized his surprise attack was poorly planned. The Battle of Fort Sanders was a huge Union victory based on how many soldiers were lost.
The attack on Fort Sanders lasted about 40 minutes. About 20 minutes of that time was spent fighting for control of the fort's wall. Union engineer Orlando M. Poe said he had never heard of an attack where so many soldiers were wiped out so quickly. The Confederate army lost 813 soldiers. This included 129 killed, 458 wounded, and 226 captured. The Union army lost only about 20 men inside Fort Sanders. Another 30 were killed or hurt outside the fort by Confederate cannons. The Union also captured about 250 Confederate soldiers and three flags.
Longstreet decided to pull back his troops. Burnside sent a message offering a truce. This allowed Longstreet to collect his dead and wounded soldiers from the battlefield. This was a kind act that the Confederates appreciated. Union soldiers carried the dead on blankets to the middle of the battlefield. They gave them to the Confederates. Many bodies were stiff from the cold. The Union soldiers leaned them against the bloody ditch. They found 96 bodies, mostly from the ditch. They also gave over 100 wounded soldiers to the Confederates.
On the afternoon of November 29, Longstreet changed his mind about leaving Knoxville. He received messages from General Joseph Wheeler. Wheeler told him that Bragg's army had been badly defeated at Chattanooga. Bragg wanted Longstreet to rejoin his army or go back to Virginia. On December 4, Longstreet left Knoxville. He headed northeast. Longstreet's failure to take Knoxville meant his mission failed. The Knoxville Campaign was over. Knoxville stayed in Union hands for the rest of the war. This Confederate defeat, along with the loss of the Battle of Chattanooga, put much of East Tennessee under Union control.
Fort Sanders Today
The Fort Sanders area later became a neighborhood with many Victorian homes. These homes were built about 30 years after the battle. Some of them are very grand and have been restored. A few were even part of the 1982 World's Fair. Many homes are now apartments for University of Tennessee students.
The writer James Agee grew up in this area. The movie All the Way Home was filmed outside one of the large homes there. Agee's book, A Death in the Family, ends with him and his uncle looking at the ruins of Fort Sanders. The American Battlefield Trust has helped save about 69 acres (0.28 square kilometers) of the battlefield.
Images for kids
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The Rebel assault on Ft. Sanders, the fight over the Ditch - Harper's Weekly
