Learn Our History Today: On November 17, 1863, Confederate General James Longstreet, with 17,000 troops, began laying siege to the city of Knoxville, Tennessee. During the Civil War, Knoxville, along with most of East Tennessee, was a bastion of Union support. Therefore federal armies easily marched in and took control prompting General Longstreet to separate off from the main Confederate army under General Braxton Bragg and move towards Knoxville to restore Confederate control in the area. The siege lasted less than a month and was not very fruitful for the southerners. Longstreet had tried to attack and overwhelm the Yankee line at the Battle of Fort Saunders, but was repulsed with extremely heavy casualties. The first thought that popped into Longstreet’s mind was to abandon the siege right then and there, but he kept it on for a precious few more days which drew more and more federal troops away from Chattanooga, were the main rebel army was currently fighting.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 14:43:06 +0000
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