Although still a small town, Abraham Lincoln understood the importance of this growing rail center to the Southern Cause. Three times the Union Army would fight for this land. On Septmeber 8 th , Bragg learned of the Union advances to the south and withdrew, allowing Federal forces to occupy the city without a shot. Bragg retook Lookout Mountain and laid siege to the city. Working together they succeeded not only in raising the siege and freeing the city, but in destroying a significant amount of the Rebel army in November, 1863.
Many historians consider the Battle of Chattanooga to be the beginning of the end of the Civil War.
Shortly after the battle General George Thomas created the National Cemetery on Orchard Knob. As the Rebels withdrew, Chattanooga began to rebuild. Luckily, the Confederate artillery that had fired on the city from Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge was designed to be used against advancing soldiers and was not up to the task of accurate, long-distance bombardment of the city. Many of the shells fired towards the city exploded in mid-air or fell harmlessly in the deep mud of the roads. Rebuilding the city's infrastructure began as soon as the Rebels were gone.