Key Facts
- Duration
- November 17 – December 4, 1863 (18 days)
- Key assault
- Battle of Fort Sanders, November 29, 1863
- Confederate outcome
- Siege lifted; withdrew northeast on December 4
- Pro-Union population
- East Tennessee had substantial Unionist sentiment
Strategic Narrative Overview
Longstreet missed an opportunity to destroy Union forces in the open when Burnside conducted a disciplined fighting withdrawal into Knoxville. Union troops rapidly strengthened the city's natural defenses with earthworks. Confederate forces lacked the strength to fully encircle Knoxville, allowing Burnside to receive food via the south bank of the Tennessee River. A major Confederate assault on Fort Sanders on November 29 was repulsed with heavy Confederate losses.
01 / The Origins
In August–September 1863, Union Major General Ambrose Burnside led the Army of the Ohio in a near-bloodless occupation of East Tennessee, a region with significant pro-Union sentiment. Confederate leaders responded by dispatching Lieutenant General James Longstreet's corps and Major General Joseph Wheeler's cavalry to counter-invade from the southwest in November, aiming to reclaim the strategically important city of Knoxville and its rail connections.
03 / The Outcome
When Major General William T. Sherman advanced on Knoxville with a large Union relief force, Longstreet lifted the siege on December 4, 1863, and withdrew northeast. Confederate forces lingered in East Tennessee until April 1864 but never captured Knoxville. They were subsequently recalled to rejoin General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, leaving East Tennessee firmly in Union hands for the rest of the war.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
James Longstreet, Joseph Wheeler.
Side B
1 belligerent
Ambrose Burnside, William T. Sherman.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.