Mountains Touched with Fire

“[A] dramatic and vividly detailed narrative chronicles one of the pivotal episodes of the Civil War . . . Majestic military history.” —Booklist

It was one of the most startling events of the Civil War, the “hour of destiny” for the Union. Faced with the prospect of catastrophic defeat, the North’s greatest generals—Ulysses Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, George Thomas, and Phil Sheridan—were commanding a battle for the besieged city of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Suddenly, as an aghast Grant and Thomas watched, the beleaguered federal troops began a headlong, climactic, seemingly suicidal charge up the face of a six-hundred-foot-high mountain ridge overlooking the city, under ferocious fire from the Confederate infantry that held the ridge.

The siege of Chattanooga and its stuffing turnabout form the core of Wiley Sword’s lively narrative. Dozens of previously unpublished photographs, maps, and excepts from private journals, and letters enhance this vivid account. Written with novelistic flair and a historian’s authority, Mountains Touched with Fire captures every side of this crucial Civil War battle whose aftermath sealed the fate of the South.

“Masterfully describing one of the truly decisive events of the Civil War . . . Mountains Touched with Fire combines the furious battle action with behind-the-scenes political maneuvering and astute historical analysis.” —Nashville Banner

“A significant contribution to Civil War battle history.” —Publishers Weekly

“A well-told tale of the fascinating events.” —John Wilson, Chattanooga New Free Press

“Interesting, entertaining, and informative . . . An excellent storyteller with a good story to tell.” —Steve Woodworth, Blue & Gra