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The Fight For Tennessee: July 1863 to January 1864

Battle of Missionary Ridge

How soon were the rifle pits captured?

Between eight and ten minutes was all that was required. Shouting “Chickamauga!”, the Union men crossed the field on the double-quick and jumped into the pits. The few remaining Confederate defenders surrendered on the spot, but the Federals could see that many of their comrades had gotten out in time and were now scaling the ridge, headed for safety. To the best of our knowledge, no one gave a command, nor even a suggestion. The Union men simply started to follow the Confederates up Missionary Ridge.