Hooker had been in a rather bad way ever since his monumental defeat at Chancellorsville in May of that same year. He was the same old “Fighting Joe,” however, delighted to have a new opportunity. Therefore, though the orders of November 24 called for him to make a strong demonstration against Lookout Mountain, Hooker went for more.

By midafternoon, his men were scaling the 750-foot height that led to a large plateau. Just before Hooker’s men reached the plateau, they disappeared from the view of the Federals on the plain below, leading the newspapermen to label this “The Battle above the Clouds.” A heavy mist set in, and no communication was established between Grant on the ground and Hooker on the plateau. Many Union men in Chattanooga spent the night in uncertainty and some anxiety, but all that was dispelled when the first rays of morning sparkled on Lookout Mountain. A very large federal flag had been placed on top.