Page "Army of the Cumberland" Paragraph 4

In the Battles for Chattanooga, Grant had been leery of using the Army of the Cumberland in the main fighting, fearing their morale to be too low after the defeat at Chickamauga.

Instead, he used the veterans from the Army of the Potomac, proud of their recent victory at the Battle of Gettysburg, to take Lookout Mountain and planned to use the troops from the Army of the Tennessee, also recent victors at the Siege of Vicksburg, to attack the Confederate right flank on Missionary Ridge.

The Army of the Cumberland was given the minor task of seizing the rifle pits at the base of Missionary Ridge.

However, once they achieved their objective, four divisions ( one led by Philip H. Sheridan ) stormed up the ridge and routed the Confederate center.

When Grant angrily asked who had ordered those troops up the ridge both Thomas and Gordon Granger, a corps commander in the army, responded they did not know.

Granger then replied, " Once those boys get started, all hell can't stop ' em.