. The great locomotive chase; a history of the Andrews railroad raid into Georgia in 1862 . h mountain-—indeed much of it lies so lowas to be easily flooded by the Tennessee—but there are sufficiently steephills of moderate height immediately around it to render fortification a distance it is surrounded by mighty mountain ramparts, from whichit commands the egress in almost every direction. Many valleys convergeat or near Chattanooga—the upper and lower Tennessee, North and SouthLookout, Chickamauga, and Sequatchie. The sides of these are all verysteep, and some absolutely impassable t
. The great locomotive chase; a history of the Andrews railroad raid into Georgia in 1862 . h mountain-—indeed much of it lies so lowas to be easily flooded by the Tennessee—but there are sufficiently steephills of moderate height immediately around it to render fortification a distance it is surrounded by mighty mountain ramparts, from whichit commands the egress in almost every direction. Many valleys convergeat or near Chattanooga—the upper and lower Tennessee, North and SouthLookout, Chickamauga, and Sequatchie. The sides of these are all verysteep, and some absolutely impassable to an army. This is the reasonthat all common roads and railroads through a large section of the coun-try converge at Chattanooga. Now it is a military maxim that an army isnever so easily attacked and destroyed, or, on the other side, is never soweak in aggression, as when emerging from a mountain defile. Chatta-nooga, if adequately fortified and held by a moderate force, was well-nighimpregnable, and dominated all the surrounding country; it furnished the 84 Daring and Surroundings of Chattanooga. best starting-point for a hostile movement in any direction. Wlien tothis is added the fact that it was the natural centre of a great mountaindistrict passionately loyal to the old flag, its importance to the Federalsearly in the war is seen to be immeasurable. Had Mitchel reachedChattanooga a day or two after we stood gazing at the town, ami with thebridges south of it burned, two or three things would have followed with almost mathematical would have skillfully andquickly fortified the place; downevery mountain defile would havestreamed loyal recruits to his ban-ner; and East Tennessee, alreadyin insurrection, would have drivenout Gen. E. Kirby Smith with hissmall army. No doubt the enemywould have put forth tremendousefforts to regain a place of so muchimportance. But Mitchel wouldhave had railroad communicationsopen with Nashville and the North, whi
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