At the suggestion of Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant,[2] Major General George H. Thomas, decided to probe General Joseph E. Johnston's strength to determine if the loss of two full divisions to reinforce Confederate forces elsewhere had made the Confederate Army of Tennessee vulnerable to Union attack.

On February 22, Thomas began the reconnaissance movement, which consisted of three columns of Union troops.

After several days of intense skirmishing, Thomas's army retreated, since it was obvious that Johnston was still capable of repelling a major Union assault.

Much of the battlefield landscape has been compromised by Interstate 75, development along US Route 41, the growth of the City of Dalton, and subdivision of the Crow Valley and Tunnel Hill areas.

This article about a battle of the American Civil War is a stub.