On August 16, 1863, Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans, commander of the Army of the Cumberland, launched a campaign to take Chattanooga, Tennessee.

[1] On August 21, Wilder reached the Tennessee River opposite Chattanooga and ordered the 18th Indiana Light Artillery (Capt.

The shells caught many soldiers and civilians in town in church observing a day of prayer and fasting.

The bombardment sank two steamers docked at the landing and created a great deal of consternation amongst the Confederates.

[1] Continuing periodically over the next two weeks, the shelling helped keep Bragg's attention to the northeast while the bulk of Rosecrans's army crossed the Tennessee River well west and south of Chattanooga.