Lookout Mountain Battlefield

Site of the 1863 Battle Above the Clouds during the Civil War, where phantom soldiers are seen marching through fog on the mountainside.

On November 24, 1863, Union forces under General Joseph Hooker attacked Confederate positions on Lookout Mountain in what became known as the Battle Above the Clouds — so named because low-hanging clouds obscured the fighting from observers below. The battle was part of the larger Chattanooga Campaign that broke the Confederate siege of the city. Hundreds of soldiers died on the mountain's steep slopes. Visitors to Point Park and the surrounding trails report seeing ghostly soldiers marching through the fog, particularly on misty autumn mornings that mirror the conditions of the original battle. The sound of distant musket fire and shouted commands echo across the bluffs. Near Cravens House, which served as a field hospital, visitors have reported the smell of blood and antiseptic, and shadow figures are seen in the windows at twilight.