View of Fort Sanders and U.T. across the river from the vicinity of Fort Dickerson. Click image for views of Fort Sanders. Photos: George Barnard, photographer for the Military Department of the Mississippi under General William Sherman, Library of Congress.

This morning I stumbled across the fact that Nov. 17th marks the start of Confederate Lt. Gen. James Longstreet's 1863 siege of Knoxville in his failed attempt to take the city from Union control of Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside.

The siege ended with a the bloody and lopsided twenty minute Battle of Fort Sanders on Nov. 29th, with Longstreet's attacking Confederate troops suffering approx. 800 killed or wounded v. 13 for the Union.

From the Library of Congress, here's an account of the battle written by Union soldier William H. Brearley of the 17th Michigan Volunteers Co. E...

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During the night of the 27th, there was a great deal of cheering along the enemy's lines, and their bands entertained us with a variety of music. They were evidently in receipt of good news or reinforcements. Late in the afternoon of the next day. movements of troops and chopping of trees in the woods in front of the fort were distinctly heard by our skirmishers, and reported by Capt. Delos Phillips, who had command of the skirmish line, to General Ferrero, The trees in front of the enemy's battery on the south side of the river, were also cleared away, making it evident that some movement was pending, to be directed, possibly, against the fort.

That night, a larger detail than usual was made for skirmishers, and the troops that remained on the main line were more than ordinarily watchful. Coming in from a twenty-four hours' fast on the skirmish line, I had just received and eaten my next days' allowance, when suddenly heavy musketry along our entire division-front made it evident that our skirmish line had been attacked, A few of our men coming in, reported that the line had been taken, and most of our men were prisoners. A fresh detail was at once made, and, advancing about half-way to our old line, a new line was established, and by working nearly all night, new pits were thrown up.

The first light of morning, on the 29th of November, revealed the fact that our old line was occupied by the enemy's skirmishers. During the night, the 79th New York had erected a fine flagstaff in the fort, and, the division band having come up, just as the sun was rising, the Stars and Stripes glided up into the sunlight to the magical strains of the Star Spangled Banner. This air, always inspiring, seemed never so appropriate before, and, in cheer after cheer, we gave almost involuntary response to the feeling of joy it provoked, while the flag, spreading itself out on the breeze, waved a defiance to the enemy.

Suddenly, the enemy opened a furious cannonade on Fort Sanders from their batteries, which were posted at distances varying from seven hundred to one thousand five hundred yards: on the west, one battery of six twelve-pounders, and another of twenty-pound Parrotts on the north, one battery of twenty-pound Parrotts and two three-inch rifles, and two batteries of two guns each across the Holston, one battery of six guns. Occasionally, a shell from their battery, going over the fort and our skirmish line burst in their own line in our front. We were short of ammunition, and our batteries reserved their fire for the threatened attack, and the infantry in the fort and to each side silently awaited the result.

In about twenty minutes their fire slackened, and, instead, the well-known yell rang out, as three masses of the enemy's troops were seen coming up the slope towards the northwest angle of the fort. Notwithstanding the wire entanglements, which for a time threw their line into the greatest confusion, the cannister from the guns of the fort, and the infantry fire of portions of the 1st and 3rd brigades, their men gained the ditch, when, leaping in, they attempted to scale the opposite side and the parapet of the fort. The weight of the enemy's columns pressed those in front on into the ditch, until it was nearly filled by a mass of men who were vainly essaying to either scale the fort or protect themselves from the raking fire of our cannon.

Such was the desperateness of the assault that a number of the enemy succeeded in climbing the embankment, and demanded the surrender of the fort, but were instantly shot or captured ; the battle-flags of the 13th and []th Mississippi and the 16th Georgia were planted on the parapet, but fell into our hands ; the latter was carried by an officer, who, stepping in front of a cannon, laid his hand on the muzzle of the gun, and called out to the gunners to surrender ; the cannon was discharged, and the man was blown to atoms, falling into the fort. One of our men mounted the parapet with an axe and drove back some who were crawling up, while Lieut. Benjamin took shells in his hand, and lighting the fuse, tossed them over into the ditch to "still them down."

Not twenty minutes had passed since their movement was discovered, but seeing that it was useless to press the attack further, the enemy's troops were withdrawn, leaving, however, about seven hundred killed, wounded, and prisoners in our hands, over two hundred of them being in the ditch alone. The prisoners, numbering about three hundred, including seventeen officers, represented eleven regiments. Over one thousand stands of arms were left in our possession.

Considering the fact that General Longstreet had the day before told his troops that our men were but raw recruits, who would run at their approach, and that he intended to eat his breakfast in Knoxville the next day, the result, so disastrous to them, was, to us, a most decisive victory - our loss was eight killed and five wounded, all told, and thirty captured.

Two companies from the 2nd, and four from the 17th Michigan were just entering the fort when the assault was repulsed and did not participate in the defense - about one half of our division and a portion of the second division were prepared to move to the threatened point should they be needed, while the reserve regiments were rapidly moving up. Thus, had the enemy succeeded in occupying the fort, the guns from Fort Byington and the batteries south of the river, bearing on the fort from the rear - which was uncovered - and the force of men we could have thrown upon that point would have rendered it untenable.

In a conversation with General Burnside, recently, he remarked that "He would have defended that point with the entire strength of the army."

SOURCE: Recollections of the East Tennessee campaign by William H. Brearley, Library of Congress