Joseph Hooker gave John W. Geary aggressive instructions to cross Lookout Creek, move around the mountain, and clear Confederate troops from the valley if practical. Geary found an unsecured defile, outflanked the defenders, and received continuing reinforcement as the fighting spread beneath cliffs that prevented troops above from intervening effectively. Fog reduced visibility to musket and rifle flashes. Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs, watching from Orchard Knob, coined the phrase Battle Above the Clouds. Bragg evacuated the mountain that night, leaving the Union free to bring rivercraft close to Chattanooga.
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Hooker's demonstration swept Lookout Mountain
An operation ordered as a demonstration became a successful attack around Lookout Mountain and ended the Confederates' remaining ability to restrict river access.