Following the disastrous defeat at Chickamauga, Union forces were in disarray and the tactically vital Chattanooga was under siege and on the brink of falling. Secretary of War William Stanton ordered Ulysses Grant to send the Army of Tennessee to reinforce Chattanooga. Grant had already reacted. The situation was dire. It required outstanding leadership to rescue the situation. President Abraham Lincoln decided Grant was the man for the occasion. In early October, Grant was promoted to command of the Military District of Mississippi and told to clean up the mess created by Chickamauga. With those orders a new campaign began: the Chattanooga Campaign.