Chickamauga

Other Names: None

Location: Catoosa County and Walker County

Campaign: Chickamauga Campaign (1863)

Date(s): September 18-20, 1863

Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans and Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas [US]; Gen. Braxton Bragg and Lt. Gen. James Longstreet [CS]

Forces Engaged: The Army of the Cumberland [US]; Army of Tennessee [CS]

Estimated Casualties: 34,624 total (US 16,170; CS 18,454)

Description: After the Tullahoma Campaign, Rosecrans renewed his offensive, aiming to force the Confederates out of Chattanooga. The three army corps comprising Rosecrans? s army split and set out for Chattanooga by separate routes. In early September, Rosecrans consolidated his forces scattered in Tennessee and Georgia and forced Bragg?s army out of Chattanooga, heading south. The Union troops followed it and brushed with it at Davis? Cross Roads. Bragg was determined to reoccupy Chattanooga and decided to meet a part of Rosecrans?s army, defeat them, and then move back into the city. On the 17th he headed north, intending to meet and beat the XXI Army Corps. As Bragg marched north on the 18th, his cavalry and infantry fought with Union cavalry and mounted infantry which were armed with Spencer repeating rifles. Fighting began in earnest on the morning of the 19th, and Bragg?s men hammered but did not break the Union line. The next day, Bragg continued his assault on the Union line on the left, and in late morning, Rosecrans was informed that he had a gap in his line. In moving units to shore up the supposed gap, Rosencrans created one, and James Longstreet?s men promptly exploited it, driving one-third of the Union army, including Rosecrans himself, from the field. George H. Thomas took over command and began consolidating forces on Horseshoe Ridge and Snodgrass Hill. Although the Rebels launched determined assaults on these forces, they held until after dark. Thomas then led these men from the field leaving it to the Confederates. The Union retired to Chattanooga while the Rebels occupied the surrounding heights.

Result(s): Confederate victory



The Confederate Army stretched from a point near Reed's Bridge on the north to Lee and Gordons Mill on the south, roughly following Chickamauga Creek. The Union Army began to move north on the west side of the creek towards Chattanooga to regroup after encountering stiffer than expected rebel resistance. On the evening of September 18, 1863, Braxton Bragg ordered Army of Tennessee forces to take the crossings over Chickamauga Creek. Bushrod Johnson captured Reed's Bridge and advanced on LaFayette Road. During the night Union forces moving to destroy the bridge ran into Johnson's men. Thinking this was a rear guard action, General George Thomas ordered a division to attack the troops that had crossed the river. The Union division ran headlong into rear elements of advancing Rebels at Jay's Mill.

The scene of the battle was one where neither Bragg nor William Rosecrans wanted to fight. The thick forest limited visibility to 150 feet, less than the range of a rifle. Cannon were useless, except in the occasional field that broke the heavy forest. Battle lines did not exist and enlisted men made tactical decisions. Often the fighting was hand-to-hand. Both generals realized that neither would come out a clear winner under these conditions. Yet, just as at Gettysburg, the field on which the men fought was not the choice of generals but the choice of fate.

With the advent of battle in such a hostile environment the generals could do little but send in men to reinforce the soldiers doing battle. The brunt of the fighting on September 19, the first day of battle, was borne by Union General George Thomas and Confederate General Leonidas Polk. By the end of the day, the Rebels had little to show for their efforts. Union soldiers still held LaFayette Road, although Thomas had to withdraw to a high point near Kelly's farm.

Ordered to make camp, the Rebels could hear the Federals cutting trees and building breastworks. As part of a larger plan, Bragg ordered Daniel Harvey Hill's corps to attack the Union line at dawn. Hill, who missed the meeting, did not receive the orders until that morning when a furious Bragg delivered them in person. Ordered to begin the attack immediately, Hill delayed until 9:00am. As the attack began, Hill's men pierced the Union line, moving on Thomas' flank. The men had driven into the rear before being repulsed by reinforcements.

Veteran commander James Longstreet, who arrived during the night, ordered John Bell Hood to cover his flank during an attack in support of Hill's drive. Hood stumbled into a small breach in the Union line created by the gross mismanagement of Union generals. As Rebel troops advanced the Federal line crumbled on both sides. Caught unsuspectingly by oncoming graybacks, Rosecrans and two senior officers disgracefully fled the battlefield. Only General Thomas remained. Enlisted Union soldiers ran in any direction that they didn't see gray. Issuing orders from horseback directly to retreating soldiers, General Thomas withdrew his men to Snodgrass Hill. To protect the men as they withdrew, Col. John Wilder ordered his Lightning Brigade to attack. The cavalry, armed with Spencer repeating rifles, slowed Longstreet's advance long enough for Thomas to reform his line. Repeated Rebel assaults could not break the thin blue line Thomas constructed. Watching the battle from Rossville, General Gordon Granger advanced his Reserve Corps without orders, resupplying Thomas and protecting his flank (more). For his bravery, Thomas became known as "The Rock of Chickamauga."

His career destroyed, Old Rosy issued a telegram from Chattanooga to his superiors in Washington saying, "We have met with a serious disaster...we have no certainly of holding our position here." A second wire to the beleaguered Thomas instructed him to withdraw to Chattanooga.