Posted on Sep 20, 2018
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In one of the bloodiest battles of the war, the Confederate Army of Tennessee drives the Union Army of the Cumberland back into Chattanooga, Tennessee, from Chickamauga Creek in northern Georgia. Although technically a Confederate victory, the battle had little long-term effect on the military situation in the region.
During the summer of 1863, Union General William Rosecrans had outmaneuvered Confederate General Braxton Bragg. Without fighting any major battles, Rosecrans had moved Bragg out of Tullahoma, Tennessee, and, by September, had captured Chattanooga. Pursuing Bragg into the mountainous region of northern Georgia, Rosecrans gleaned information from Confederate deserters that indicated Bragg was retreating. However, this information was false and had been deliberately fed to the Yankees.
Bragg had hoped to attack Rosecrans and drive the Federals south, away from Chattanooga and Union supply lines. On September 19, a division from Union General George Thomas’s corps moved out to strike at what Thomas thought was an isolated Confederate brigade. But his force ran into dismounted Rebel cavalry, and the battle escalated when Bragg sent additional troops to the skirmish. As the day wore on, the battle spread down the lines until both armies were fully engaged.
That night, additional Confederate troops arrived under the command of James Longstreet. Longstreet was part of Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, and his men had fought at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, two months prior. He was dispatched with two of his divisions to stem the tide of Confederate defeat in the West.
Longsteet’s appearance paid off for the Confederates. Around noon on September 20, the stalemate broke when Rosecrans ordered General Thomas Wood to move his division to plug a gap in the Yankee line. Although no such gap existed, one was created when Wood moved his division. Longstreet’s troops were now able to march through the gap, and the Union line collapsed in chaos. Most of the Union army began a hasty retreat to nearby Chattanooga, leaving Thomas’s corps alone on the battlefield. Thomas stubbornly held his ground and halted the Rebel attack, which allowed him to successfully withdraw without further losses. His action earned him the nickname “The Rock of Chickamauga.”
Bragg did not immediately pursue Rosecrans to Chattanooga. Instead, the Confederates besieged the city until Union reinforcements arrived in late October. One of the largest battles of the war, Chickamauga resulted in 18,500 Confederate casualties and 16,100 Union casualties.
During the summer of 1863, Union General William Rosecrans had outmaneuvered Confederate General Braxton Bragg. Without fighting any major battles, Rosecrans had moved Bragg out of Tullahoma, Tennessee, and, by September, had captured Chattanooga. Pursuing Bragg into the mountainous region of northern Georgia, Rosecrans gleaned information from Confederate deserters that indicated Bragg was retreating. However, this information was false and had been deliberately fed to the Yankees.
Bragg had hoped to attack Rosecrans and drive the Federals south, away from Chattanooga and Union supply lines. On September 19, a division from Union General George Thomas’s corps moved out to strike at what Thomas thought was an isolated Confederate brigade. But his force ran into dismounted Rebel cavalry, and the battle escalated when Bragg sent additional troops to the skirmish. As the day wore on, the battle spread down the lines until both armies were fully engaged.
That night, additional Confederate troops arrived under the command of James Longstreet. Longstreet was part of Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, and his men had fought at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, two months prior. He was dispatched with two of his divisions to stem the tide of Confederate defeat in the West.
Longsteet’s appearance paid off for the Confederates. Around noon on September 20, the stalemate broke when Rosecrans ordered General Thomas Wood to move his division to plug a gap in the Yankee line. Although no such gap existed, one was created when Wood moved his division. Longstreet’s troops were now able to march through the gap, and the Union line collapsed in chaos. Most of the Union army began a hasty retreat to nearby Chattanooga, leaving Thomas’s corps alone on the battlefield. Thomas stubbornly held his ground and halted the Rebel attack, which allowed him to successfully withdraw without further losses. His action earned him the nickname “The Rock of Chickamauga.”
Bragg did not immediately pursue Rosecrans to Chattanooga. Instead, the Confederates besieged the city until Union reinforcements arrived in late October. One of the largest battles of the war, Chickamauga resulted in 18,500 Confederate casualties and 16,100 Union casualties.
Confederates score a victory at the Battle of Chickamauga
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Posted 6 y ago
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Thank you my friend TSgt Joe C. for reminding us that on September 20, 1863 the 3-day battle at the battle besides of Chickamauga creek in northern, Georgia
It was a pyric victory for Maj. Gen. Braxton Bragg’s Confederate Army of Tennessee who could not generate replacement of his losses at the battle. By this point the
While Chickamauga was a decided Confederate victory, the results of the battle were staggering. With over 16,000 Union and 18,000 Confederate casualties, Chickamauga reached the highest losses of any battle in the Western theater.
By this point the blockade of the CSA meant they could not generate funds from their European traders who wanted to purchase on tobacco and cotton. The CSA had internal lines of supply and communication but their manpower was depleted. Since the Mississippi River was in Federal hands the Confederacy was split.
In the Federal north the manufacturing base was working steady to create artillery, rifles, carbines, pistols, ammunition and ships. The Federal manpower in the north was a capable of fielding many more divisions.
Images:
1. 1863-09-18 Chickamauga Reeds Bridge tactical Map.j
"On the morning of September 18, 1863, Confederate Gen. Bushrod Johnson’s division, supported by Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Cavalry, crossed west Chickamauga Creek near Reed’s Bridge to attack the Union left flank. Federal Col. Robert Minty, tasked with guarding the approach to Reed’s Bridge with only three cavalry regiments, a battalion of Fourth U.S. Cavalry, and a section of the Chicago Board of Trade battery, delayed the Confederate crossing. At 7:30 a.m., Forrest began a skirmish with Minty a mile east of Reed’s Bridge, opening the Battle of Chickamauga with a fierce fight that continued throughout the afternoon. As Johnson’s superior force advanced, Minty was pushed back toward Reed’s Bridge, where he formed a line to hold off the Confederate assailants. Desperate for reinforcements, Minty called on Col. John T. Wilder, who sent over seven companies of the 72nd Indiana Mounted Infantry, the 123rd Illinois Mounted Infantry, and a section of Capt. Eli Lilly’s Battery while in the midst of his own struggle at Alexander’s Bridge. Reinforcements, however, could not hold off Forrest’s cavalry. In one quick onrush, Forrest drove the stubborn Federals over the bridge. Col. John Fulton's Tennesseans pushed across the bridge behind them, still under fire from Minty's men. As the Chicago Board of Trade battery raked the opposing Confederates with canister shot, Forrest’s cavalry forded the creek, and Minty was finally forced to retreat, ending the skirmish that began the Battle of Chickamauga. "
2. 1863-09-19 dawn to noon at Chickamauga Creek Battle tactical map.jpg
"William Rosecrans followed up his successful Tullahoma Campaign with an offensive aimed at forcing the Confederates out of Chattanooga. The three army corps of the Army of the Cumberland split and set out for Chattanooga by separate routes. Clever deception convinced elements of Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee to abandon Chattanooga and, in early September, Rosecrans began to consolidate his scattered troops and head south in pursuit of Bragg’s army. Determined to reoccupy Chattanooga, Bragg marched his army north on September 17. After skirmishing with Union cavalry and John T. Wilder’s Lightning Brigade—mounted infantry armed with Spencer repeating rifles—Bragg opened the battle in earnest on September 19 by hammering the Union left. Though the Federal line held, Bragg renewed his assault the following day. In the rush to send troops to his embattled left, Rosecrans mistakenly believed he had a gap in his line. The Union commander’s efforts to correct the imagined error created real breach, one that was exploited with deadly consequences by James Longstreet’s newly arrived corps. Longstreet’s attack created paralyzing confusion in the Union ranks, including Rosecrans himself, who was driven from the field with a third of his force. George H. Thomas took over command and began consolidating forces on Horseshoe Ridge and Snodgrass Hill where the Federals repeatedly fought off the Rebels’ determined assaults. Darkness soon ended the contest and Thomas then led the remnant of the Army of the Cumberland men from the field. The Union retired to Chattanooga while the Rebels occupied the surrounding heights."
3. 1863-09-19 1pm-to-dusk Chickamauga Creek Battle tactical map
"William Rosecrans followed up his successful Tullahoma Campaign with an offensive aimed at forcing the Confederates out of Chattanooga. The three army corps of the Army of the Cumberland split and set out for Chattanooga by separate routes. Clever deception convinced elements of Braxton Bragg's Army of Tennessee to abandon Chattanooga and, in early September, Rosecrans began to consolidate his scattered troops and head south in pursuit of Bragg's army. Determined to reoccupy Chattanooga, Bragg marched his army north on September 17. After skirmishing with Union cavalry and John T. Wilder's Lightning Brigade—mounted infantry armed with Spencer repeating rifles—Bragg opened the battle in earnest on September 19 by hammering the Union left. Though the Federal line held, Bragg renewed his assault the following day. In the rush to send troops to his embattled left, Rosecrans mistakenly believed he had a gap in his line. The Union commander’s efforts to correct the imagined error created real breach, one that was exploited with deadly consequences by James Longstreet’s newly arrived corps. Longstreet's attack created paralyzing confusion in the Union ranks, including Rosecrans himself, who was driven from the field with a third of his force. George H. Thomas took over command and began consolidating forces on Horseshoe Ridge and Snodgrass Hill where the Federals repeatedly fought off the Rebels' determined assaults. Darkness soon ended the contest and Thomas then led the remnant of the Army of the Cumberland men from the field. The Union retired to Chattanooga while the Rebels occupied the surrounding heights."
September 18 - 20, 1863
The Battle of Chickamauga
Following the successful Tullahoma Campaign, Union Gen. William S. Rosecrans hoped to continue the offensive and force Maj. Gen. Braxton Bragg’s Confederate Army of Tennessee out of Chattanooga. Rosecrans consolidated Union forces that had been scattered throughout Tennessee and Georgia, and forced Bragg to evacuate the city. Bragg concentrated his forces in LaFayette, Georgia, and determined to reoccupy the valuable Chattanooga. He followed the Union army north, skirmishing with them at Davis’ Cross Roads. By September 17, Bragg had been reinforced with Virginia divisions under Gen. John Bell Hood and a Mississippi division under Brig. Gen. Bushrod Johnson—the first attempt to transport Confederate troops from one theater to another to achieve numerical superiority. With renewed confidence that Chattanooga could pass once again into Confederate hands, on the morning of the 18th Bragg marched his army to the west bank of Chickamauga Creek, hoping to wedge his troops between Chattanooga and the Federal army. As Bragg’s infantry crossed the creek on the 18th, they skirmished with Federal infantry and mounted infantry armed with Spencer repeating rifles. Bragg had been hoping that his advance would be a surprise; Rosecrans, however, had observed the Confederates marching in the morning, and anticipated Bragg’s plan. By the time Bragg’s army had crossed the creek, Union reinforcements had arrived.
The Battle of Chickamauga began in earnest shortly after dawn on September 19th. Throughout the day Bragg’s men gained ground but could not break the extended Union line despite a series of aggressive attacks. Confederate luck changed when, at 11 p.m., Gen. Longstreet’s divisions arrived at Chickamauga, giving the Confederate force superior numbers. Bragg divided his forces into two wings. Longstreet commanded the left; Lt. Gen. Leonidas K. Polk took charge of Confederate troops on the right. The battle resumed at 9:30 a.m. the next morning, with coordinated Confederate attacks on the Union left flank. About an hour later, Rosecrans, believing a gap existed in his line, ordered Brig. Gen. Thomas Wood’s division to fill the gap. Wood, however, knew that the order was a mistake; no such gap existed in the Federal line, and moving his division would, in turn, open a large swath in the Union position. However, Wood had already been berated twice in the campaign for not promptly following orders. To avoid further reprimand, he immediately moved, creating a division wide hole in the Union line. This was the chance that the Confederates needed. Longstreet massed a striking force, led by Gen. Hood, of eight brigades divided into three lines. Longstreet’s men hammered through the gap that Wood had created, and Union resistance at the southern end of the battlefield evaporated as Federal troops, including Rosecrans himself, were pushed off the field.
George H. Thomas, in a move that would earn him the name “The Rock of Chickamauga,” took command and began consolidating the scattered Union forces on Horseshoe Ridge and Snodgrass Hill. Thomas and his men formed a defensive position, and although Confederates continued to assault and pressed to within feet of the Union line, the Yankees held firm. Thomas withdrew as darkness fell. Although Thomas urged Rosecrans to lead the army in an attack the next day, Rosecrans rejected the idea and remained in Chattanooga. Bragg’s victorious army occupied the heights surrounding Chattanooga, blocking Federal supply lines, but did not pursue Rosecrans.
While Chickamauga was a decided Confederate victory, the results of the battle were staggering. With over 16,000 Union and 18,000 Confederate casualties, Chickamauga reached the highest losses of any battle in the Western theater. Although the Confederates had driven Rosecrans from the field, they had not succeeded in Bragg’s goals of destroying Rosecrans’s army or reoccupying Chattanooga. Fighting would resume less than two months later in the battles for Chattanooga."
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" Price Maj Marty Hogan SCPO Morris Ramsey SGT Mark Halmrast Sgt Randy Wilber Sgt John H. SGT Gregory Lawritson CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins SSgt Brian Brakke 1stSgt Eugene Harless CPT Scott Sharon PO1 H Gene Lawrence
It was a pyric victory for Maj. Gen. Braxton Bragg’s Confederate Army of Tennessee who could not generate replacement of his losses at the battle. By this point the
While Chickamauga was a decided Confederate victory, the results of the battle were staggering. With over 16,000 Union and 18,000 Confederate casualties, Chickamauga reached the highest losses of any battle in the Western theater.
By this point the blockade of the CSA meant they could not generate funds from their European traders who wanted to purchase on tobacco and cotton. The CSA had internal lines of supply and communication but their manpower was depleted. Since the Mississippi River was in Federal hands the Confederacy was split.
In the Federal north the manufacturing base was working steady to create artillery, rifles, carbines, pistols, ammunition and ships. The Federal manpower in the north was a capable of fielding many more divisions.
Images:
1. 1863-09-18 Chickamauga Reeds Bridge tactical Map.j
"On the morning of September 18, 1863, Confederate Gen. Bushrod Johnson’s division, supported by Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Cavalry, crossed west Chickamauga Creek near Reed’s Bridge to attack the Union left flank. Federal Col. Robert Minty, tasked with guarding the approach to Reed’s Bridge with only three cavalry regiments, a battalion of Fourth U.S. Cavalry, and a section of the Chicago Board of Trade battery, delayed the Confederate crossing. At 7:30 a.m., Forrest began a skirmish with Minty a mile east of Reed’s Bridge, opening the Battle of Chickamauga with a fierce fight that continued throughout the afternoon. As Johnson’s superior force advanced, Minty was pushed back toward Reed’s Bridge, where he formed a line to hold off the Confederate assailants. Desperate for reinforcements, Minty called on Col. John T. Wilder, who sent over seven companies of the 72nd Indiana Mounted Infantry, the 123rd Illinois Mounted Infantry, and a section of Capt. Eli Lilly’s Battery while in the midst of his own struggle at Alexander’s Bridge. Reinforcements, however, could not hold off Forrest’s cavalry. In one quick onrush, Forrest drove the stubborn Federals over the bridge. Col. John Fulton's Tennesseans pushed across the bridge behind them, still under fire from Minty's men. As the Chicago Board of Trade battery raked the opposing Confederates with canister shot, Forrest’s cavalry forded the creek, and Minty was finally forced to retreat, ending the skirmish that began the Battle of Chickamauga. "
2. 1863-09-19 dawn to noon at Chickamauga Creek Battle tactical map.jpg
"William Rosecrans followed up his successful Tullahoma Campaign with an offensive aimed at forcing the Confederates out of Chattanooga. The three army corps of the Army of the Cumberland split and set out for Chattanooga by separate routes. Clever deception convinced elements of Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee to abandon Chattanooga and, in early September, Rosecrans began to consolidate his scattered troops and head south in pursuit of Bragg’s army. Determined to reoccupy Chattanooga, Bragg marched his army north on September 17. After skirmishing with Union cavalry and John T. Wilder’s Lightning Brigade—mounted infantry armed with Spencer repeating rifles—Bragg opened the battle in earnest on September 19 by hammering the Union left. Though the Federal line held, Bragg renewed his assault the following day. In the rush to send troops to his embattled left, Rosecrans mistakenly believed he had a gap in his line. The Union commander’s efforts to correct the imagined error created real breach, one that was exploited with deadly consequences by James Longstreet’s newly arrived corps. Longstreet’s attack created paralyzing confusion in the Union ranks, including Rosecrans himself, who was driven from the field with a third of his force. George H. Thomas took over command and began consolidating forces on Horseshoe Ridge and Snodgrass Hill where the Federals repeatedly fought off the Rebels’ determined assaults. Darkness soon ended the contest and Thomas then led the remnant of the Army of the Cumberland men from the field. The Union retired to Chattanooga while the Rebels occupied the surrounding heights."
3. 1863-09-19 1pm-to-dusk Chickamauga Creek Battle tactical map
"William Rosecrans followed up his successful Tullahoma Campaign with an offensive aimed at forcing the Confederates out of Chattanooga. The three army corps of the Army of the Cumberland split and set out for Chattanooga by separate routes. Clever deception convinced elements of Braxton Bragg's Army of Tennessee to abandon Chattanooga and, in early September, Rosecrans began to consolidate his scattered troops and head south in pursuit of Bragg's army. Determined to reoccupy Chattanooga, Bragg marched his army north on September 17. After skirmishing with Union cavalry and John T. Wilder's Lightning Brigade—mounted infantry armed with Spencer repeating rifles—Bragg opened the battle in earnest on September 19 by hammering the Union left. Though the Federal line held, Bragg renewed his assault the following day. In the rush to send troops to his embattled left, Rosecrans mistakenly believed he had a gap in his line. The Union commander’s efforts to correct the imagined error created real breach, one that was exploited with deadly consequences by James Longstreet’s newly arrived corps. Longstreet's attack created paralyzing confusion in the Union ranks, including Rosecrans himself, who was driven from the field with a third of his force. George H. Thomas took over command and began consolidating forces on Horseshoe Ridge and Snodgrass Hill where the Federals repeatedly fought off the Rebels' determined assaults. Darkness soon ended the contest and Thomas then led the remnant of the Army of the Cumberland men from the field. The Union retired to Chattanooga while the Rebels occupied the surrounding heights."
September 18 - 20, 1863
The Battle of Chickamauga
Following the successful Tullahoma Campaign, Union Gen. William S. Rosecrans hoped to continue the offensive and force Maj. Gen. Braxton Bragg’s Confederate Army of Tennessee out of Chattanooga. Rosecrans consolidated Union forces that had been scattered throughout Tennessee and Georgia, and forced Bragg to evacuate the city. Bragg concentrated his forces in LaFayette, Georgia, and determined to reoccupy the valuable Chattanooga. He followed the Union army north, skirmishing with them at Davis’ Cross Roads. By September 17, Bragg had been reinforced with Virginia divisions under Gen. John Bell Hood and a Mississippi division under Brig. Gen. Bushrod Johnson—the first attempt to transport Confederate troops from one theater to another to achieve numerical superiority. With renewed confidence that Chattanooga could pass once again into Confederate hands, on the morning of the 18th Bragg marched his army to the west bank of Chickamauga Creek, hoping to wedge his troops between Chattanooga and the Federal army. As Bragg’s infantry crossed the creek on the 18th, they skirmished with Federal infantry and mounted infantry armed with Spencer repeating rifles. Bragg had been hoping that his advance would be a surprise; Rosecrans, however, had observed the Confederates marching in the morning, and anticipated Bragg’s plan. By the time Bragg’s army had crossed the creek, Union reinforcements had arrived.
The Battle of Chickamauga began in earnest shortly after dawn on September 19th. Throughout the day Bragg’s men gained ground but could not break the extended Union line despite a series of aggressive attacks. Confederate luck changed when, at 11 p.m., Gen. Longstreet’s divisions arrived at Chickamauga, giving the Confederate force superior numbers. Bragg divided his forces into two wings. Longstreet commanded the left; Lt. Gen. Leonidas K. Polk took charge of Confederate troops on the right. The battle resumed at 9:30 a.m. the next morning, with coordinated Confederate attacks on the Union left flank. About an hour later, Rosecrans, believing a gap existed in his line, ordered Brig. Gen. Thomas Wood’s division to fill the gap. Wood, however, knew that the order was a mistake; no such gap existed in the Federal line, and moving his division would, in turn, open a large swath in the Union position. However, Wood had already been berated twice in the campaign for not promptly following orders. To avoid further reprimand, he immediately moved, creating a division wide hole in the Union line. This was the chance that the Confederates needed. Longstreet massed a striking force, led by Gen. Hood, of eight brigades divided into three lines. Longstreet’s men hammered through the gap that Wood had created, and Union resistance at the southern end of the battlefield evaporated as Federal troops, including Rosecrans himself, were pushed off the field.
George H. Thomas, in a move that would earn him the name “The Rock of Chickamauga,” took command and began consolidating the scattered Union forces on Horseshoe Ridge and Snodgrass Hill. Thomas and his men formed a defensive position, and although Confederates continued to assault and pressed to within feet of the Union line, the Yankees held firm. Thomas withdrew as darkness fell. Although Thomas urged Rosecrans to lead the army in an attack the next day, Rosecrans rejected the idea and remained in Chattanooga. Bragg’s victorious army occupied the heights surrounding Chattanooga, blocking Federal supply lines, but did not pursue Rosecrans.
While Chickamauga was a decided Confederate victory, the results of the battle were staggering. With over 16,000 Union and 18,000 Confederate casualties, Chickamauga reached the highest losses of any battle in the Western theater. Although the Confederates had driven Rosecrans from the field, they had not succeeded in Bragg’s goals of destroying Rosecrans’s army or reoccupying Chattanooga. Fighting would resume less than two months later in the battles for Chattanooga."
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" Price Maj Marty Hogan SCPO Morris Ramsey SGT Mark Halmrast Sgt Randy Wilber Sgt John H. SGT Gregory Lawritson CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins SSgt Brian Brakke 1stSgt Eugene Harless CPT Scott Sharon PO1 H Gene Lawrence
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Great Civil War share. It has been awhile since I studied it back in school.
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SFC Shirley Whitfield COL Lee Flemming PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SCPO Morris Ramsey SFC William Farrell Alan K. MSgt Stephen Council Sgt Trevor Barrett MSG Andrew White SP5 Mark Kuzinski SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth Cpl Scott McCarroll LTC John Shaw SSgt (Join to see) SGT Jim Arnold SPC Margaret Higgins CWO3 Dennis M. Susan Foster SGT Christopher Combs (Join to see)
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