Rosecrans, erroneously supposing
Bragg had begun a retreat towards
Rome when he abandoned
Chattanooga (q. v.) and marched southward through the gaps of
Missionary Ridge, pushed his forces through the mountain passes, and was surprised to find his antagonist, instead of retreating, concentrating his forces to attack the attenuated line of the Nationals, the extremities of which were then 50 miles apart.
Rosecrans proceeded at once to concentrate his own forces.; and very soon the two armies were confronting each other in battle array on each side of
Chickamauga Creek, in the vicinity of
Crawfish Spring, each line extending towards the slope of
Missionary Ridge.
Rosecrans did not know that
Lee had sent troops from
Virginia, under
Longstreet, to reinforce
Bragg, who was then making his way up from
Atlanta to swell the Confederate forces to the number of fully 70,000.
Johnston, in Mississippi, also sent thousands of prisoners, paroled at
Vicksburg and
Port Hudson, to still further reinforce
Bragg.
In battle order on
Chickamauga Creek (Sept. 19, 1863), the
Confederate right was commanded by
General Polk, and the left by
General Hood until
Longstreet should arrive.
During the previous night nearly two-thirds of the
Confederates had crossed to the west side of the creek, and held the fords from
Lee and Gordon's mills far towards
Missionary Ridge.
Rosecrans's concentrated army did not then number more than 55,000 men.
Gen. George H. Thomas, who was on the extreme left of the
National line, on the slopes of
Missionary Ridge, by a movement to capture an isolated Confederate brigade, brought on a battle (Sept. 19) at ten o'clock, which raged with great fierceness until dark, when the Nationals seemed to have the advantage.
It had been begun by
Croxton's brigade of
Brannan's division, which struggled sharply with
Forrest's cavalry.
Thomas sent
Baird's division to assist
Croxton, when other Confederates became engaged, making the odds against the Nationals, when the latter, having driven the
Confederates, were in turn pushed back.
The pursuers dashed through the lines of United States regulars and captured a. Michigan battery and about 500 men. In the charge all of the horses and most of the men of the batteries were killed.
At that moment a heavy force of Nationals came up and joined in the battle.
They now outnumbered and outflanked the
Confederates, and, attacking them furiously, drove them back in disorder for a mile and a half on their reserves.
The lost battery was recovered, and
Brannan and
Baird were enabled to reform their shattered columns.
There was a lull, but at five o'clock the
Confederates renewed the battle, and were pressing the
National line heavily, when
Hazen, who was in charge of a park of artillery—twenty guns—hastened to put them in position, with such infantry supports as he could gather, and brought them to bear upon the
Confederates, at short range, as they dashed into the road in pursuit of the Nationals.
The pursuers recoiled in disorder, and thereby the day was saved on the left.
Night closed the combat.
There had been some lively artillery work on the
National right during the day; and at three o'clock in the afternoon
Hood threw two of his divisions
[
122]
upon
General Davis's division of
McCook's corps, pushing it back and capturing a battery.
Davis fought with great pertinacity until near sunset, when a brigade of
Sheridan's division came to his aid. Then a successful countercharge
 |
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Battle of Chickamauga. |
was made; the
Confederates were driven back, the battery was retaken, and a number of Confederates were made prisoners.
That night
General Hindman came to the
Confederates with his division, and
Longstreet arrived with two brigades of
McLaws's veterans from
Virginia, and took command of the left of
Bragg's army.
Preparations were made for a renewal of the struggle in the morning.
It was begun (Sept. 20), after a dense fog had risen from the earth, between eight and nine o'clock. The conflict was to have been opened by
Polk at daylight on the
National left, but he failed.
Meanwhile, under cover of the fog,
Thomas received reinforcements, until nearly one-half of the Army of the Cumberland present were under his command, and had erected breastworks of logs, rails, and earth.
The battle was begun by an attack by
Breckinridge.
The intention was to interpose an overwhelming force between
Rosecrans and
Chattanooga, which
Thomas had prevented the previous day. An exceedingly fierce struggle ensued, with varying fortunes for the combatants.
The carnage on both sides was frightful.
Attempts to turn the
National flank were not successful, for
Thomas and his veterans stood like a wall in the way. The conflict for a while was equally severe at the centre; and the blunder of an incompetent staff officer, sent with orders to
General Wood, produced disaster on the
National right.
A gap was left in the
National line, when
Hood, with
Stewart, charged furiously, while
Buckner advanced to their support.
The charge, in which
Davis and
Brannan and
Sheridan were struck simultaneously, isolated five brigades, which lost forty per cent. of their number.
By this charge the
National right wing was so shattered that it began crumbling, and was soon seen flying in disorder towards
Chattanooga, leaving thousands behind, killed, wounded, or prisoners.
The tide carried with it the troops led by
Rosecrans,
Crittenden, and
McCook; and the
commanding general, unable to join
Thomas, and believing the whole army would speedily be hurrying pell-mell to
Chattanooga, hastened to that place to provide for rallying them there.
Thomas, meanwhile, ignorant of the disaster on the right, was maintaining his position firmly.
[
123]
Sheridan and
Davis, who had been driven over to the
Dry Valley road, rallying their shattered columns, reformed them by the way, and, with
McCook, halted and changed front at
Rossville, with a determination to defend the pass at all hazards against the pursuers.
Thomas finally withdrew from his breastworks and concentrated his troops, and formed his line on a slope of
Missionary Ridge.
Wood and
Brannan had barely time to dispose their troops properly, when they were furiously attacked, the
Confederates throwing in fresh troops continually.
General Granger, commanding reserves at
Rossville, hastened to the assistance of
Thomas with
Steedman's division.
The latter fought his way to the crest of a hill, and then turning his artillery upon his assailants, drove them down the southern slope of the ridge with great slaughter.
They returned to the attack with an overwhelming force, determined to drive the Nationals from the ridge, and pressed
Thomas most severely.
Finally, when they were moving along a ridge and in a gorge, to assail his right flank and rear,
Granger formed two brigades (
Whittaker's and
Mitchell's) into a charging party, and hurled them against the
Confederates led by
Hindman.
Steedman led the charging party, with a regimental flag in his hand, and soon won a victory.
In the space of twenty minutes the
Confederates disappeared, and the Nationals held both the ridge and gorge.
Very soon a greater portion of the Confederate army were swarming around the foot of the ridge, on which stood
Thomas with the remnant of seven divisions of the Army of the Cumberland.
The Confederates were led by
Longstreet.
There seemed no hope for the Nationals.
But
Thomas stood like a rock, and his men repulsed assault after assault until the sun went down, when he began the withdrawal of his troops to
Rossville, for his ammunition was almost exhausted.
General Garfield,
Rosecrans's chief of staff, had arrived with orders for
Thomas to take the command of all the forces, and, with
McCook and
Crittenden, to take a strong position at
Rossville.
It was then that
Thomas had the first reliable information of disaster on the right.
Confederates seeking to obstruct the movement were driven back, with a loss of 200 men made prisoners.
So ended the
battle of Chickamauga.
The National loss was reported at 16,326, of whom 1,687 were killed.
The total loss of officers was 974.
It is probable the entire Union loss, including the missing, was 19,000.
The Confederate loss was reported at 20,500, of whom 2,673 were killed.
Rosecrans took 2,003 prisoners, thirty-six guns, twenty caissons, and 8,450 small-arms, and lost, as prisoners, 7,500.
Bragg claimed to have captured over 8,000 prisoners (including the wounded), fifty-one guns, and 15,000 small-arms.
The Confederates were victors on the field, but their triumph was not decisive.
On the evening of the 20th the whole National army withdrew in good order to a position in front of
Chattanooga, and on the following day
Bragg advanced and took possession of
Lookout Mountain and the whole of
Missionary Ridge.
