Chickamauga, GA

Tullahoma: Chickamauga

September 19-20, 1863

Chickamauga is a beautiful park with lots of cannons. It was the first Civil War Military Park created in the west. The park is heavily used by locals for recreation. Chickamauga was the last major victory to be won by any Confederate army.

Chickamauga, GA
September 19-20, 1863

The Union Order of Battle

The Confederate Order of Battle

Background

The battle for control of hills and ridges over Chickamauga Creek in Georgia was really a battle for control of the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Union General William Rosecrans had conducted a series of brilliant maneuvers to drive Confederate General Braxton Bragg right out of Tennessee scarcely without firing a shot. Rosecrans, while a brilliant tactician, tended to move slowly and with extreme caution. For this he had been under heavy pressure from higher up the chain of command to get off the stick and get moving. After taking the fortress of Chattanooga without a fight he pushed his luck and pushed his forces into Georgia. There his luck ran out.

As usual it battle was setup as a battle over control of a railroad. Rosecrans hadn't attacked the Chattanooga directly but had rather flanked the city and cut the Western and Atlanta Railroad, Bragg’s supply line. Bragg had no choice but to evacuate the city. Rosecrans probably should have stopped and regrouped but he had the entire Union chain of command up to Lincoln on his back to do something, so he did.

The Battle of Chicamaugua

Chickamauga Battlefield Park

This battle seems complicated when you read about it, but in reality it’s not. The two sides drew up in two long lines facing each other and the Confederates attacked. Over and over the Confederates attacked at various points along the line and the Union threw them off. On the final day Rosecrans shifted a battalion to plug a hole that wasn’t there creating a hole in the process. At that moment Longstreet launched and assault right into the space that had opened up. The whole right side of the Union line collapsed. The left side under Gen. Thomas held, fell back and made a stand on Snodgrass Hill. There the Thomas beat off repeated Confederate attacks until the Confederates stopped attacking, then marched back to Chattanooga in good order.