Battles of Chattanooga and 
 vicinity 
 
 Chattanooga Community 
 Association 
 
UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 ILLINOIS LIBRARY 
 
 AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 
 
 ILUNOiS HISTORY 
 
 AHO LINCOLN COLLECTIONS 
 
PUBLISHED BY THE 
 
 CHATTANOOGA COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION 
 
 CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE 
 
 
 
 
 
Boyce Sta. • MAP OF 
 
 •CHATTANOOGA- 
 
 AND VICINITY. 
 
 
 Map of Chattanooga and Vicinity During the Fall Campaign of 1863 
 
 Visit These Battlefields 
 
 That you may better enjoy a visit to our battlefields, the 
 Chattanooga Community Association has prepared for free 
 distribution helpful Motorist Guide and Circle Tour folders 
 pointing out and describing the many points of interest. 
 
 These folders, together with "Chattanooga — Its History and 
 Growth," "Chattanooga in Pictures," "Pictorial Story of the 
 'General'," interesting illustrated scenic and agricultural book- 
 lets, and "This Week in Chattanooga," will be gladly supplied 
 by the Chamber of Commerce (Broad Street at West Ninth, 
 Read House block) or the Automobile Club (Hotel Patten, 
 Eleventh and Market Streets). 
 
 Illinois history and 
 Lincoln collections 
 
FOREWORD 
 
 The battles of Chattanooga and vicinity were so 
 important in the "fortunes of war" during the 
 struggle.! of the Sixties, and the stubborn and des- 
 perate contention for positions gained and lost in 
 rapid succession so appealed to the minds of writ- 
 ers of history, that more than 150 volumes today 
 chronicle the sanguinary events. To the battles of 
 Chickamauga alone nine volumes are devoted. 
 
 The limited space available in this monograph, 
 however, permits of but the briefest recital of the 
 major events, and in presenting the facts apper- 
 taining, the author does so with a view of adhering 
 as closely as possible to the chronology of each 
 engagement. 
 
 It is hoped that, with this booklet, in conjunc- 
 tion with the hundreds of descriptive tablets, mark- 
 ers and monuments erected on the battlefields, vis- 
 itors may be afforded a connected story of the bat- 
 tles and an intelligent, dependable conception of 
 the movements of the Blue and the Gray in the 
 bitter contests centered around Chattanooga dur- 
 ing t'.e fall and winter of 1863. 
 
 — Chattanooga Community Association. 
 
 This monograph is the work of Francis Lynde, author, a long-time 
 resident of Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain, to whom our appreciation 
 is extended for his generous contribution. 
 
 To the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway and the Western & 
 Atlantic Railroad we are indebted for the illustrations used in this booklet. 
 
Battles of Chattanooga 
 and Vicinity 
 
 A MONOGRAPH 
 
 By FRANCIS LYNDE 
 
 Chickamauga and Chattanooga 
 National Military Park 
 
 The Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Park com- 
 prises the tract of land (some 6,000 acres in extent) in 
 Georgia, over which was fought the battle of Chickamauga; 
 several smaller areas along the line of Confederate fortifica- 
 tions on Missionary Ridge; and the crest of Orchard Knob 
 (Grant's Headquarters). These various areas with their con- 
 necting boulevards form an extensive park system preserving 
 within its limits much of the ground covered by the battles of 
 September and November, 1863. In improving and beautify- 
 ing the grounds the Park Commission has made the most of its 
 opportunities and resources. Much of the money appropriated 
 by Congress has been spent in road-making; and the result is 
 a fine system of boulevards many miles in extent. Aside from 
 the erection of monuments and the locating of the troops on 
 both sides, the efforts of the Commission have been directed 
 toward restoration rather than innovation; and the visitor to 
 the battlefields will find the scene as nearly like that of the 
 battle year as a careful study of the subject and an artistic 
 treatment of the same may accomplish. 
 
 The conservation by the General Government of the tract 
 of land whereon a battle was fought, and the turning it into a 
 public park, is a new thing m the history of the United States, 
 though it is not without European precedents. Since we have 
 begun it, it is fitting that the first battlefield so set apart should 
 have been that of Chickamauga. No field in the West — not 
 excepting Shiloh — was more strenuously contested; and 
 
 (3) 
 
while the immediate resuhs of the conflict were inconsiderable, 
 its ultimate influence was important and far-reaching, chang- 
 ing the entire course of the struggle in the West. The Confed- 
 erate generals, themselves, are authority for the statement that 
 Southern soldiers never fought better than at Chickamauga, 
 and never fought as well after that battle. On the other hand, 
 the Northern army gained experience and confidence as its 
 opponents lost heart; and the recollection of the stubborn 
 defense of the breastworks in the Chickamauga bottom and on 
 Snodgrass Hill sent the survivors of that memorable contest 
 triumphantly forward on many another hard-fought field. 
 
 The Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Park had its 
 origin in the reunion of the Army of the Cumberland, held in 
 Chattanooga in 1889. During that meeting, the Chickamauga 
 Memorial Association was formed, with General J. T. Wilder 
 (Federal) as president, and General Joseph Wheeler (Confed- 
 erate) as vice-president. A board of directors was elected, 
 comprising an equal number of Federal and Confederate 
 officers, and work was begun at once in the different States 
 looking forward to the creation of a favorable sentiment 
 toward the object of the Association, which was the erection 
 of suitable memorials commemorating the events of the battle. 
 The efforts of the directors were completely successful, and the 
 various States represented by organizations in the field re- 
 sponded with liberal appropriations. Then Congress was 
 memorialized and an appropriation of $125,000 was secured 
 under conditions which made the work of the Association 
 national. 
 
 The first step on the part of the Park Commission was the 
 purchase of the tract including the field of Chickamauga. 
 Roughly speaking, its boundaries are an east and west line 
 drawn through McFarland's Gap on the north; Chickamauga 
 Creek on the east; an east and west line passing near Lee & 
 Gordon's Mill on the south; and Missionary Ridge on the west. 
 These boundaries inclose an area of about ten square miles, 
 part of which is arable land held by tenants under the 
 Commission. 
 
 In this tract, which covers the ground over which the prin- 
 cipal movements of both armies were made on September 19th 
 and 20th, 1863, the Park Commission has accomplished much 
 in the way of restoration. Aside from transforming the rough 
 country roads into smooth boulevards, no modern park im- 
 provements have been permitted; the aim of the Commission 
 
 (4) 
 
being to restore, as nearly as possible, the natural face of the 
 tract so that it shall preserve the appearance of the actual 
 battlefield. To this end, the disused roads of 1863 have been 
 re-opened; the lines of breastworks have been replaced; and 
 the movements of the troops by brigades have been indicated 
 by large iron tablets, giving the organization of brigades and 
 divisions and a brief history of their evolutions on the field. 
 In addition to the tablets, the Commission has erected eight 
 monuments to the general officers — four on each side — who 
 fell in the engagement. These monuments are triangular 
 pyramids of eight-inch shells, and they stand each on the spot 
 where the officer in question fell. 
 
 Besides the historical tablets, many guide posts have been 
 erected along the Park roads, pointing out the exact localities 
 of the famous houses in the field — Brotherton's, the Widow 
 Glenn's, the Kelly house and field, Viniard's, McDonald's, the 
 Dyer house and field, and others. At the points occupied by 
 the various batteries, an equal number of guns of like caliber 
 and construction have been placed, and these in themselves 
 are monuments of no mean rank. The Commission has also 
 commemorated the part borne in the battle by the regular 
 troops, infantry and artillery, by erecting suitable monuments 
 at the various points where these organizations fought. 
 
 Here the work of the Commission on the field of Chicka- 
 mauga pauses and that of the States begins. Costly monu- 
 ments, many of them works of art, mark the positions of the 
 various organizations, and no expense has been spared by the 
 committee on location in the effort to define the original lines 
 of battle, and the positions occupied by the troops. So far as 
 one may see, this work has been very successful. Not only 
 have the committees been able to locate the principal positions 
 occupied during the two-day battle by a given brigade or regi- 
 ment, but they have in many instances traced the movements 
 of the organization from point to point on the field; and by 
 the use of small monuments, or "markers," they have given a 
 complete history of such movements showing the time in hours. 
 
 Beyond the boundaries of the Park proper the Commission 
 has added supplemental works of great magnitude and impor- 
 tance. The Lafayette road has been paved as far as Ross- 
 ville; a magnificent boulevard has been constructed along the 
 summit of Missionary Ridge; a small tract of land on De 
 Long's Point, and a larger one including General Sherman's 
 battlefield at the northern extremity of the Ridge, have been 
 
 (5) 
 
purchased; and iron observation towers, similar to those in the 
 Park, have been buih on the site of Bragg's headquarters on 
 the reservation on De Long's Point. Extending its work still 
 farther from the original field, the Commission purchased 
 Orchard Knob, the hill half way between the city and Mission- 
 ary Ridge on which General Grant's headquarters were located 
 on the day of the battle of Missionary Ridge. This has been 
 added to the Park area, and in the future will be connected 
 with the other reservations by a boulevard. 
 
 In the city of Chattanooga the Commission has also done 
 much to increase the historic interest of the locality. The lines 
 of the old fortifications have been carefully traced and their 
 various salients defined by appropriate tablets. The head- 
 quarters of the corps, division, and brigade commanders 
 of both armies have been sought out and marked in the same 
 manner. Notable buildings like the military prison, the hos- 
 pital where the wounded from the battle of Chickamauga were 
 cared for, and the officers' hospital used during the siege, have 
 also been designated by descriptive tablets. 
 
 In all of its work the Commission has been thorough and 
 painstaking. While it may not be the part of the historian to 
 praise men for being honest, it is yet worthy of remark that no 
 suspicion of jobbery attaches to any of the undertakings of 
 those who have been the nation's deputies in this work. Very 
 considerable sums of money have been placed at the disposal 
 of the Commission, and they have been honestly spent, as the 
 work will show. 
 
 The creation of the Park was a patriotic conception on the 
 part of its originators. As a memorial to a nation's dead, it 
 stands unique among the records of the great struggle. That 
 the contending sections have met in amity to further the object 
 of the Association is but another evidence — happily one among 
 many — that we are one people, a nation undivided and indivis- 
 ible, whose sons may meet with fraternal handclasp on the 
 field where once, for a little time, our common heritage as 
 Americans was lost in the din and turmoil of party strife. 
 
 (6) 
 
Battle of Chickamauga 
 
 September 18-21, 1863 
 
 To make the story of Chickamauga intelligible it is needful 
 to preface it with a sketch of the events immediately preced- 
 ing the battle. For more than two years the struggle in the 
 West had surged back and forth across Tennessee and Ken- 
 tucky, the Confederate line retreating, advancing, and retreat- 
 ing again until, at the close of the year 1862, it confronted 
 Rosecrans in Middle Tennessee. Here, after the battle of Mur- 
 freesboro, (Stone's River) the Confederate general, Bragg, 
 began a slow retrograde movement which finally brought him 
 to Chattanooga. 
 
 In June, 1863, General Rosecrans, commanding the Fed- 
 eral Army of the Cumberland, began the march from Middle 
 Tennessee to the south-eastward. This advance, covering a 
 period of sixteen days and known in history as the Tullahoma 
 Campaign, was a series of strategic movements on the part of 
 both armies. At its close the Confederate Army of Tennessee 
 occupied Chattanooga. 
 
 On August 14th the forward movement of the Federal 
 army began. From Bridgeport, Wilder and Wagner were sent 
 up the river to make a demonstration opposite Chattanooga, 
 and the ruse was so successful as to lead Bragg to believe that 
 the entire Federal army sought a crossing at some point higher 
 up the river. As a result of this feint, Rosecrans was enabled 
 to make the crossing at Bridgeport, Caperton's Ferry, Battle 
 Creek, and Shellmound without opposition by September 4th; 
 and two days later the entire Army of the Cumberland, with 
 the exception of Wilder's and Wagner's commands, advanced 
 to Will's Valley. The left, under Crittenden, rested at Wau- 
 hatchie; and the right, under McCook, was at Valley Head, 
 forty miles to the south-west. 
 
 At this point in the advance, Bragg, fearing for his line of 
 communication, moved out of Chattanooga and took position 
 at Lafayette, Georgia, nearly opposite the center of the ex- 
 tended Federal line. On the 7th, Thomas, at a point twenty- 
 six miles from Chattanooga, and McCook, at Valley Head, 
 
 (V) 
 
Wilder Monument Florida Monument 
 
 A FEW OF THE CHICKAMAUGA BATTLE MEMORIALS 
 
The First Gun at Chickamauga, Sept. 18, 1863. The Confederates Opening 
 
 Fire Upon the Federal Cavalry, Who Had Bes:un the 
 
 Destruction of Reed's Bridge 
 
 began the ascent of Lookout Mountain. Neither met with any 
 opposition; and on the 8th Thomas came down into the valley 
 which lies between the mountain and Missionary Ridge, while 
 McCook reached the village of Alpine, some distance south- 
 west of Bragg's position at Lafayette. In the meantime, Crit- 
 tenden crossed the northern end of Lookout Mountain and 
 took possession of Chattanooga, sending Palmer and Van 
 Cleve forward to seize Rossville Gap. 
 
 From this time — the night of the 9th — to the 1 3th, the 
 Army of the Cumberland was in a most hazardous position. 
 The right wing, center, and left wing were not in communica- 
 tion; and Bragg, from his position at Lafayette, might easily 
 have crushed them in detail. It is doubtful if the Confederate 
 commander knew his advantage, but it is certain that he made 
 but a single attempt to profit by it. On the 9th, when Negley, 
 of Thomas' column, made a reconnaissance in force toward 
 Bragg's lines, Cheatham was sent against him, and a detachment 
 of D. H. Hill's command advanced to Catlett's Gap. At the 
 same time, Hindman was ordered to attack in conjunction 
 with Hill. 
 
 Negley was thus placed at the converging point of three 
 Confederate columns, but by skillful maneuvering, and with the 
 
 <9) 
 
help of Baird's division sent to support him, he extricated him- 
 self and fell back upon the main body of the column at the 
 base of Lookout. Here the situation was desperate. Thomas 
 was outnumbered, and was shut in by hills and the mountain 
 in a pocket-like valley, but a disagreement between Hindman 
 and Hill saved him, and the Confederate forces were with- 
 drawn. 
 
 While Negley and Baird were trying to develop the Confed- 
 erate position opposite Lafayette, McCook sent a force of cav- 
 alry northward from Alpine to locate Bragg's left. By this 
 reconnaissance McCook learned that he was far to the south- 
 ward of the main body of Bragg's army, and that the heights 
 of Pigeon Mountain intervened between his own column and 
 that of General Thomas. Thereupon he retraced his steps 
 across Lookout, marched down Will's Valley to a point oppo- 
 site Thomas' position, and crossing the mountain for the third 
 time, reached Thomas on the 1 6th. 
 
 In the meantime. General Rosecrans was making every 
 effort to concentrate his scattered forces; and up to Sunday, 
 the 13th, it does not appear that Bragg did anything to 
 obstruct the movements of the Federal troops. On that day, 
 however, finding that Crittenden was advancing along the road 
 from Rossville to form a junction with Thomas, Bragg sent 
 Polk to intercept the closing Federal column. Under this order 
 the first blow was struck on the field of Chickamauga. Van 
 Cleve, of Crittenden's corps, encountered Polk on the Lafay- 
 ette road; there was a sharp fight; the intercepting force was 
 driven back; and thereafter the Federal concentration went on 
 without further hindrance. 
 
 On Tuesday, the 15th, Bragg held a council of war in which 
 it was determined to move toward Chattanooga, and to "attack 
 the enemy wherever he could be found." 
 
 Following the general order of the 15th, the Confederate 
 army began moving by divisions. Bragg's orders contemplated 
 an attack on the Federal left wing on the morning of the 18th, 
 but this plan could not be carried out. The bridges across the 
 Chickamauga were infrequent and small; the fords were diffi- 
 cult; and the forests of the creek bottom were in many places 
 impassable thickets choked with underbrush. Owing to these 
 hindrances the Confederate forces were not in position until 
 nightfall of Friday, the 1 8th. 
 
 Rosecrans was in sore need of the twenty-four-hours* 
 
 CIO) 
 
respite and he made good use of it. On Saturday morning 
 Bragg's right wing, instead of overlapping the Federal left — 
 as was intended, and as it really did on the evening before — 
 was itself overlapped by a strong force which, in less than fif- 
 teen hours, had been moved up from the right of Rosecrans' 
 army. It is needful to go back a day to see how this inversion 
 of line was brought about. 
 
 From the 13th to the 18th, Rosecrans pushed the work of 
 concentration strenuously. Thomas' left was extended toward 
 Crawfish Springs, and Crittenden was hurried forward along 
 the Lafayette road toward Lee & Gordon's Mill in the belief 
 that the battle would be joined by Bragg at or near that point. 
 When McCook came up with the head of his column on the 
 1 6th, the closing of the line went forward rapidly; and by 
 noon of the 18th, Crittenden's corps occupied the Lafayette 
 road and the low bluff commanding it at Lee & Gordon's Mill. 
 It was at this time that Bragg's plan of attack developed and 
 it became necessary to extend the Federal left quickly and at 
 all hazards. This was done by moving Negley's division up to 
 Crittenden's right while Thomas, with three divisions under 
 Brannan, Baird, and Reynolds, moved rapidly northward 
 along the old Crawfish Springs road. 
 
 The extension of the Federal left was completed a little 
 before dawn of Saturday, the 1 9th. At that hour the oppos- 
 ing armies confronted each other in the following order: 
 Beginning at the right of the Federal line, McCook held Craw- 
 fish Springs and the road leading up thereto from the south. 
 Between McCook and the Chickamauga, was Negley's division. 
 Next came Crittenden at Lee & Gordon's Mill. Reynolds was 
 still farther north; his division was drawn up on the west side 
 of the old Crawfish Springs road with its left near the Glenn 
 house. Baird was a mile north of Reynolds, and his division 
 with Brannan's made an unbroken line reaching from the Poe 
 house on Baird's right to the McDonald house on Brannan's 
 left. This line was a short distance west of the Lafayette road 
 and the Kelly house was nearly opposite its center. Four miles 
 northeast of Brannan, where the road from Rossville to Ring- 
 gold crosses the Chickamauga, were the reserves under General 
 Gordon Granger. 
 
 The Confederate dispositions were less carefully made for 
 the reason that night had overtaken the different divisions 
 while they were still in motion. On the left, Breckinridge was 
 
 (11) 
 
opposed to Negley; and Hindman, commanding Longstreet's 
 advance, confronted Crittenden at Lee & Gordon's Mill. 
 Cleburne was between Hindman and Breckinridge and slightly 
 in the rear. Cheatham's line began at Hindman's right, cover- 
 ing the road from Lee & Gordon's Mill to Dalton Ford; and 
 Preston's men were on the west bank of the stream directly 
 opposite Cheatham's right. At Tedford Ford, Stewart's com- 
 mand held the right bank of the Chickamauga, and Buckner's 
 the left. Three-quarters of a mile north of Buckner, at Alex- 
 ander's Bridge, Walker's command and Forrest's cavalry were 
 aligned upon a road paralleling the left bank of the stream; 
 and Hood, with a strong force, was lying in the woods a short 
 distance east of the Viniard house. 
 
 Saturday, the 19th, dawned bright and clear. At daybreak 
 Bragg's army was in motion, following out the plan of the pre- 
 vious day, which was based upon the supposition that the Fed- 
 
 WISCONSIN CAVALRY MONUMENT, CHICKAMAUGA PARK 
 
 In a charge of this troop the rider of this horse was shot down from his 
 horse, but the horse continued the charge 
 
 (12) 
 
eral left was still at Lee & Gordon's Mill. A few minutes be- 
 fore seven o'clock the sound of heavy firing came from the 
 direction of Reed's Bridge. It flagged, was renewed, and pres- 
 ently became continuous. Bragg knew that the battle had been 
 forced upon his right, but the order of the day was still allowed 
 to stand. 
 
 In spite of the Confederate commander's determination to 
 take the offensive, it was Thomas who had begun the battle. 
 Soon after six o'clock, and before many of the men had had 
 time to snatch a hasty breakfast, the two divisions under Bran- 
 nan and Baird were ordered forward. In the Kelly fields, and 
 to the right and left of the road leading toward the Chicka- 
 mauga, the commands were deployed, skirmishers were thrown 
 out, and the line pushed forward into the woods. In a few 
 minutes the Confederate right wing under Forrest was uncov- 
 ered and the fighting began. 
 
 Croxton's brigade, which was working its way through the 
 woods on Brannan's right, was the first to come upon Forrest's 
 men. There was a volley, a fierce attack, and the cavalry fell 
 back before the advancing line of infantry. Near Jay's Mill, 
 Forrest dismounted one division, fighting it as infantry while 
 he sent for reinforcements. These were quickly sent in by 
 Walker, and in a few minutes the battle was raging hotly all 
 along the front of Brannan's and Baird's lines. 
 
 With the coming of the reinforcements from Walker, For- 
 rest dismounted his entire command and charged the Federal 
 left. Croxton's men stood their ground until their ammunition 
 gave out, falling back slowly when the struggle became a 
 hand-to-hand combat among the trees. "Durn 'em; they-all 
 just wouldn't run," said an old Confederate veteran, describ- 
 ing to me this first charge in the two-day battle. And before 
 the backward movement became a retreat, King's regulars, 
 sent in by Baird, came to the rescue and the lost ground was 
 regained. 
 
 The sending of King to Croxton left Van Derveer and Con- 
 nell unsupported; and, turned back from the strengthened 
 Federal left, Forrest's and Walker's men flung themselves upon 
 the center and right of Baird's line. Then began a series of 
 fierce charges and countercharges back and forth through the 
 woods. No accurate alignment could be maintained, and the 
 men on both sides fought from bush to bush and tree to tree, 
 clinging doggedly to every yard gained, and giving ground 
 
 (13) 
 
MORNING TO NOON 
 SEPT. 19^-^ 1863 
 
 POSITION OF THE ARMIES AT CHICKAMAUGA 
 MORNING TO NOON, SEPT. 19, 1863 
 
 General Rosecrans, with field headquarters at the Glenn House on Craw- 
 fish Springs road, was attempting to prevent the advance of Bragg's army 
 to the LaFayette road, and stubbornly repulsing efforts of the Confederates 
 to cross the Chickamauga creek. Throughout the morning desperate close- 
 range fighting took place wherever the scattered troops, trying to carry out 
 formation orders, happened to meet. Bragg's plan was to gain LaFayette 
 road between Rosecrans' position and Chattanooga and drive the Union 
 army back into the Lookout range. Although the engagements were im- 
 promptu, it was a morning of terrific encounters, resulting in a considerable 
 gain for Bragg toward the position for which he was striving. 
 
 (14) 
 
only when swept away by the irresistible momentum of a 
 charge. They were veteran troops in the Chickamauga forests 
 that day, and the file-closers on either side had little to do. 
 
 Forrest and his first reinforcement had been fighting desper- 
 ately for four hours before Bragg came tardily to the conclu- 
 sion that his plan of turning the Federal left could not be car- 
 ried out. Then he ordered Walker forward with his entire 
 command, and sent for Cheatham to bring up the five brigades 
 forming the reserve on the left. Soon after, Stewart was or- 
 dered to the right from Tedford's Ford; and at one o'clock, 
 Cleburne was withdrawn from the left and his command set in 
 motion toward Jay's Mill. 
 
 In the meantime, Brannan and Baird were fighting hard to 
 hold their ground against increasing numbers. When Walker's 
 reserves began to arrive, a brigade was sent in against Scrib- 
 ner, of Baird's division, in an oblique movement that forced 
 the Federal line out of position; and at the same moment a 
 charge on the flank of King's regulars drove the latter in con- 
 fusion across Van Derveer's line. In this charge, led by Wal- 
 thall, Guenther's battery was captured and Baird's lines were 
 badly shattered. 
 
 On Brannan's front the situation was scarcely less critical. 
 Croxton, with fresh supplies of ammunition, was facing over- 
 whelming numbers; and Connell's brigade, forming Brannan's 
 center, was holding its position in the face of a fire that was 
 often delivered at short pistol-range. The breaking of Baird's 
 line exposed Van Derveer to a succession of flank attacks, and 
 only the most stubborn fighting saved the position while Baird 
 was reforming his lines under fire. 
 
 At this juncture, when victory for the Confederate right 
 wmg was only a question of minutes, the Federal reinforce- 
 ments began to arrive. First came Johnson, of McCook's 
 corps, hurried forward from Crawfish Springs. Thomas sent 
 him in on Baird's right, where, after a sharp struggle, the 
 broken line was reformed and the Confederate advance 
 checked. A little later. Palmer, detached by Crittenden and 
 sent to the left from Lee & Gordon's Mill, came on the field 
 and took position with Johnson. 
 
 With these reinforcements, General Rosecrans, who person- 
 ally directed the movement of the Federal left wing at this 
 time, ordered three brigades, those of Hazen, Cruft and Grose, 
 to form in echelon for a forward movement. The column was 
 met by Cheatham and stubbornly resisted, but a simultaneous 
 
 (15) 
 
The Kelly House, Another of the Familiar Marks of Chickamauga Battlefield 
 
 advance all along the Federal left carried both armies well into 
 the depths of the forest again, and the battle raged with un- 
 diminished fury on the ground fought over in the early 
 morning. 
 
 It was in this advance that Guenther's battery was recap- 
 tured. The Ninth Ohio, coming into action from the rear, was 
 led by its commander. Colonel Kammerling. The colonel saw 
 the captured battery on a slight elevation to his right. Halting 
 his regiment, he changed front and charged up the hill at the 
 double-quick. The assault was so sudden and unexpected that 
 the gunners were driven back before they could reload for a 
 second round; and five minutes later the battery had again 
 changed sides and the Ninth was in line with Van Derveer, 
 reaching the front in time to strengthen the left at a most crit- 
 ical juncture. 
 
 Finding it impossible to drive Brannan out of position by a 
 front attack, Forrest had extended his line until it overlapped 
 the Federal left. From this position he charged in front and 
 on the flank at the same moment. The forest at this point had 
 been thinned out and cleared of underbrush, and the flanking 
 column was in plain view from the Federal lines. It swept 
 
 (16) 
 
steadily forward under a galling fire, and one who watched its 
 advance says that the entire battle records no more heroic 
 spectacle than that of the closely-massed column, four lines 
 deep, breasting the storm of bullets, and the men bending to 
 the blast and firing rapidly as they came. Within two hundred 
 feet of Van Derveer's line they halted and poured in a wither- 
 ing fire which was replied to with equal spirit. Just at the 
 moment when it seemed impossible to hold the double assault 
 in check, a battery reported, wheeled into position, and opened 
 on the flanking column with canister. For a few minutes the 
 rattle of musketry was drowned in the hoarser roar of cannon; 
 and when the battery ceased firing the place of the brave 
 flanking column was taken by heaps of dead and dying men. 
 
 After the failure of this attack, the heavy fighting drifted 
 toward the Federal center, becoming hottest in front of John- 
 son and Palmer. Thereupon Rosecrans shortened his line, 
 sending Brannan to support Johnson, and Baird to cover the 
 approaches to the Lafayette road. This maneuvre left John- 
 son on the extreme left of the Federal line, opposed to For- 
 rest's dismounted cavalrymen and Cheatham's infantry. 
 
 Here the Confederate commanders saw a chance to thrust 
 their forces between Rosecrans' army and the roads to Chat- 
 tanooga; and the most strenuous effort of the day was made 
 to turn Johnson's flank or to dislodge him by direct attack. 
 Brigade after brigade was hurled against the Federal left with 
 an impetuous ardor that stopped little short of hand-to-hand 
 combat. For a time the conflict surged back and forth over 
 the ground of the morning's battle; but as the tide of assault 
 and countercharge ebbed and flowed, the field once more 
 shifted to a line much nearer the Lafayette road. 
 
 When the onslaught had once more expended its force on 
 the Federal left, it began again with renewed vigor at a point 
 near the center. Palmer's right suffered most severely, and Rey- 
 nolds was ordered to take a position between Palmer and the 
 Lafayette road. He did so, and two of his brigades, Willich's 
 and Edward King's, went into action on that part of the line 
 lying upon the road between the Viniard house and Jay's Mill. 
 
 By this time Bragg had his army well in motion toward his 
 right, and as his reserves came on the field they were met by 
 fresh troops from Rosecrans' right. Van Cleve, with two bri- 
 gades, came up from Crittenden; and a little later, Davis, of 
 McCook's corps, arrived from Crawfish Springs and went into 
 
 (17) 
 
the fight near Viniard's. By the middle of the afternoon all 
 the troops at Lee & Gordon's Mill, excepting a single brigade 
 of Sheridan's division under General Lytle, had been moved to 
 the left. 
 
 The severest fighting of the afternoon fell upon the Federal 
 center near the Viniard house. Reynolds' line was more than 
 once broken and restored under fire, and it was beginning to 
 give ground when Davis came up. The Confederate assault- 
 ing columns at this point were made up of Stewart's, Bushrod 
 Johnson's, and Preston's men, from Buckner's corps; and 
 Longstreet's advance, commanded by Hindman. The differ- 
 ent commands rivalled each other in the brilliancy and dash 
 for which the Southern soldier was justly famous; and the 
 stubborn courage of Rosecrans' veterans was never more 
 severely tried than during that autumn afternoon at the Vin- 
 iard house. 
 
 Davis' command became involved before it could get into 
 position; Wood came to the rescue, and Van Cleve, trying to 
 follow, collided with Stewart, who was on his way to reinforce 
 Cheatham. At this crisis, the Federal center was saved by the 
 opportune arrival of Sheridan, and Wilder's cavalry, though 
 these reinforcements only served to check the backward move- 
 ment which had already begun. 
 
 Determined to hold the Lafayette road at any cost, Thomas 
 brought Brannan from the left to support Reynolds, and at the 
 same time Negley came up from Crawfish Springs. For an 
 hour or more the battle raged around the Viniard house, 
 neither side gaining any permanent advantage, and both 
 armies displaying the courage which had distinguished them 
 on many a hard-fought field. At five o'clock the fighting at 
 Viniard's began to slacken, but the closing act of the bloody 
 drama of that September Saturday was yet to come. 
 
 It will be remembered that early in the day General Bragg 
 had ordered Cleburne to move his force to the right in pursu- 
 ance of the original plan of turning the Federal right. Twilight 
 was gathering when Cleburne — "the Stonewall Jackson of the 
 West" — with a division of Hill's corps moved to the front over 
 the hotly-disputed ground of the morning. Deploying his 
 division in the rear of the Kelly farm, the lines were formed 
 and a charge made upon the position held by Baird and John- 
 son. In the dusk of the evening the Confederate force swept 
 up to the very breastworks ; there was a sharp conflict in which 
 
 (18) 
 
the men aimed at the flashes of the guns on either side; and 
 the din of battle was presently swelled by the thunder of the 
 field guns as Cleburne's batteries came into position. The 
 charge was a brilliant one, but the darkness soon put an end 
 to the fighting, here and elsewhere, and the two armies biv- 
 ouacked on their lines of battle to await the dawn of the 
 second day of carnage. 
 
 For the commanders on both sides there was little sleep. 
 General Bragg summoned his officers and gave the orders for 
 the following day. The Confederate forces were to be fought 
 as two wings, commanded by the two senior Lieutenant- 
 Generals, Polk and Longstreet. The latter reached Bragg's 
 headquarters at midnight, arriving from Ringgold with the 
 main body of his command moving, after a short rest, into 
 position on the Confederate left. To General Polk was as- 
 signed the command of the right wing, and his orders were to 
 begin the battle at day-break, the attack to be taken up from 
 right to left as rapidly as possible. Longstreet was to wait 
 until the attack reached his wing in regular progression, after 
 which the assault was to be pushed with vigor along the entire 
 line. 
 
 The Snodnrass House. C hickamauga. Around Which the Battle Waged 
 Long and Fiercely 
 
 (19) 
 
MORNING TO II A.M. 
 SEPT. 20^-^1863 
 
 POSITION OF THE ARMIES AT CHICKAMAUGA 
 MORNING TO 11 A. M., SEPT. 20, 1863 
 The morning of Sept. 20 found the Union and Confederate commands 
 facing each other at close range, and the memorable Sunday battle of Kelley 
 Field was opened at 9 :30 A. M. by Breckinridge's Division. Desperate close- 
 range fighting followed, and the Confederates under Stovall and Adams were 
 almost in possession of Kelley's house when a sudden reinforcement attack 
 from Van Derveer routed them for a half a mile east, leaving the field 
 literally covered with their dead and wounded. At the same time, Forrest 
 captured the Union hospitals at Cloud Springs and the church opposite. 
 At 11 o'clock the fighting shifted to Foe Place, with the position of the 
 various divisions of each army as noted on the above map. With ground 
 taken and retaken, neither side could lay claim to any material advance. 
 
 (20) 
 
In the meantime, the Federal commanders were not idle. 
 The alignment for the second day's battle was on slightly dif- 
 ferent ground from that of Saturday. With the Kelly house 
 as a center, the Federal left was disposed in a semi-circle oc- 
 cupied by Baird — whose left rested upon the Lafayette road 
 half a mile from McDonald's — Johnson, Palmer, and Rey- 
 nolds. At Reynolds' right, the line crossed the Lafayette road, 
 continuing with Brannan — whose division reached nearly to 
 the old Crawfish Springs road — Negley, Wood, Davis, and 
 Sheridan, in the order named; the last four commands being 
 drawn up parallel with the Crawfish Springs road and a short 
 distance east of it. 
 
 In this alignment. Wood's right and Davis' left joined at 
 the Glenn house, while the latter division was directly oppo- 
 site and west of the Viniard house. West of the Glenn house 
 and in the rear of Davis and Wood, Wilder was stationed; 
 and still farther to the rear, covering the junction of Wood's 
 left and Negley's right, was Van Cleve's command. 
 
 The Confederate line was slightly longer, paralleling Rose- 
 crans' position from Breckinridge — whose right overlapped 
 Baird's left at McDonald's through Walker, Cleburne, Stewart, 
 Bushrod Johnson, Hindman, and Preston. Cheatham was held 
 in reserve in Cleburne's rear, lying in the woods about half 
 way between the Lafayette road and the Chickamauga; and 
 Law and Kershaw were in the rear of Bushrod Johnson. 
 
 Sunday morning dawned clear and cool. The ground was 
 covered with a white frost, and a light mist hung in the forests 
 of the Chickamauga bottom. General Bragg was astir early, 
 listening impatiently for the sounds of the opening battle to 
 come from Polk's wing. Dawn slipped into morning and the 
 morning into forenoon, and still the guns were silent along the 
 lines of the two armies. 
 
 At length Bragg sent Major Lee to Polk to ascertain the 
 cause of delay. Quoting a well-known Southern historian: 
 "Major Lee found General Polk seated at a comfortable break- 
 fast, surrounded by brilliantly-dressed officers, and delivered 
 his message with military bluntness and brevity. General Polk 
 replied that he had ordered Hill to open the action, that he 
 was waiting for him, and he added: 'Do tell General Bragg 
 that my heart is overflowing with anxiety for the attack — 
 overflowing with anxiety, sir.' Major Lee returned to the com- 
 manding general and reported the reply literally. Bragg 
 uttered a terrible exclamation in which Polk, Hill, and all his 
 
 (21) 
 
-Scene in Chickamaugra Park. 2 — Missionary Ridgre. Here General 
 Brag:^ Made His Headquarters. 3 — Brotherton House — Another 
 Famous Spot on Chickamauffa Battlefield 
 
generals were included. 'Major Lee,' he cried, 'ride along the 
 line, and order every captain to take his men instantly into 
 action!* In fifteen minutes the battle was joined; but three 
 hours of valuable time had been lost, in which Rosecrans was 
 desperately strengthening his position." 
 
 It was between nine and ten o'clock when Breckinridge 
 opened the battle on the Confederate right. Unlike the con- 
 flict of the day before, in which each line charged or fell back 
 as the exigencies of the moment demanded, the fighting in the 
 early part of the day was confined to a zone of varying width 
 in front of the reversed curves of the Federal line. 
 
 During the night, and in the four precious hours of daylight 
 before the assault began, Rosecrans had considerably strength- 
 ened his position with log barricades against which, for a time, 
 the Confederate assaulting columns hurled themselves in vain. 
 Breckinridge charged twice, the second time with Walker, and 
 was twice repulsed. Then Cheatham went to Walker's assist- 
 ance and a third time the Federal left held its ground. Again 
 and again Cleburne's and Stewart's left divisions charged upon 
 the Federal left center, falling back after each repulse to rally, 
 reform and charge again. At last Baird's thin line was pressed 
 back and driven slowly through the fringe of woods in its rear. 
 Reinforcements were sent in, and the double-quick of Stan- 
 ley's brigade across the Kelly field was the first of five brilliant 
 charges over that ground during the day. Stanley was just in 
 time; the assaulting force under Adams was driven back and 
 the Federal line was reformed in its breastworks. 
 
 Not daunted by these failures, the Confederates charged 
 again with a massed force of ten brigades. Simultaneously 
 with a fierce attack upon John Beatty's weakened line, Breck- 
 inridge succeeded in turning Baird's flank; and gaining the 
 Lafayette road, he began to move upon the rear of the Federal 
 center which was held by Reynolds. As soon as this flank 
 movement developed in Baird's rear, the Confederate forces in 
 front of Reynolds and Brannan attacked these lines with re- 
 newed zeal, and the unbroken ranks on the Federal left were 
 kept hotly engaged by Walker's and Cleburne's men. 
 
 The turning of Baird's flank by Breckinridge was the first of 
 a series of events leading up to the famous break in the Fed- 
 eral center. General Thomas, alive to the critical need of the 
 moment, sent to Rosecrans for Brannan. When the order to 
 go to Thomas' assistance reached Brannan, heavy fighting 
 had already begun on his left, and there were indications that 
 
 (23) 
 
a strong assaulting column was forming in his front. For this 
 reason he delayed his withdrawal until he could report the sit- 
 uation, sending his reserves under Van Derveer, in the mean- 
 time, to reinforce the left. Van Derveer's brigade entered the 
 Kelly field, changed front under a heavy fire, and charged the 
 flanking force with great ardor, bearing it back beyond the 
 line of barricades and into the forest. 
 
 While this was taking place, a Confederate force under 
 Govan gained a foothold on the line from which it had driven 
 Beatty. The third charge of the day over the Kelly field was 
 made to recover this lost ground. Grose, with Palmer's re- 
 serve, was ordered to the left, and forming his command in the 
 field he dashed across the open ground and into the woods. 
 Govan held his ground stubbornly, though unsupported on 
 either wing; but he was finally pressed back with heavy loss. 
 
 With this repulse, the battle on the Federal left subsided; 
 but in the meantime the struggle was approaching a crisis at 
 the center. When Breckinridge appeared in Baird*s rear, 
 Longstreet ordered a combined attack on Reynolds* front 
 which presently extended until it involved Brannan and Wood. 
 It was this attack that made Brannan await further orders be- 
 fore going to the help of the left. Before his report of the 
 situation reached Rosecrans, another order had been sent 
 directing Wood to close up on Reynolds to fill the gap which 
 would be made by Brannan*s withdrawal. This, at least, was 
 the intention, but the order was peremptory to "close up on 
 Reynolds." When it reached Wood, the assault was already 
 threatening his left, but he obeyed immediately, withdrawing 
 his command from its line of battle and forming in column to 
 march to the left. 
 
 Longstreet saw his opportunity and seized it at once. With an 
 attacking column of eight brigades — Bushrod Johnson's, Mc- 
 Nair's, Gregg's, Kershaw's, Law's, Humphrey's, Benning's and 
 Robertson's — in triple line he rushed into the gap, opening with 
 a front and flank fire on Brannan as he advanced. Davis, 
 with his two brigades, threw himself across Longstreet's front, 
 only to be swept away. Brannan resisted bravely, but he was 
 driven back across the Crawfish Springs road and into the 
 woods on a ridge south of the Snodgrass house, where he 
 made a stand and once more established his line. 
 
 Wood was also involved in the confusion at the break, but 
 he managed to extricate his command, and, falling back with 
 Brannan, took a position at the latter's left. As quickly as 
 
 (24) 
 
possible, Hazen was thrown into the gap between Wood and 
 Reynolds, and the Federal line was once more continuous 
 though greatly shortened. In the new position the line was 
 bent backward until the right was at right angles to its former 
 line on the Lafayette road. 
 
 Beyond Brannan's former position all of the Federal right 
 wing was scattered and driven from the field. Negley, with 
 one brigade and a number of guns, joined Brannan in the rush 
 for the new position ; but with this exception nothing was left 
 of the right wing. McCook, with a single brigade, tried to 
 stem the tide, as did Van Cleve and Sheridan, but all were 
 borne to the rear, and General Lytle, commanding a brigade 
 of Sheridan's division, lost his life in the desperate effort to 
 check Longstreet's advance. 
 
 As the Confederate columns pressed forward, the retreat 
 became a rout, and the roads leading to McFarland*s Gap and 
 Rossville were crowded with fugitives. Negley, with the frag- 
 ment of his division and the artillery first took a position on 
 the ridge at Brannan's right; but he soon abandoned it and 
 joined the retreat, taking the guns with him. General Rose- 
 crans, himself, was caught in the disaster which involved his 
 right wing; and believing that the battle was lost, he rode into 
 Chattanooga with McCook and Crittenden. Sheridan led the 
 main body of the retreat to Rossville, and, later in the day, 
 moved again toward the front with what troops he could 
 gather by way of the Lafayette road. This movement was 
 delayed, however, and Sheridan got no farther than the Cloud 
 house, which point he reached at seven o'clock. 
 
 Thomas alone of the senior officers remained on the field; 
 and from the time of the break to the close of the day his con- 
 dition was most desperate. Longstreet sent column after col- 
 umn up the hillside against Brannan, and the fighting at that 
 point exceeded in fury any that had preceded it. Brannan's 
 ammunition ran low, and before the middle of the afternoon 
 his men were fighting with bayonets and clubbed guns. 
 
 At half past two o'clock, Bragg sent for Longstreet and 
 heard his report of the situation. The wing commander asked 
 for more troops in order that he might continue the attack on 
 Snodgrass Hill and at the same time press the retreating forces 
 on the Dry Valley and Rossville roads. Bragg replied that 
 Polk could spare no men; that there was "no fight left in his 
 wing." Longstreet then returned to his command, and Bragg 
 rode away to Reed's Bridge, where he established his head- 
 
 (25) 
 
POSITION OF THE ARMIES AT CHICKAMAUGA 
 NOON TO NIGHT, SEPT. 20, 1863 
 
 Between noon and 1 o'clock Wood, through mistaken orders, vacated his 
 position in the Union line through which the Confederates rushed to one 
 of their greatest unit assaults. The entire Union right wing was driven in 
 one confused mass from Crawfish and Dry Valley roads toward Chatta- 
 nooga. Maj.-Gen. Thomas assembled all that remained of the Union army 
 and rapidly formed a line along the crest of Snodgrass Hill. The struggle 
 here was desperate, and "unquestionably one of the most terrific musketry 
 duels ever witnessed," followed by retreat of the Union army under orders 
 of Gen. Rosecrans himself. The battle of Chickamauga was a Confederate 
 victory, but at the fearful cost of about 21,000 men killed, wounded and 
 taken prisoners, with Federal losses of about 19,000. The Union army was 
 driven to Chattanooga and the Confederates occupied Missionary Ridge. 
 
 (26) 
 
quarters. In disregarding Longstreet's request for reinforce- 
 ments, the commanding general seems to have forgotten that 
 Cheatham's men were still in reserve and comparatively fresh. 
 
 Thrown upon his own resources, Longstreet then triced to 
 carry Snodgrass Hill by a combined attack upon the front and 
 rear of the Federal position. A strong column was sent up the 
 southern slope of the hill on Brannan's front, while another, 
 under Hindman, made a detour to the westward, charging and 
 carrying a prolongation of the hill which overlooked Brannan's 
 right flank and rear. The assault on the front was repelled 
 after a desperate hand-to-hand conflict with bayonets and 
 clubbed guns; but Hindman was more successful, and in the 
 lull following the turmoil of the battle in front, the Federals 
 could see Hindman's men forming for an attack by the flank 
 and rear. It was a critical moment, and once again the safety 
 of the forlorn hope on Snodgrass Hill trembled in the balance. 
 
 Help came from an unexpected quarter. A cloud of dust 
 was seen approaching from the direction of Rossville, and a 
 moment later Granger and Steedman, with two of the three 
 brigades left at Red House Bridge, reported to Thomas. The 
 reinforcements, with Van Derveer's command, withdrawn from 
 its position in the Kelly field, were double-quicked up the hill 
 to form on Brannan's right; and a charge, led by Steedman in 
 person, was made upon the Confederate forces massed in the 
 ravine and on the ridge. It was successful, and the immediate 
 danger to the Federal right was averted. 
 
 Through the remainder of the afternoon, the ridge held by 
 Brannan and Granger was the center of the heaviest fighting. 
 Column after column was sent up the slope by Longstreet, and 
 the Federal position was held only at the bitterest cost. The 
 last assault, made soon after five o'clock, was met — for the 
 want of ammunition — by a counter-charge with fixed bay- 
 onets. The attack was repulsed, but the Confederates swept 
 away an entire regiment of Granger's men as they fell back. 
 
 A statement of Granger's losses gives some idea of the 
 furious fighting at this point: 3,700 men wheeled into line at 
 Brannan's right; of these, 1,175 were killed and wounded, 
 and 613 were missing — an aggregate of nearly one-half. 
 
 While Longstreet was hurling his assaulting columns against 
 Brannan, Polk was organizing his wing for another attack on 
 the Federal left. It was directed against Baird's front, and 
 Willich commanding Johnson's reserve, was sent to Baird's 
 assistance. His command made the fourth charge of the day 
 
 27 
 
across the Kelly field. Polk*s advance was checked, but the 
 attack was renewed a little later on the line held by Reynolds 
 and Palmer, where it was again repulsed. 
 
 At half-past five, General Thomas decided to withdraw. 
 The movement began on Reynolds' line, with Palmer, John- 
 son, and Baird to follow, each command leaving its skirmish- 
 ers in the works. When Reynolds was fairly in motion across 
 the Kelly field, he encountered the Confederate column which 
 had made the last attack. Turchin was ordered to charge, 
 and his command dashed across the open ground, holding the 
 Confederates in check while King broke Liddell's line on the 
 Lafayette road. The fighting was sharp and deadly; but Tur- 
 chin and King gained the road to McFarland's Gap, and Baird, 
 Johnson, and Palmer followed in the order named. The last 
 named was attacked with great vigor as he left his works, but 
 his command gained the shelter of the woods without serious 
 loss. 
 
 Hazen and Wood were next withdrawn, and Steedman 
 followed at six o'clock. Brannan's division was the last to 
 leave the field. Longstreet was still moving on his front, and 
 in the gathering dusk Brannan's men could see the Confeder- 
 ates on the hillside. Taking advantage of Steedman's with- 
 drawal, Hindman sent a force to feel its way around the Fed- 
 eral right. This detachment reached the hill lately occupied 
 by Steedman as Brannan was forming to leave his position. 
 A part of Van Derveer's brigade — the Thirty-fifth Ohio — fired 
 the last Federal volley on the field of Chickamauga. It was 
 replied to by Hindman's men; and then a silence doubly pro- 
 found after the din and turmoil of the day fell over the smoky 
 field. The attack was not renewed, and Brannan, with Van 
 Derveer as rear guard, joined the moving army. At midnight 
 the Federal forces occupied Missionary Ridge, from whence 
 they were withdrawn on the evening of the 21st to Chatta- 
 nooga. 
 
 Thus began, continued and ended the famous battle of 
 Chickamauga. And the victory? Let that question rest. What 
 moves one now is not the result; it is, rather, the splendid 
 fighting qualities of our common American blood, the gallant 
 heroism of the men, irrespective of the device on their battle- 
 flags. Theirs was the victory, on whichever side they fought, 
 since they triumphed supremely over all the sins of weakness 
 which do so easily beset us, fighting bravely for the right as 
 they were given to see it. 
 
 (28) 
 
Battles of Lookout Mountain 
 and Chattanooga 
 
 The siege of Chattanooga followed the battle of Chicka- 
 mauga. Rosecrans fortified the city and Bragg drew his lines 
 around it in a vast semi-circle extending from the northern end 
 of Missionary Ridge to and across Lookout Mountain and 
 through the head of Wills' Valley to the foothills of the Rac- 
 coon below Brown's Ferry. The only line of communication 
 left open to the Federal force was over Walden's Ridge to the 
 Sequatchee Valley; and when Grant succeeded Rosecrans in 
 command at Chattanooga, he found famine at work in the 
 besieged city. 
 
 Reinforcements for the Army of the Cumberland were, 
 however, already on the way, and on October 26th Hooker 
 crossed the river at Bridgeport and began the march toward 
 Chattanooga. The first thing to be done was to open a line 
 for supplies, and Grant made his plans accordingly. At three 
 o'clock on the morning of the 27th, Hazen, with 1 ,800 men in 
 sixty pontoons, embarked at Chattanooga and dropped silently 
 down the river. At the same time Smith marched across to 
 Brown's Ferry behind the shelter of Stringer's Ridge on the 
 north bank of the stream. 
 
 Hazen succeeded in passing the Confederate pickets on 
 Lookout and landed on the south bank at five o'clock, over- 
 coming the small force at Brown's Ferry, and beginning at 
 once the placing of a pontoon bridge. By seven o'clock. 
 Smith's force had come up and was ferried across, and at ten 
 the bridge was completed. This movement extended the Fed- 
 eral right to the head of Wills' Valley, by a line across the 
 neck of Moccasin Bend and the bridge at Brown's Ferry; and 
 the besieged army was no longer dependent upon the railway 
 around the foot of Lookout, or the wagon road which skirts 
 the foot of the Craven plateau. 
 
 Hooker met with little resistance on the march from Bridge- 
 port, reaching Wauhatchie on the afternoon of the 28th. 
 Howard was sent to Brown's Ferry, and Geary was posted 
 with one division at a point three miles south of that point. 
 This occupation of the entire valley cut off the Confederate 
 pickets below the ferry, and they came in and surrendered. 
 
 (29) 
 
General Grant and Staff on Lookout Mountain in 1863 
 
 On the night of the 28th, Longstreet, who was in command 
 on the Confederate left, tried to recover his lost advantage. 
 An attack was made upon Geary at Wauhatchie, and a sharp 
 battle was fought in the darkness. The attack was a failure, 
 so far as dislodging Hooker was concerned, and thereafter the 
 Federal line of supplies was unmolested. 
 
 It was not until October 1 1 th that Sherman started with his 
 army to the relief of Chattanooga. He came by way of the 
 Memphis & Charleston Railway, and after encountering great 
 difficulties, reached Bridgeport on the 14th, and Brown's Ferry 
 with the head of his column on the 20th. In the meantime, 
 Longstreet had been detached by Bragg and sent against Burn- 
 side at Knoxville; and thus the singular spectacle was pre- 
 sented of the Confederate commander weakening his forces at 
 the time when his adversary was receiving heavy reinforce- 
 ments. 
 
 The original plan of the battle of Missionary Ridge con- 
 templated an attack on Bragg's right by Sherman's forces on 
 the morning of the 22nd, and Thomas was ordered to extend 
 his lines in front of Chattanooga toward the Ridge on that day. 
 The heavy rain on the 20th and 21st delayed the movement of 
 Sherman's army, however, and it was not in position at the 
 North Chickamauga until the night of the 23rd. On that 
 morning of the same day, Thomas made his dispositions for 
 the extension of his line. The advance began at two o'clock 
 in the afternoon, and the Federal line was successfully carried 
 
 (30) 
 
forward to a series of low hills in which Orchard Knob is the 
 highest point. The movement met with determined resistance, 
 but the Confederates gave way finally, and fell back upon their 
 second line of intrenchments at the foot of the ridge. 
 
 At two o'clock on the morning of the 24th, Sherman's army 
 was ready to begin the crossing of the Tennessee River. At 
 that hour, G. A. Smith, with 3,500 men in 116 pontoons, 
 dropped down the river to the mouth of the South Chicka- 
 mauga. Here the Confederate pickets were surprised and 
 captured; and a short distance below, the troops landed with- 
 out striking a blow. The work of ferrying the army across began 
 at once, the pontoon boats serving as barges which were towed 
 back and forth by a steamer sent up from Chattanooga. As 
 fast as the men landed they were put to work intrenching, 
 and by daylight two divisions were across and well covered. 
 
 While Sherman was gaining a foothold at the extreme right 
 of the Confederate line. Hooker had opened the battle on the 
 left. Early in the morning Geary, with Cruft's brigade, moved 
 up Lookout Creek, and the remainder of his division advanced 
 to seize the bridge and the railway crossing. The bridge was 
 taken by Grose's brigade, and the skirmish at this point 
 diverted the attention of the Confederates stationed on the 
 Craven plateau while the mist hid Geary's movements. A little 
 later, Geary crossed the creek and began to ascend the moun- 
 tain in his front; and at the same time, Osterhaus crossed at 
 the bridge and pressed forward toward the Confederate posi- 
 tion on the plateau. The mountain side facing Wills' Valley 
 
 ' — 
 
 
 
 
 n 
 
 
 ^^ 
 
 
 iKtkmm 
 
 l^i>Ll^kM 
 
 
 :0 ■:i^ 
 
 
 ' ' ^ 
 
 
 m 
 
 -.r,«t,:,. 
 
 .0 
 
 
 Mm 
 
 ^ 
 
 I 
 
 
 ^v;,?*^^'^:^? 1^ 
 
 Craven's House and Monument, on the Slope of Lookout Mountain 
 
 (31) 
 
Entrance to the National Cemetery 
 
 was traversed by rifle-pits, and the Confederates came out to 
 resist Osterhaus' advance. 
 
 The opposing forces met at a point about half way between 
 the base of the mountain and the plateau, and the Confeder- 
 ates were driven back by the superior numbers in the Federal 
 assaulting column. Osterhaus and Cruft pushed on up the 
 mountain, and when their commands joined Geary's a contin- 
 uous line was formed with its right reaching far up toward the 
 cliffs at the summit. Swinging on the right as a pivot, the 
 Federals swept up the mountain and across the Craven pla- 
 teau. Here were the redoubts thrown up by the Confederate 
 left wing, and as these faced the road crossing the point of the 
 mountain, the Federal advance enfiladed them. There was a 
 sharp fight on the plateau, but it was a war correspondent who 
 raised it to the dignity of a battle, and gave it to the world as 
 the "Famous Battle Above the Clouds." It was not above, it 
 was in; and the cloud was nothing more than a mist which 
 covered mountain and valley alike. By noon. Hooker had 
 connected his lines with the Federal right on Chattanooga 
 Creek. At five o'clock communications were established and 
 Carlin was sent to reinforce Hooker. 
 
 The morning of November 25th dawned clear and bright. 
 Grant had established his headquarters on Orchard Knob, 
 from whence the whole field was in view. Bragg's headquar- 
 ters, nearly opposite the Knob on the summit of Missionary 
 Ridge, were in plain sight, and his officers and aides could be 
 seen coming and going constantly. Grant's plans were fully 
 
 (32) 
 
matured and they comprehended three distinct movements. 
 Sherman was to attack and carry the north end of the Ridge; 
 Hooker was to cross the Chattanooga Valley, bestriding the 
 Ridge at Rossville Gap and sweeping its crest and sides as he 
 advanced; and at the propitious moment Thomas was to be 
 launched against the center of the Confederate line. 
 
 Sherman opened the battle at sunrise. Three brigades held 
 the hilltop taken and fortified on the previous day, and an 
 assaulting column was formed to attack the Confederate right 
 simultaneously in front and on both flanks. In this column 
 M. L. Smith moved along the eastern base of the Ridge, 
 Corse's brigade was in the center, and Loomis, with two bri- 
 gades of J. E. Smith's division, formed the right of the attack- 
 ing force. For two hours the conflict raged on the hillsides. 
 Corse's command succeeded in getting a foothold in the ex- 
 treme end of the Confederate works, and M. L. Smith gained 
 and held the railway. These were but inconsiderable advan- 
 tages, and though Sherman's men fought gallantly they were 
 unable to dislodge the Confederate force occupying the strong 
 position at the summit of the Ridge. Corse's men were in a 
 desperate situation and J. E. Smith, with two brigades, charged 
 across the open ground to their relief. Smith's men were un- 
 der a heavy fire of artillery and musketry from the moment 
 
 Orchard Knob, Showing Illinois and Other Monuments. Here General 
 Grant Made His Headquarters 
 
 (33) 
 
they left the shelter of the woods, and when they gained a 
 parapet of the Confederate works, it was only to be driven out 
 and forced back into the ravine. 
 
 At this time Grant ordered Thomas to send reinforcements 
 to Sherman, and Baird's division was marched from its posi- 
 tion at the right of Orchard Knob. Soon after, Bragg began 
 massing in the same direction, and Grant waited impatiently 
 for Hooker's appearance, which would compel the Confederate 
 commander to further thin his center by supporting his left. 
 Hooker had been delayed by the burning of the bridges across 
 Chattanooga Creek; and late in the afternoon, when Sher- 
 man's condition had become so critical that delay was no 
 longer possible. Grant ordered Thomas to advance and carry 
 the Confederate works at the foot of the Ridge. 
 
 This was the order for which the men of the Army of the 
 Cumberland had been impatiently waiting. When the signal 
 guns were fired at twenty minutes before four o'clock, 20,000 
 men swept forward in line of battle, carrying everything be- 
 fore them to the foot of the Ridge. Here there was a short 
 pause. The order to the division commanders were to advance 
 to the base of the Ridge, but before they could be amended 
 or supplemented, the lines broke and the men dashed up the 
 hill as if impelled by a single impulse. 
 
 Under the conditions, success was only the question of a 
 few minutes. The guns of the Confederate batteries on the 
 summit could not be depressed so as to make them effective; 
 and the advancing host was covered on its front by the fringe 
 of Confederates driven out of the intrenchments at the base 
 and on the hillside. In a short time — twenty minutes, a vet- 
 eran tells me, — Bragg's line was broken at five or six different 
 points; the trenches were enfiladed and the guns in the bat- 
 teries were turned upon the fleeing Confederates. 
 
 This charge virtually ended the battle. Hardee, on the Con- 
 federate right, changed front and tried to hold his position, but 
 was unable to do so; and Cleburne, who had been left in 
 command on Sherman's front, withdrew when he found him- 
 self unsupported. In the meantime, Hooker reached the Ridge 
 at Rossville, where his advance was disputed by a division of 
 the Confederate left. Hooker pressed forward, and the Con- 
 federate force, finding itself presently between two fires, joined 
 the retreat. 
 
 And after this fashion was the battle of Missionary Ridge 
 
 (34) 
 
lost and won. Unlike its predecessor in the forests of Chicka- 
 mauga, it was a game of generalship, well or ill-played as the 
 event decided. Deeds of valor there were a-plenty, and on 
 both sides, but not to compare with those of the September 
 Saturday and Sunday around the Kelly house ajid on Snod- 
 grass Hill. A word in justice to the brave men who defended 
 the heights in front of Orchard Knob and the tale is told. 
 Among all those who have written the story of this later battle, 
 the Confederate commander alone accuses his soldiers of cow- 
 ardice. He says that there was no excuse for his troops; that 
 his position was one which should have been held by a skir- 
 mish line against any force; that when the Federal charge 
 reached the summit, the men were so exhausted that the slight- 
 est effort would have destroyed them. 
 
 And the truth is this: For months the men had followed a 
 leader whose misfortune it was to lose every vantage ground 
 their valor had gained; for weeks they had maintained a tenu- 
 ous line of circumvallation, indefensible for the greater part, 
 and weakened by scattered outworks until it could be broken 
 at any point; for days they had seen the opposing army grow 
 by reinforcement until it outnumbered them two to one, and in 
 the face of this they saw their own ranks depleted, first by the 
 detachment of Longstreet, and later by that of Buckner. 
 These things they saw, and the wonder is, not that they broke 
 and fled, but that they had the courage to fight at all under 
 such a commander. 
 
 All honor then to the men who defended Missionary Ridge, 
 as well as to those who fought their way to its summit. It is a 
 tardy tribute to the valor of the defenders, and it is offered by 
 one whose father fought for the preservation of the Union, but 
 it is given unstintingly and heartily, in the belief that when 
 the history of the Civil War comes to be written by the unpar- 
 tisan historian, it will be confirmed. 
 
 INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TO VISIT 
 CHATTANOOGA 
 
 We hope you will be so favorably impressed with the beauty of 
 our scenery, interest of historic environment and pleasure of 
 mountain resorts that you will invite your friends to visit Chat- 
 tanooga. Send them the interesting, illustrated literature that 
 the Chamber of Commerce and Automobile Club will gladly sup- 
 ply, ready for mailing. 
 
 Chattanooga Community Association 
 (35) 
 
Industrial Chattanooga 
 
 Originates more goods for export than any city in the Souths 
 
 with 100 firms engaged in export business. 
 Produces more hosiery than any city in the South and ranks 
 
 third in the United States. 
 Produces more boilers than any city in the South and ranks 
 
 second in the United States. 
 Is the largest mercerizing center in the South. 
 Leads the South in manufacture of woolen goods. 
 Produces more plows than any other city in the South. 
 Produces more saw mill machinery than all the rest of the 
 
 South combined. 
 Produces more oil well machinery than any city in the United 
 
 States. 
 Leads the United States in the manufacture of fireplace fix- 
 tures of all kinds. 
 Produces more smoothing irons than any other city in the 
 
 United States. 
 First in the South, and second in the United States, in the 
 
 manufacture of hay presses. 
 First in the United States in the manufacture of pea hulling 
 
 machinery. 
 Has the largest gas range factory in the South. 
 Has the only shovel manufacturing plant in the South. 
 Ships tapestry brick into sixteen states, including five north 
 
 of the Ohio River. 
 Makes more cedar chests than any other city in the South. 
 Is the largest producing center of morticians' supplies in the 
 
 South. 
 Has the only factory in the South making full line of fire 
 
 hydrants, valves, and water works supplies. 
 Produces more patent medicines than any other city in the 
 
 South. 
 Produces more refrigerators than any other city in the South, 
 
 and ranks second in the United States. 
 Only city in the South producing high grade cotton linter pulp. 
 Municipal wharf, fully equipped with modern unloading and 
 
 conveying equipment, and Belt Line rail connection with 
 
 all railroads. 
 First American city to maintain large four-story Exhibit 
 
 Building of manufactured goods. Adjoins Chamber of 
 
 Commerce Building. Admission free. 
 Largest electrical steel foundry in the South. 
 Pioneer electrical insulator manufacturing city of the South, 
 
 and holds first place in production. 
 Is the only city in the South making ratchet drills. 
 Has the only factory in the world producing both the lumber 
 
 and the paper and fabricating wooden, wirebound, corru- 
 gated fibre and folding boxes. 
 Principal Southern producer of sewer pipe (clay and iron). 
 Among its several candy factories, has largest in the South. 
 Only Southern city making portable asphalt paving plants. 
 Is the only Southern city manufacturing a complete line of 
 
 contractors' hoists and logging machinery. 
 
 (36) 
 
Chattanooga Facts 
 
 Revised to January 1st, 1930 
 
 Square Miles Area 27.32 
 
 Population Therein 119,539 
 
 Directory Census (Including Suburbs) 149,120 
 
 Public School Enrollment (1929) 22,771 
 
 Bank Clearings (1929)..... $628,417,079 
 
 Bank Deposits (1929) $51,656,765 
 
 Post Office Receipts (1929) $824,823 
 
 Estimated Value for Taxation Purposes: 
 
 City of Chattanooga $138,000,000 
 
 County of Hamilton $163,000,000 
 
 Automobiles 23,716 
 
 Number of Manufacturers 400 
 
 Employees in Industrials 40,000 
 
 Number of Different Manufactured Products 1,500 
 
 Value of Manufactured Products $170,000,000 
 
 Number of Manufacturers (Export) ... 101 
 
 Buildings and Dwellings (About 60% of Value).. $40,288,650 
 
 Number Telephones 22,359 
 
 Water Mains (Miles) 427 
 
 Gas Mains (Miles) 161 
 
 Street Railway (Miles) 75.93 
 
 Sewers (Miles) 156 
 
 Sidewalks (Miles) 407 
 
 Hard Surface Streets (Miles) 163 
 
 Hard Surface County Roads (Miles) 1,050 
 
 Number Water Meters (Active) 26,358 
 
 Number Gas Meters (Active) 8,475 
 
 Number Electric Meters (Active) 31,479 
 
 Park Acreage . 5,937 
 
 Passenger Trains Daily (In and Out) 68 
 
 Number Railroad Lines 9 
 
 Bus Transportation Lines 16 
 
 Air Mail Lines . . 2 
 
 Churches (White 121, Colored 81) 202 
 
 34 Hotels — Rooms . .. 2,798 
 
 Auditorium Seats (Main Auditorium) 5,500 
 
 Picture Show Theatres 15 
 
 Electric H. P. Developed 300,000 
 
 K. W. H. Electricity Used Annually 228,807,477 
 
 Principal Industry . M'n'factur'g 
 
 Form of City Government ...Commission 
 
 Garbage Disposal _ Incineration 
 
 Water Supply (Modern Filtration) ..^^. Tenn. River 
 
 Professional Baseball _. -..„-I Sou. League 
 
 Average Annual Temperature (Degrees) 61.4 
 
 Elevation Above Sea Level 672 to 975 
 
 Tornadoes and Sunstrokes Unknown 
 
 Paved Highway Arteries To All Principal Cities 
 
 Number (I^olleges and Senior Prep Schools 6 
 
 Pro Rata Taxes for Schools 30% 
 
 Coal Mines Within Fifty Miles . . 11 
 
 Population (United States Census) : 
 
 100-Mile Radius 1,440,000 
 
 200-Mile Radius 6,546,000 
 
 300-Mile Radius 15,478,000 
 
 500-Mile Radius 41,211,000 
 
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 
 
 3 0112 072584458 
 
 CC:.22 1932 
 
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