September 18-20, 1863 - The Battle of Chickamauga | 160th Anniversary

Fought in northwest Georgia in mid-September 1863, the Battle of Chickamauga was the bloodiest battle fought in the Western Theater and the second bloodiest battle of the American Civil War behind only Gettysburg. The battle was the beginning of Confederate General Braxton Bragg's counteroffensive to retake Chattanooga from the Union army under Major General William S. Rosecrans.

Ironically enough, the name "Chickamauga" was a native word for "river of death." And from 18-20 September 1863, the creek associated with this moniker literally ran red with blood as 34,600 men would fall in some of the most intense combat in American history.

The battle would begin as a small cavalry/infantry action on the afternoon of the 18th before exploding into a pitched battle the next day as both sides rushed reinforcements into the area. Despite being outnumbered, Rosecrans and his Union Army of the Cumberland held out against ferocious Confederate attacks launched by Bragg's Army of Tennessee well into the evening hours of September 18.

After a several hour lull, fighting immediately broke out again as the sun rose on the morning of September 19. Once again, Rosecrans would hold out against vicious Confederate assaults up and down his line. Things were going well until Rosecrans inexplicably created a gap in his line to reinforce another sector. This gap just happened to be where the divisions of Lieutenant General James Longstreet were planning to attack at that very moment. This was the turning point. As thousands of screaming Confederates began to pour through the gap, thereby making his line untenable, Rosecrans ordered a retreat back to Chattanooga.

The divisions of George Thomas were assigned the post of rearguard to protect the Army of the Cumberland from complete annihilation as they retreated back into the state of Tennessee. Thomas and his men held out against determined Confederate assaults for hours, buying the army enough time to retreat and fight another day. Thomas and his men retired in good order from the field in the late afternoon hours of September 20 and, with that, the Battle of Chickamauga was over.

The butcher's bill was appalling:

Confederate
2,312 killed
14,674 wounded
1,468 captured or missing

Union
1,657 killed
9,756 wounded
4,757 captured or missing

The Battle of Chickamauga would be the Confederate Army of Tennessee's only clear cut victory in the American Civil War. Bragg had accomplished his first objective of pushing Rosecrans and his army out of Georgia and back into Tennessee. However, the ultimate prize of retaking Chattanooga alluded him and he would be forced to settle into a siege of the city.

Soon, Abraham Lincoln, sensing the gravity of the crisis that was brewing in eastern Tennessee, would order Major General Ulysses S. Grant to the post of general-in-chief of all Union forces in the Western Theater. And with Chattanooga being the cockpit of the lion's share of the fighting, he would be making his way there to see to the campaign.

But that is a story for another day.