The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-09-19

that he night count o. a feE s11i'tons
from Mississippi. resolved % make sffen-
uous attempt % regz.u Chattanooga, ara.
turning suddenly. - struck TIE Fs<sera
forces on C-aickzrna8Ea creek OF Ire 18Th
DAY Of September. Rcs@rrsns' army had
been sou1eE rat scattered. ard bis men
xers sorely fz.sgued from rough marches
10 the point of concentration, but they
stood their ground. and, although the
fghtfnx was fierce all day, neither side at
sunset had gained any decided advantage
During the night part OF Longstreet's
division came ~. is COMMANDER Being as
signed % the Confederate left. with Polk
on the rizat- The morning Of the 9th
opened alta vigorous assault by Polk
on the Federal left under Thomas. The
Confessrates we're repulzed with no gain.
but on the other wing Longstreet began
s5rolv pressing the Federal right and cen
ter. and a gap in the latter having been
left open by a rniseoneepiion OF orders.
Bragz's forces seized the opportunity and
poured through. routing a part OF Crit
tendsn's ard ali OF McCook's corps and
driving them with their commanders and
Rosecrans himself back TO Chattanooga
20 the greatest confusion.
The whole Confederate force now turned
upon Thomas. who had been reinforced
by such OF the cohesive commands OF the
other corps as remained. and upon
strongly formed line awaited the on
slaught. I.ongstreet. who had practically
taken direction OF the field and now out
numbered his enemy two 10 one, led hts
columns again and again 10 the attack in
numbers which seemed overwhelming.
but the Rock Of Chickamausa" stood
firm. The assaulting lines time after
time rolled up only 10 be thrown Rack.
and. although Rosecrans after his flight
TO Chattanooga had telegraphed TO Wash
ington City that his whole army was beat
en-. the doughty Thomas. with but little
more than six out OF thirteen divisions to
resist five corps flushed with seeming vic
tory, still held on with grim and logged
determination and fought the enemy to
siandstill.
The Confederates held the battlefield
and, for the first time I'm its history. the
army OF the Cumberland left the enemy
10 bury it's dead. IL Chicksmauga was a
Confederate victory. it was more appar-
ent than real. for the objective OF the cam
paign-Chat tia nooga-remaine in the
hands OF the Union army. and Bragg suf-
fered the dreadful loss Of 1900 IN killed
and wounded, while that OF Rosecrans
was 1000 less. The Confederates were in
no condition To renew the attack and.
while they beleaguered the army OF the
Cumberland for two months, the oppor-
tunity for inflicting further substantial
loss upon that army was wasted through
Bragg's sending Longstreet into Eastern
Tennessee on a wild-goose chase which ac-
complished nothing and only weakened
his own position before Chattanooga.
Chickamauga removed what fears re-
maIned of Confederate aggression to-
wards Kentucky and the Ohio. Gen. Hill.
who commanded a Confederate corps in
the battle, said: 1T seems to me the
elan Of the Southern soldier was never
seen ar Chlckamauga. That barren vic
tory sealed the fate OF the Southern Con-
federacy."
Rosecrans was relieved within a month.
Chiekamauga was a great blow to his mill
tary reputation. Had ne promptly and
properly concentrated after Bragg evacu-
ated Chattanooga. he could have accepted
defensive battle on his own terms, for
Bragg was bound to fight upon the ar
rival OF Longstreet. and being prepared
for him. Rosecrans would probably have
made it a more substantial victory for
the Federal than Il turned out 70 be for
the Confederate cause. This battle left
the possession of territory about the
same as It had existed before. and so II re-
manned until "the silent man" a month
later assumed command of all the armies
or the West and began laying plans for
the operations which At Missionary Ridge
and Lookout Mountain resulted in driv-
ing the Coufederates from Tennessee SOIL
and were soon to be followed by the great
Atlantic campaign and the march to the
sea.