The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-09-19
BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA.

and the Confederate forces under Gen.
eral Bragg, in the valley of the Chcka.
mauga creek, twenty miles south OF
Grams had, with mastery strategy
flanked Bragg out of Chattanooga, and
concluding that his information of
BraQg's alleged precipitate retreat was
| trustworthy, he issued an order to his
corps commanders to "join in pur.
suit Of the supposedly fleeing foe But
Bragg had rctrcatcd only about twenty
five miles with his force of 10000
troops. in the face of Rosocrans 5 90,
| 900. Bragg waited at his chosen place
| the reinforcements which he knew were
| coming. Reinforccmcuts from Johnston
! in the southwest, from Buckner $
corps that had been in Eastern Ten,
ncssce, and from Longstrcet's s corps
hurried from Virginia. all to take part
in this battle. When the battle opened,
| therefore, Bragg had moro than 10000
men, decidedly superior force to Rose
Grams. But, worse than this, Rose
crans's force had becn scattered for
fifty miles up and down the mountain,
supposedly in pursuit Of Bragg: but
Bragg turned and began pursuit on
his own account. His battle tactics
were vastly superior to those of Rose
Grams, whom he caught at 4 great dis
advantage; although Rosecraus IS cam
paign strategy had been magnificent
and had dislodecd Bragg from Chatta-
nooga. So Rosccrans was caught with
scattered, disjointed army. The bat
tie of the first day was indecisive.
The Union forces began TO get together
during the night previous to the open
ing Of the battle, but were never fully
consolidated during the fight. Thomas s
corps marched all night, and, wheeling
to the right, opened the battle almost
before stopping their march. The Con-
federate onslaughts were completely
checked during the operations of the
first day, although the Confederate at
tack just at dusk of that day was ex
tremely severe. Bragg's effort was to
crush the Union left wing, occupy the
Rossvllle road, and cut his foe off from
Chattanooga, driving him into the hills.
But this failed.
The next day Longstreet g two di
visions, numbering from 5000 to 5000
men, arrived on the field, and rushed
into the fight just as Rosecrans's un-
fortunate order to Wood to "close up
on Reynolds" was delivered. Wood
from the battle line, NOV
ing toward his left. leaving the great
gap which his division had occupied,
open, through which the Confederate |
forces poured. This cut off the right |
wing of the army, and McCook, its |
abandoned the field, riding
hard with Rosecrans the twenty miles |
to Chattanooga leaving Thomas in com
mand of the Union troops on the field |
That grand old soldier put forth every
resource, and checked the Confederate |
advance, holding favorable positions |
until nightfall, repelling repeated Con
federate charges and saving the army, |
A fractional remnant Of the Union |
forces had. been left in the angle at |
Kellev's field, and about dusk were
federatc forces. A considerable num-
bcr Of that remnant had an order to !
and escaped, but portion of |
it received no such order, and, as
the Official report says, "held their |
ground obstinately, fighting until all !
were killed, wounded, or made prison
ers."
General Thomas saved the remnants |
Of the Union army, and the next day |
practically consolidated it into a fight |
ing force. He expected the attack to
be renewed on the 2lst, but this was |
not done. The Confederates had had |
enough, and contented themselves
with following cautiously the gradual |
of the Union forces to Chat
tanooga The Confederates occupied |
Ridge and held the Union
forces in close siege until relief came
from General Grant IS army, and Gen
cral Grant assumed command, driving
the Confederate forces of in disastrous
retreat in the battle of Chattanooga.
two months after the battle of Chicka-
But the student of history will
wonder over several things connected
with the battle Of Chickamauga First,
it is evident that Rosecrans was too
that he had Bragg on the re-
treat. Instead Of scattering his army
Sin pursuit. he should have concen-
trated that army, and if he had done
so and brought up all his available
troops and fought the battle on the
ground that Thomas held up to and
including the evening Of the second
iay of the fight, there is no reason to
suppose that he would have failed to
win the victory; for he could at call
have had enough troops to make him
the equal, or even the superior in force
Of the Confederate army Or, if he had
and attacked Bragg be-
,ore the Confederate reinforcements
came up, as was quite feasible. success
would have been sure.