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BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA.

449

A portion of Parke's corps of Burnside's army, and a brigade of his cavalry, came down from Knoxville to Loudon and Cleveland.

A council of war was held by Gen. Bragg at Lafayette, on the 15th, and it was resolved to advance towards Chattanooga, and attack the enemy wherever he could be found. By the 19th he had moved his army by divisions, and crossed it at several fords of the Chickamauga, and bridges north of Lee and Gordon's Mills. Longstreet had reached Ringgold in the afternoon of the same day. The reinforcements which he brought were five brigades of his corps, about five thousand effective infantry and no artillery. It was contemplated by Gen. Bragg to make a flank movement, and turn the enemy's left, so as to get his forces between him and Chattanooga, and thus cut off his retreat, believing that the main force of the enemy was at Lee and Gordon's Mills, and upon which he had intended to move. But he was anticipated; and as he was preparing for the movement the enemy commenced a counter-attack, Thomas' corps making a desperate effort to turn the right wing of the Confederates. The attack was gallantly met by Walker's division, whose troops broke through two lines, and captured two batteries. But the enemy was largely reinforced here, and hurrying forward his multiplied numbers to recover his lost ground, when Cheatham, who had been in reserve, moved forward with his veterans, and met the shock of battle. It was a terrible, doubtful, and long encounter. Our lines wavered before the desperate struggle of the enemy, and for three hours the fight was kept up with varied success.

It was near sunset when Cleburne-" the Stonewall Jackson of the West "-who commanded a division in Hill's corps, passed to the front over the bloody ground that had been so stubbornly contested by Cheatham, charging the enemy up to the very breast works. A crashing fire of musketry from the enemy made Cleburne's men reel, when forward dashed his batteries, and opened a terrific fire on the enemy's works, while the division charged with such impetuosity that the enemy recoiled, and were driven half a mile from their line of battle.

That night the Confederate troops slept on the field surrounded by the dead. No cheerful fire dispelled the gloom, and profound silence brooded over the field of carnage.

The proper commanders were summoned by Gen. Bragg, and received specific information and instructions touching the disposition of the troops for the grand and decisive action of the next day. The whole force was divided for the next morning into two commands, and assigned to the two senior Lieut.-Generals, Longstreet and Polk: the former on the left, where all his own troops were stationed, the latter continuing his command of the right. Lieut.-Gen. Longstreet reached Gen. Bragg's headquarters about 11 P. M., and immediately received his instructions. After a few hours' rest, he moved at daylight to his line just in front of Bragg's posi

tion. Lieut.-Gen. Polk was ordered to assail the enemy on the extreme right at day-dawn on the 20th, and to take up the attack in succession rapidly to the left. The left wing was to await the attack by the right, take it up promptly when made, and the whole line was then to be pushed vigorously and persistently against the enemy throughout its extent.

At dawn, Gen. Bragg was in the saddle, surrounded by his staff, eagerly listening for the sound of Polk's guns. The sun rose, and was mounting the sky, and still there was no note of attack from the right wing. Bragg chafed with impatience, and at last despatched one of his staff-officers, Maj. Lee, to ascertain the cause of Polk's delay, and urge him to a prompt and speedy movement. Gen. Polk, notwithstanding his clerical antecedents, was noted for his fondness of military ostentation, and carried a train of staff officers whose numbers and superb dress were the occasions of singular remark. Maj. Lee found him seated at a comfortable breakfast, surrounded by brilliantly dressed officers, and delivered his message with military bluntness and brevity. Gen. Polk replied that he had ordered Hill to open the action, that he was waiting for him, and he added: "Do tell Gen. Bragg that my heart is overflowing with anxiety for the attack-overflowing with anxiety, sir." Maj. Lee returned to the commanding-general, and reported the reply literally. Bragg uttered a terrible exclamation, in which Polk, Hill, and all his generals were included. "Maj. 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 busy in strengthening his position.

It was 10 o'clock when the battle opened on the right wing of the Confederates, and the command "forward " ran down their ranks. Breckinridge moved forward with his division, but, after a severe contest, was pressed back. Had the reserve ordered forward to Breckinridge's support come up in time, the enemy's position might have been carried, and prevented the conflict of the afternoon. As it was, notwithstanding the partial repulse, several pieces of artillery were captured and a large number of prisoners.

At the same time each succeeding division to the left gradually became engaged with the enemy, extending to Longstreet's wing. Walker's division advanced to the relief of Breckinridge, and, after an engagement of half an hour, was also compelled to retire under the severe fire of the enemy. The gallant Tennesseans, under Cheatham, then advanced to the relief of Walker, but even they wavered and fell back under the terrible fire of the enemy. Cleburne's division, which had several times gallantly charged the enemy, had also been checked, and Stuart's division, occupying the centre and left of our line, detached from Buckner's corps, had recoiled before the enemy.

BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA.

451

About three o'clock in the afternoon, Gen. Longstreet asked Gen Bragg for some of the troops of the right wing, but was informed by him that they had been beaten back so badly that they could be of no service. Longstreet had but one division that had not been engaged, and hesitated to venture to put it in, as the distress upon the Confederate right seemed to be almost as great as that of the enemy upon his right. He therefore concluded to hold Preston's division for the time, and urge on to renewed efforts the brave men who had already been engaged many hours. The enemy had obtained some heights near the Crawfish Spring Road, and strong ground upon which to rally. Here he gathered most of his broken forces, and reinforced them. After a long and bloody struggle, Johnson and Hindman gained the heights. Kershaw made a handsome attack upon the heights, simultaneously with Johnson and Hindman, but was not strong enough for the work. It was evident that with this position gained Longstreet would be complete master of the field. He therefore ordered Gen. Buckner to move Preston forward. Before this, however, Gen. Buckner had established a battery of twelve guns, raking down the enemy's line which opposed our right wing, and at the same time having fine play upon any force that might attempt to reinforce the hill that he was about to attack. Gen. Stewart, of his corps, was also ordered to move against any such force in flank. The combination was well-timed and arranged. Preston dashed gallantly at the hill. Stewart flanked a reinforcing column, and captured a large portion of it. At the same time, the fire of the battery struck such terrour into a heavy force close under it, that there were taken a large number of prisoners. Preston's assault, though not a complete success at the onset, taken in connection with the other operations, crippled the enemy so badly that his ranks were badly broken, and by a flank movement and another advance the heights were gained. These reinforcements were the enemy's last or reserve corps, and a part also of the line that had been opposing our right wing during the morning. The enemy broke up in great confusion along Longstreet's front, and, about the same time, the right wing made a gallant dash, and gained the line that had been held so long and obstinately against it. A simultaneous and continuous shout from the two wings announced our success complete. The enemy had fought every man that he had, and every one had been in turn beaten. The day had been certainly saved by Longstreet; but it is but justice to add that his masterly manoeuvre was followed up, and completed by Gen. Polk, and that it was under their combined attack that the enemy at last gave up the field.

The enemy was totally routed from right, left, and centre, and was in full retreat to Chattanooga, night alone preventing further pursuit. Polk's wing captured twenty-eight pieces of artillery, and Longstreet's twentyɔne, making forty-nine pieces of cannon, both wings taking nearly an

equal number of prisoners, amounting to over eight thousand, with fifteen thousand stand of arms, and forty stands of regimental colours. The enemy's loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners, could not have been less than twenty thousand. Our own loss was heavy, and was computed by Gen. Bragg as "two-fifths of his army." The enemy was known to have had all his available force on the field, including his reserve, with a portion of Burnside's corps, numbering not less than eighty thousand, while our force was not fifty thousand. Nothing was more brilliant in all of Napoleon's Italian campaigns. Chickamauga was equally as desperate as the battle of Arcola; but it was productive of no decisive results, and we shall see that it was followed, as many another brilliant victory of the Confederates, by almost immediate consequences of disaster.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

CONFERENCE OF GENS. BRAGG AND LONGSTREET THE DAY AFTER THE BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA.--LONGSTREET'S PLAN OF CAMPAIGN NORTH OF THE TENNESSEE RIVER.-WHY GEN. BRAGG DECLINED IT.-HIS INVESTMENT OF CHATTANOOGA.-HE OUTS OFF THE ENEMY'S SUPPLIES.-HE HOPES TO STARVE THE GARRISON INTO SURRENDER.-REORGANIZATION OF THE FEDERAL ARMIES IN THE WEST.-GEN. GRANT'S NEW AND LARGE COMMAND.-HIS FIRST TASK TO RELIEVE THOMAS IN CHATTANOOGA.-HIS SUCCESSFUL LODGMENT ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE TENNESSEE RIVER.-SURPRISE OF LONGSTREET.-THE CONFEDERATES RETREAT TO LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN.-LONGSTREET MAKES A NIGHT ATTACK ON THE ENEMY'S NEW POSITION, BUT IS REPULSED.—THE ENEMY ACCOMPLISHES THE RELIEF OF CHATTANOOGA.-DETACHMENT OF LONGSTREET FROM BRAGG'S FRONT TO OPERATE AGAINST KNOXVILLE. THIS UNFORTUNATE MOVEMENT THE WORK OF PRESIDENT DAVIS.-MILITARY PRAGMATISM AND VANITY OF THE CONFEDERATE PRESIDENT.-GRANT DETERMINES TO TAKE THE OFFENSIVE. THE BATTLE OF MISSIONARY RIDGE.-EXTRAORDINARY STRENGTH OF THE CONFEDERATE POSITION.-TWO ATTACKS REPULSED.-GENERAL ADVANCE OF THE FEDERAL LINES TO THE OREST OF MISSIONARY RIDGE.-AUDACITY OF THE MOVEMENT.-BAD CONDUCT OF THE CONFEDERATE TROOPS.-A SHAMEFUL PANIC.-CAUSES OF THE EXTRAORDINARY MISCONDUCT of Bragg's ARMY.—IT FALLS BACK TO DALTON.-LONGSTREET'S EXPEDITION AGAINST KNOXVILLE.-HIS PURSUIT OF BURNSIDE.-HIS UNSUCCESSFUL ASSAULT ON FORT SANDERS AT KNOXVILLE. HE RETREATS TO ROGERSVILLE, IS CUT OFF FROM VIRGINIA, AND SPENDS THE WINTER IN NORTH-EASTERN TENNESSEE.-OPERATIONS IN VIRGINIA IN THE FALL OF 1803-LEE ATTEMPTS TO FLANK MEADE AND GET BETWEEN HIM AND WASHINGTON. AN EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURE OF STUART'S CAVALRY.-MEADE RETREATS TO AND BEYOND BULL RUN.-FAILURE OF LEE'S FLANK MOVEMENT.-INCIDENTS OF 'SUCCESS FOR THE CONFEDERATES.-LEE RETIRES TO THE RAPPAHANNOCK.-AFFAIR OF RAPPAHANNOCK BRIDGE.-AFFAIR OF GERMANIA FORD.-DESULTORY OPERATIONS BETWEEN LEE'S LINES AND EAST TENNESSEE.-AVERILL'S RAID.-CLOSE OF THE CAMPAIGN OF 1863 IN VIRGINIA.

THE morning after the battle of Chickamauga, Gen. Bragg stopped at the bivouac of Longstreet, and asked his views as to future movements. Gen. Longstreet suggested crossing the river above Chattanooga, so as to make ourselves sufficiently felt on the enemy's rear, as to force his evacu ation of Chattanooga-indeed, force him back upon Nashville, and, if we should find our transportation inadequate for a continuance of this move

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