Battle of Chickamauga in the Civil War
The Battle of Chickamauga, a fierce and pivotal engagement fought on September 19-20, 1863, marked a bloody culmination of the Union’s Chickamauga Campaign. This campaign aimed to wrest control of southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia from Confederate forces. The battle itself, a brutal two-day affair, stands as the most significant Union defeat in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. Its staggering casualty count ranks second only to the Battle of Gettysburg, a testament to the intense and unforgiving nature of the conflict.
The opposing forces in this crucial battle were the Union Army of the Cumberland, led by Major General William S. Rosecrans, and the Confederate Army of Tennessee, commanded by General Braxton Bragg. The battle derives its name from West Chickamauga Creek, a waterway that snakes through the rugged terrain of northwest Georgia, eventually emptying into the Tennessee River a few miles northeast of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The creek’s presence would subtly influence the flow of combat and the strategies employed by both sides.
Colonel Robert L. Kimberly, a participant in the battle, penned a vivid account of the events shortly after they transpired, offering a firsthand perspective on the chaos and courage displayed on the field. His words paint a stark picture of the experience of a Union soldier amidst the storm of battle.
Kimberly’s account begins with the Union regiment’s arrival near Gordon’s Mills after midnight, finding a brief respite in a thicket near the road. The soldiers, keenly aware that they were on the precipice of battle, welcomed the meager rest before the inevitable dawn and the call to action. The landscape was shrouded in darkness, offering little insight into the enemy’s position, but the men could sense the density of their own forces, massed together with artillery and supply trains clogging the roads. As morning broke, the regiment, along with the rest of the Union army, advanced toward Rossville, Georgia, along the Chattanooga Road. Their destination was near the Widow Glenn House, where Major General William Rosecrans had established his headquarters. The sounds of intense fighting erupted further down the road, signaling that the Battle of Chickamauga had begun.
The intensity of the engagement escalated rapidly. As Kimberly describes, "Further down the road and to the right of it, the sound of a severe engagement broke out about the middle of the forenoon. This was renewed repeatedly, and the report said that a force sent to dispute the enemy’s passage of the Chickamauga needed more than one reinforcement." The Union forces were struggling to contain the Confederate advance, requiring continuous reinforcements to hold their ground.
Around midday, Major General John Palmer’s division was deployed in groups, launching a direct attack across the Rossville Road. Initially, no enemy was visible as the troops advanced. The objective was clear: to strike and crush the Confederate left flank. The movement began in an open wood, leading into a large open field with a strip of woodland in the middle. The 41st Infantry took the lead, advancing towards the woodland strip. However, as they pushed forward, they encountered a maelstrom of fire. "Beyond this, the fighting was terrific," Kimberly wrote. "A storm of rifle balls came from the edge of the woods in front, and batteries were in rapid action at the back of this. The battle swept away to the right, and it was plain that the enemy’s flank was not found." The initial assault failed to break through the Confederate lines, and the fighting devolved into a brutal struggle for territory. The Battle of Chickamauga was in full swing.
The 41st Infantry, having exhausted its ammunition, was forced to retreat to replenish their supplies. This brief respite was short-lived, as the Confederates launched a fierce assault on Brigadier General Horatio P. Van Cleve’s division, positioned to Palmer’s right. Brigadier General William Hazen quickly deployed available batteries to stem the tide of the Confederate onslaught, as Van Cleve’s men began to fall back. The 41st was thrust back into the thick of the fight, attempting to shore up the collapsing Union line. Colonel Aquila Wiley ordered his line to break to the rear by companies, allowing the retreating troops to pass through before reforming their ranks.
Kimberly vividly describes the chaos of the battlefield: "The 41st Infantry was still in the open wood, and in front was a large cornfield. The Confederates were swarming through this, but their first line had spent its force and lost its formation. Close behind came the second line in perfect order. Van Cleve’s retreating regiments had broken up Hazen’s line as they swept through, but the 41st had kept in form by breaking to the rear to let the fugitives pass, as has been told. Wiley opened on the Confederate second line, with volleys by front and rear ranks, instantly checking the advance." The disciplined volley fire of the 41st momentarily halted the Confederate advance, but it soon became clear that the regiment was outflanked. Shots began to rain down from the right rear. Wiley quickly adjusted his formation, changing front to meet the new threat, and unleashing another volley into the enemy. Despite being outnumbered and outflanked, the 41st managed to hold its ground, demonstrating the effectiveness of disciplined volley fire. The Battle of Chickamauga tested the courage and resolve of every soldier involved.
The regiment retreated slowly, loading and firing as they fell back, managing to keep the enemy at bay. Eventually, they reached a commanding crest where a battery had been established. A stand was proposed, but the enemy failed to press their attack. Nightfall was approaching, bringing a temporary end to the day’s fighting.
The night was spent repositioning the troops, a slow and arduous process in the darkness. By the next morning, the 41st found itself behind a makeshift barricade of rails and logs, with an open field to their rear. Other troops were positioned to their right and left, forming a general battle line. However, rations were scarce, and water was nonexistent. A detail sent to replenish the water supply was captured by the enemy, who now controlled the vital resource. The lack of water caused immense suffering among the troops, with thirst quickly eclipsing hunger. By nightfall, men’s tongues were swollen, and their lips cracked and blackened, rendering them unable to speak. Relief from this torment would not come until well into the following night. The experience added to the horrors of the Battle of Chickamauga.
As morning arrived, it became clear that the Confederates were preparing to attack the Union lines. The Confederate yell echoed through the woods, and skirmishers fell back before the advancing enemy line. The 41st opened fire from behind their barricade, and the battle resumed with renewed intensity. The Confederate advance was checked by the Union fire, and they inflicted little damage on the men behind the defenses. The attacking line thinned rapidly under the steady fire, and eventually, the Confederates broke and fled. This was the regiment’s first experience fighting behind a defensive line, and the slight barricade of rails proved to be a significant advantage.
Despite the successful defense, the battle was far from over. The Confederate line overlapped the Union left, forcing it back across the open field in the rear, creating a right angle to the general line. A fierce fight ensued in the open ground. The men of the 41st watched anxiously, knowing that if the flank failed to hold, the entire line would be vulnerable to a rear assault. After a tense period, the Confederate assault faltered, and the Union troops managed to maintain their ground. The Union troops’ resilience was key in the Battle of Chickamauga.
Later that day, a similar flanking maneuver occurred on the Union right. This time, however, the break in the Union line was caused not by the enemy, but by an order from the commanding general. A division was withdrawn from its position, creating a gap that the Confederates immediately exploited. The Union army was effectively cut in two, and most of the right wing was driven from the field. The Confederate advance pushed towards the Union left, threatening to envelop the remaining forces. Once again, the men of the 41st watched anxiously as the battle unfolded on their flank. As before, the Union troops held their ground, preventing a complete collapse.
Amidst the chaos and relentless fighting, a new threat emerged: a critical shortage of ammunition. The cartridge boxes were rapidly emptying, and no supply train was in sight. To make matters worse, bullets began to rain down from the woods in the rear, seemingly from Confederate sharpshooters hidden in the trees. A company of the 41st turned and fired a volley into the treetops, silencing the threat. However, the issue of ammunition remained paramount. The four divisions of the left wing were holding their ground, but they were cut off from the rest of the army and had no supplies. The division generals convened to discuss the situation, realizing that a commander was needed.
Brigadier General Hazen volunteered to lead his brigade through the woods to establish contact with any remaining Union forces. The brigade withdrew from the line and cautiously advanced towards the sound of battle. After a tense march, they encountered the left flank of General George Thomas’s position, where he had managed to halt the Confederate advance. Thomas greeted Hazen warmly, recognizing the critical timing of their arrival. A desperate assault was imminent on the left of Thomas’s line. Hazen’s men marched through a cornfield to the crest of a low hill, forming a column of regiments. Scarcely had they done so when the Confederate attack began. The slope in front of the brigade was open ground, and the enemy surged forward in heavy masses. Hazen’s regiments unleashed a devastating volley fire, one after another, repelling the assault and strewing the slope with Confederate dead and wounded. The night was falling, bringing a definitive end to the Battle of Chickamauga.
The Battle of Chickamauga, while a Confederate victory, came at a tremendous cost. The Union army retreated to Chattanooga, Tennessee, while the Confederates occupied the surrounding heights. The Union suffered approximately 16,170 casualties, including wounded, killed, captured, and missing. The Confederates sustained even heavier losses, with an estimated 18,454 casualties. The battle stands as a stark reminder of the brutal and devastating nature of the American Civil War.