Battle of Liberty Gap facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Liberty Gap |
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| Part of the American Civil War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States (Union) |
 CSA (Confederacy) |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Alexander M. McCook | St. John R. Liddell | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| XX Corps | Hardee's Corps | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| unknown | unknown | ||||||
The Battle of Liberty Gap was a fight during the Tullahoma Campaign of the American Civil War. This battle was special because it showed how effective mounted infantry could be. These soldiers rode horses but fought on foot. They used new Spencer repeating rifles, which could fire many shots quickly. This battle happened around the same time as the battle of Hoover's Gap, where similar tactics were used.
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Why Did the Battle Happen?
After losing the Battle of Stones River, Confederate General Braxton Bragg needed to protect his army. He set up a strong defense line along the Duck River in Tennessee. This line stretched from Shelbyville to Wartrace. On the right side of his defense, Bragg placed soldiers and cannons to guard three important mountain passes: Liberty, Hoover's, and Bellbuckle gaps.
Union General William Rosecrans planned a smart attack. He pretended to attack Shelbyville. But his main force secretly moved toward Bragg's right side. General George Henry Thomas and his soldiers headed for Hoover's Gap. Meanwhile, General Alexander McDowell McCook and his troops moved towards Liberty Gap.
The Battle Begins: June 24
On June 24, General McCook sent a group of Union soldiers led by Colonel Luther Prentice Bradley to Liberty Gap. They were going against Confederate guards led by General St. John Richardson Liddell. Colonel Thomas J. Harrison's 39th Indiana Mounted Infantry Regiment led the way. These soldiers rode horses but fought on foot. They also had the new Spencer repeating rifles.
Harrison's mounted infantry moved very fast. They quickly captured the crossroads at Liberty Gap. Only one Union soldier was hurt. When McCook heard the gap was not strongly defended, he wanted to attack right away. He sent in another group of soldiers, led by General August Willich.
Willich found that the gap was held by only two Confederate regiments and some cannons. But he saw they were in a good defensive spot. Willich tried to go around the Confederates. He sent the 32nd Indiana Infantry to the left and Harrison's mounted infantry to the right. Both sides attacked and counter-attacked. McCook sent more Union soldiers to help. General Liddell soon realized he could not hold the gap. He pulled his Confederate forces back.
Fighting Continues: June 25
On June 25, General Liddell planned to fight again. He wanted to slow down the Union advance through the gap. His division commander, General Patrick Cleburne, sent more Confederate soldiers to help. Late in the morning, Liddell started the fight against Willich's Union brigade.
The battle went back and forth, with both sides sending in more troops. During the fighting, Colonel John F. Miller of the 29th Indiana Infantry was badly wounded. He lost an eye. General Willich also tried a new fighting method he called "advanced firing." He had learned this tactic while he was a prisoner of war.
Willich used the 49th Ohio Infantry for this new tactic. He lined up his soldiers in four rows. The first row would fire their guns. Then, the fourth row would move forward through the other rows to fire next. This allowed the soldiers to keep shooting almost non-stop while moving forward.
Finally, Liddell's Confederate brigade was forced to leave the field. Another Confederate brigade, led by S.A.M. Wood, came forward. But it got dark before Wood's men could join the fight. The Union soldiers were left in control of Liberty Gap.
What Happened Next?
Even though it rained, General Rosecrans kept moving his Union army forward. This forced General Bragg to leave his strong defensive line. Bragg's army had to fall back to Tullahoma. Rosecrans sent a fast-moving group of soldiers, called Wilder's Lightning Brigade, ahead. They were supposed to hit the railroad behind Bragg's army.
The Union soldiers arrived too late to destroy the main railroad bridge over the Elk River. But they did tear up a lot of railroad tracks near Decherd. Because of these actions, General Bragg had to leave Middle Tennessee completely.
Images for kids
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A map showing the Tullahoma Campaign, which included the Battle of Liberty Gap.
