Chickamauga campaign facts for kids
The Chickamauga Campaign was a series of important battles during the American Civil War. These fights happened in northwestern Georgia from August 21 to September 20, 1863. The main armies involved were the Union Army of the Cumberland and the Confederate Army of Tennessee.
At first, the Union army, led by General William Rosecrans, did very well. They captured the important city of Chattanooga. This forced the Confederates to pull back into northern Georgia. However, the Confederates then launched a big attack at the Battle of Chickamauga. This battle made Rosecrans's army retreat back to Chattanooga. The Confederates then surrounded the Union forces, starting a siege.
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Why Chattanooga Was Important
In the summer of 1863, Union General William Rosecrans had a very successful plan called the Tullahoma Campaign. He moved his army from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and cleverly outsmarted Confederate General Braxton Bragg. This forced Bragg to leave Middle Tennessee and retreat to Chattanooga. Rosecrans's army had very few losses during this move.
Both Union General-in-Chief Henry Halleck and President Abraham Lincoln really wanted Rosecrans to capture Chattanooga quickly. Taking this city would open the way for the Union to advance towards Atlanta. Atlanta was a major city in the heart of the South.
Chattanooga was a vital place for several reasons:
- It was a major railroad hub. Train lines went north to Nashville and Knoxville, and south towards Atlanta.
- It was an important center for making iron and coke.
- It was located on the Tennessee River, which was good for shipping.
- It was surrounded by mountains like Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. This made it a strong place to defend.
Confederate Challenges
By the end of July, Confederate General Braxton Bragg had about 52,000 soldiers. The Confederate government then added another 17,800 men to his army. These new troops came from the Department of East Tennessee, led by General Simon Bolivar Buckner. This made Bragg's army bigger, but it also meant he had more territory to cover.
Bragg also faced problems with his own generals. Generals Leonidas Polk and William J. Hardee already disliked him. General Buckner also had a negative view of Bragg. This was partly because Bragg's invasion of Buckner's home state of Kentucky in 1862 had failed.
Bragg was asked if he could attack Rosecrans if he got more soldiers. He said no. He was worried about the difficult mountains and getting supplies to his army. He preferred to wait for Rosecrans to face those problems first. Bragg was also concerned about a large Union force under General Ambrose Burnside that was threatening Knoxville. Because of this, Bragg pulled his troops back from positions near Bridgeport. This allowed Rosecrans to move freely on the north side of the Tennessee River. Bragg then gathered his main forces around Chattanooga. He used his cavalry to protect the sides of his army, stretching from northern Alabama to near Knoxville.
Opposing Commanders
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The main commanders during the Chickamauga Campaign were:
- For the Union: Major General William Rosecrans, leading the Army of the Cumberland.
- For the Confederates: General Braxton Bragg, leading the Army of Tennessee.
Key Battles
Second Chattanooga
(August 21, 1863)
General Rosecrans planned a clever trick to capture Chattanooga. He ordered some of his troops to fire cannons at Chattanooga from the west side of the Tennessee River. This was meant to make the Confederates think the main attack would come from there. Other Union units were placed along the river to the east.
The trick worked! General Bragg focused his army east of Chattanooga. After realizing his position was not safe, Bragg decided to leave the city. He retreated into northern Georgia on September 6.
Davis's Cross Roads
(September 10–11, 1863)
After leaving Chattanooga, General Bragg planned to attack a single Union division. This division was led by General James S. Negley and was part of the XIV Corps. Bragg wanted to attack them before the rest of the Union army could gather. He ordered two of his divisions, led by Thomas Hindman and Patrick Cleburne, to join forces and attack together.
However, there were delays in getting the orders out. Cleburne's division did not arrive in time on September 10. This allowed the Union general, George H. Thomas, to send more troops to Negley's isolated division. The next day, even after the two Confederate divisions finally met, they failed to attack the Union positions together. Their attacks were pushed back.
Chickamauga
(September 19–20, 1863)
General Bragg thought that General Thomas Leonidas Crittenden's XXI Corps was separated from the rest of the Union army. So, he ordered his army to gather near Lee's and Gordon's Mills. However, General Rosecrans had already been bringing his army together along Chickamauga Creek.
On September 19, parts of Thomas's Union Corps and Confederate cavalry forces clashed. Both commanders sent more and more soldiers into the fight. The day ended without a clear winner for either side.
The next day, Bragg ordered attacks to start from his left side at dawn. But General Polk, who was in charge of the Confederate left wing, did not properly manage his troops. The attacks began four hours late. They also failed to push the Union army out of their strong positions.
Then, around 11 a.m., a big attack by Confederate General James Longstreet's corps found a gap in the Union line. This caused most of the Union army to break and run. However, General Thomas quickly formed his corps on Snodgrass Hill. He managed to hold off more Confederate attacks for the rest of the afternoon. Near sundown, Thomas's troops finally retreated back to Chattanooga.
Aftermath
After the Battle of Chickamauga, General Rosecrans and his army retreated into Chattanooga. Reinforcements were quickly sent to them from the Army of the Tennessee and the Army of the Potomac.
On September 28, Generals Crittenden and Alexander McDowell McCook, who commanded the XX Corps, were replaced. This was because of claims of bad conduct at Chickamauga. However, they were both later cleared of these charges. On October 19, Ulysses S. Grant was made the new commander of all Union forces near Chattanooga. He decided to replace Rosecrans with General Thomas.
At the time of Chickamauga, the Confederate Army of Tennessee had problems. They didn't have enough food or wagons to carry supplies. They also lacked special bridges to cross the Tennessee River. Because of these issues, General Bragg decided to surround the Union army in Chattanooga. The Confederates took positions on Missionary Ridge and set up a line of soldiers along the south bank of the river. Confederate sharpshooters (skilled shooters) prevented Union supply wagons from reaching Chattanooga.
