Modern Era1863
Battle of Chickamauga (1863): The Confederacy's Western Victory
The Battle of Chickamauga in September 1863 was the largest battle of the Civil War's Western Theater. Longstreet's breakthrough, Thomas's stand and aftermath.
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The Battle of Chickamauga was fought from 18 to 20 September 1863 along Chickamauga Creek in north-west Georgia. It was the largest battle of the American Civil War’s Western Theater and the most significant Confederate victory there. A Confederate breakthrough routed much of the Union Army of the Cumberland, but George H. Thomas’s stubborn stand saved it from destruction.
Background
In the summer of 1863 William S. Rosecrans’s Union Army of the Cumberland manoeuvred Braxton Bragg’s Confederate Army of Tennessee out of central Tennessee with very little fighting. On 9 September Union troops entered Chattanooga, a key rail junction and gateway to Georgia.
The loss of Chattanooga, coming after the fall of Vicksburg in July (see Siege of Vicksburg), alarmed the Confederate government. It sent Bragg reinforcements from Mississippi and, for the first time on a large scale, moved troops by railway from Virginia: two divisions of James Longstreet’s corps travelled a roundabout route through the Carolinas and Georgia. Because Union forces held the direct line through Knoxville, the journey covered more than 700 miles (1,100 km) on a patchwork of railways with different gauges, and only part of the corps arrived in time to fight.
Rosecrans, believing Bragg was in retreat, spread his three corps across a wide front in the mountains south of Chattanooga. Bragg missed several chances to attack them separately, and the Union army gathered along the west bank of Chickamauga Creek.
What happened
On 18 September Confederate troops fought their way across the creek at Reed’s Bridge and Alexander’s Bridge. On 19 September the armies collided in thick woods where commanders could rarely see more than a few hundred yards. Units fed into the fight piecemeal, and the day ended with heavy losses and no decision. Longstreet arrived by train that night.
Bragg reorganised his army into two wings, under Leonidas Polk on the right and Longstreet on the left. He ordered an attack at dawn on 20 September, but confused orders delayed it until about 9:30 a.m. The Confederate right then struck Thomas’s corps on the Union left, which held behind log breastworks it had built overnight, and made little progress at heavy cost.
Rosecrans then made a fatal error. Told wrongly that there was a gap in his line, he ordered Thomas J. Wood’s division to move north. Wood obeyed, and at about 11:30 a.m. Longstreet’s column of some 10,000–15,000 men struck exactly where Wood’s men had been. The Union right collapsed. Rosecrans and two of his corps commanders, Alexander McCook and Thomas Crittenden, were swept back towards Chattanooga with their fleeing troops.
Thomas formed a new line on Snodgrass Hill and Horseshoe Ridge. Reinforced by Gordon Granger’s reserve corps, his men beat off repeated attacks through the afternoon. After dark Thomas withdrew in good order to Rossville and then to Chattanooga.
By the numbers
| Measure | Union | Confederate |
|---|---|---|
| Troops engaged (approx.) | 57,000–60,000 | 65,000–68,000 |
| Casualties (killed, wounded, captured, missing) | about 16,000 | about 18,000 |
Chickamauga had the second-highest casualty total of any battle in the war, after Gettysburg.
Key people
- Braxton Bragg – Confederate commander who won the battle but was criticised for failing to pursue.
- William S. Rosecrans – Union commander whose order to Wood opened the fatal gap; he was relieved in October.
- James Longstreet – Confederate general whose attack broke the Union right.
- George H. Thomas – Virginian-born Union general whose stand made him the “Rock of Chickamauga”.
- John Bell Hood – Confederate division commander badly wounded in the breakthrough, losing his right leg.
Consequences
Bragg did not follow up his victory effectively, a decision that caused bitter quarrels among his generals. Instead he besieged the Union army in Chattanooga from the surrounding heights. Rosecrans was replaced by Thomas, and Ulysses S. Grant took overall command in the west.
Grant reopened a supply line and in late November won the Battles of Chattanooga, including Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. Chickamauga’s victory was thus largely wasted, and Chattanooga became the base for the 1864 Union advance on Atlanta that ended with Sherman’s March to the Sea.
Legacy
In 1890 Congress created the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, the first national military park in the United States. Veterans from both sides helped mark positions on the field, and many state monuments now stand there.
Timeline
- 1863, 9 September: Union troops occupy Chattanooga.
- 1863, 18 September: Confederates force crossings of Chickamauga Creek.
- 1863, 19 September: Confused fighting in the woods; Longstreet arrives at night.
- 1863, 20 September: Longstreet’s breakthrough routs the Union right; Thomas holds Snodgrass Hill.
- 1863, 21–22 September: The Union army withdraws into Chattanooga.
- 1863, 19 October: Thomas replaces Rosecrans in command.
- 1863, 23–25 November: Union victories at Chattanooga end the siege.
Why it matters
Chickamauga was the Confederacy’s greatest victory in the west, yet it failed to change the course of the war there. It showed both the potential of moving armies by rail and the cost of hesitant command, and it made George Thomas one of the Union’s most respected generals.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the Battle of Chickamauga?
The Confederate Army of Tennessee under Braxton Bragg won. It drove William Rosecrans's Union Army of the Cumberland from the field and back into Chattanooga, though it failed to destroy it.
Why was George Thomas called the Rock of Chickamauga?
On 20 September 1863, after much of the Union army had fled, Major General George H. Thomas held a defensive line on Snodgrass Hill and Horseshoe Ridge until nightfall. His stand allowed the rest of the army to escape and earned him the nickname.
How many casualties were there at Chickamauga?
Total casualties were about 34,000 to 35,000: roughly 16,000 Union and 18,000 Confederate soldiers killed, wounded, captured or missing. Only Gettysburg produced more casualties in a single battle of the war.
What does Chickamauga mean?
The name comes from the creek and is often said to mean 'river of death' in Cherokee. That translation is popular but uncertain, and linguists have suggested other origins.
Why did the Union line break at Chickamauga?
On the morning of 20 September Rosecrans, acting on mistaken information, ordered Thomas J. Wood's division out of the line to close a gap that did not exist. This created a real gap just as Longstreet's column attacked, and the Confederates poured through it.
What happened after Chickamauga?
The Confederates besieged Chattanooga, but Ulysses S. Grant arrived in October, reopened supply lines and won the Battles of Chattanooga in November 1863, including Missionary Ridge.
Sources and further reading
- Peter Cozzens, This Terrible Sound: The Battle of Chickamauga (1992)
- Steven E. Woodworth, Six Armies in Tennessee: The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns (1998)
- James M. McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (1988)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Battle of Chickamauga"
Cite this article
“Battle of Chickamauga (1863): The Confederacy's Western Victory.” Chronicle, https://chronicle.bigworldlist.com/articles/battle-of-chickamauga-1863/.
