The battle of Chickamauga was a strategic battle between the northern and southern armies that lasted two days in September of 1863 and the largest Confederate victory in the Western theater of the American Civil War. During this battle, Union and Confederate forces were struggling over control of the key railroad center of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The battle was fought between the Army of the Cumberland under Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans and the Confederate Army of Tennessee under Gen. Braxton Bragg, and was named for Chickamauga Creek, which runs near the battle area in northwest Georgia and northeast of downtown Chattanooga. The battle was fought during the late summer and autumn of September 18 – 20, 1863. The weather during this time …show more content…
It was one of the last great victories for the Confederate Army against the Union Army. The casualties of the Chickamauga Battle was only second to the casualties lost during the Battle of Gettysburg. The Confederate Army had the greatest loss of lives during this Battle than any other battle during the Civil War. The Confederate Army lost approximately 18,500 soldiers and the Union Army lost about 16,000 soldiers. The Battle of Chickamauga was a great win for the Southern states because they had lost two major battles in Vicksburg and Gettysburg. The Chickamauga win gave the Southern states confidence that they still had a chance to win the Civil War. The Confederate Army was able to win the Chickamauga Battle because they had a larger Army than the Union troops. The Union Army was not properly prepared for the Confederate Army during the Battle at Chickamauga. The Union Army only had about 40,000 men available to fight at the Battle of Chickamauga. The Confederate Army was able to win the battle by element of surprise because the Union Army was still riding high from their victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg. In turn, the Union Army did not ask for reinforcements to fight the Confederate Army in Chickamauga. The Battle of Chickamauga was a significant victory for the Southern states because they learned from the mistakes made during the Battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg. The Confederate Commanders ensured that they had the best divisions of their Army to fight at Chickamauga. The Confederate Army had better weapons at their disposal to beat the Union troops and they were more familiar with the terrain of Chickamauga, GA. The Confederate Army were better prepared for the Chickamauga Battle than the Union