Battle Of Chickamauga Essay

Battle Analysis of the Battle of Chickamauga

The Battle of Chickamauga was the most significant Union defeat in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. Only Gettysburg surpassed the Battle of Chickamauga in damage and casualties sustained. In spite of it being listed as a Confederate victory, many costly mistakes were made and opportunities missed by the Confederate forces during this battle. The failures to capitalize on the missed opportunities, contributed heavily to what would become a series of crushing defeats for the South in the months following the battle. Had it not been for several key mistakes upon the part of the Union forces and the Confederate forces superior numbers at Chickamauga the outcome could have been far

John Bell Hood and a Mississippi division under Brig. Gen. Bushrod Johnson. In addition, nine brigades from Virginia under the command of Lieutenant General James Longstreet were en route to join General Bragg’s forces in Georgia. (Battle of Chickamauga) This was the first attempt to transport Confederate troops from one theater to another to achieve numerical superiority. General Bragg anticipated drawing an overly confident Rosecrans into a trap and retake Chattanooga. With renewed confidence that Chattanooga could pass once again into Confederate hands, on the morning of 18 September 1863 General Bragg marched his army to the west bank of Chickamauga Creek, hoping to wedge his troops between Chattanooga and the Federal army. (Powell, The Fight at Reed's Bridge: Failure in the Saddle) The Confederate forces encountered Col. Robert H. G. Minty and his 973 men in the area of Reed’s Bridge. (Powell, The Fight at Reed's Bridge: Failure in the Saddle) Bragg’s infantry commanded by General Johnson and supported by General Forrest crossed the Chickamauga. The Confederates skirmished with Federal infantry and mounted infantry armed with Spencer repeating rifles supported by two artillery pieces defending the crossing sites. Bragg had been hoping that his advance would be a surprise; Rosecrans, however, had observed the Confederates marching in the morning, and anticipated Bragg’s plan to seize the main

What followed was the beginning of the intense, close-quarters, charge-and-countercharge fighting that would mark the Battle of Chickamauga. (History.com staff writer) Bragg’s men, being led by LTG Leonidas Polk, gained ground around Lee and Gordon’s Mill but could not break the extended Union line despite a series of aggressive attacks. (History.com staff writer) , At 11p.m on 19 September, Gen. Longstreet’s divisions arrived at Chickamauga, giving the Confederate force the superior numbers planned for in order to press the attack on General Rosecrans. Bragg divided his forces into two wings to attack the Union lines on the flanks . Longstreet commanded the left; Lt. Gen. Leonidas K. Polk took charge of Confederate troops on the right. Polk had been given orders to attack the right flank at first light but failed to execute. The battle did not resume until 9:30 a.m. the next morning. Once the attack on the right commenced Longstreet coordinated the Confederate attacks on the Union left flank. About an hour later, Rosecrans, was given erroneous information that a gap existed in his line. He forcefully ordered Brig. Gen. Thomas Wood’s division to fill the gap. Wood, however, knew that the order was a mistake; no such gap existed in the Federal line. Wood knew moving his division would, in turn, open a large swath in the Union position creating gap that Rosecrans believed