Chickamauga: Animated Battle Map

[Music] a war-weary North celebrates twin victories have been won in the east and the West at Gettysburg Confederate General Robert E Lee's Army of Northern Virginia has been turned back in Mississippi Union General Ulysses S grant accepts the surrender of Vicksburg and captures 30,000 rebels in one stroke and in Tennessee Union General William s rosecrans concludes a third campaign against Braxton Bragg in the army of Tennessee through maneuver and deception Rosecrans manages to place much of the state under Union control but Bragg's have numbered force slips away to fight another day undeterred Rosecrans plans his next move his objective is Chattanooga buried in the southern Appalachians capturing the city will open up the deep south and pro-union East Tennessee to the Federals rosecrans next move will be one of startling audacity he intends to hurl his 60,000 men into the North Georgia Mountains to cut off Bragg's 40,000 Confederates before they can escape again Rosecrans hopes Chattanooga will become another Vicksburg with Bragg trapped and forced to surrender after spending most of August repairing the railroad and stockpiling supplies rosecrans advances near the end of the month by September 8th Bragg realizes his peril in abandons Chattanooga but he is not retreating in fact reinforcements are coming from all over swelling Bragg's strength to 70,000 men now it is Rosecrans who is imperiled his army is overextended scattered across more than 40 miles of mountains the Federals fall back towards Chattanooga the two armies will soon collide along the banks of Chickamauga Creek early on the morning of September 18th Bragg sends infantry marching towards reeds and Alexander's bridges he hopes to fling those columns against an unsuspecting Union flank at Lee and Gordon's mills instead he finds federal horsemen bawling away at 11 a.m. in route to Reed's bridge general Bushrod Johnson's Confederate infantry collides with Union Colonel Robert Minty's cavalry Brigade fighting flares forcing minty back but he gives ground slowly repeatedly forcing Johnson to deploy before fading back again Johnson doesn't cross Chickamauga Creek until mid-afternoon and minty doesn't quit the field until after 4:00 p.m. Union Colonel John T Wilders brigade of mounted infantry makes a similar fight at Alexander's bridge here General William Walker's Reserve Corps tries to force a crossing while his men armed with Spencer repeating rifles send the rebels really Walker will divert and find a crossing downstream but the damage has been done Bragg's battle plan has been thrown into disarray cautiously rebel infantry pushes along farm lays in the gathering darkness only to collide with Bendel's from the 21st Corps a mile north of the mills alerted that the trouble Brewin to his north Rosecrans meets with his most trusted subordinate george thomas head of the fourteenth corps Rosecrans since thomas north along the Lafayette Road the intent is to hold open the Army's line of retreat to Roseville in Chattanooga the troops marched through the night destined for the small clearing it Elijah Kelly's farmstead the March is difficult droughts Wenders the roads into trenches of powdered dirt which chokes the air and coats the men eerie fires light the route creating a flickering tunnel of clouded dust thomas is barely in position at Kelly field before he learns that an enemy Brigade is in the woods to the east cut off and vulnerable Thomas since General John Brandon's division to investigate Absalom Barrett's division goes along and support at 7:30 that morning Brandon's lead Brigade stumbles into Confederate cavalry the cavalry Brigade is composed of general Nathan Bedford Forrest Smith sent by Bragg discount the rebel right flank Atlas and skirmishing they settle down to breakfast when Union infantry appears forested ever combative orders his men into line and sins for help Confederate infantry arrives and the fight spreads Bragg has 25,000 men poised to attack but with Federals battling force to his north Bragg wants his flank secured before launching his main assault he decides to send all of Walker's Reserve Corps as well as general Benjamin's division of Polk score to help by 11:00 a.m. with fighting surging back and forth across Winfrey's field rosecrans is hurrying troops to support Thomas unmindful of the chain of command Rosecrans sends a division each from the 20th and 21st Corps by noon both divisions are in action Walker's Confederates cheetahs command is large more than 7000 men in five brigades they hurry into the expanding fight deploying in a wide arc around the East and South edges of brach field their advance is cut short by the Federals a bloody static contest develops around the brach farmstead both sides have spent the morning beating men into a fight neither commander planned for so far the action has been confined to the trees and few clearings east of the Lafayette Road neither army commander can see the fight only the smoke and dust rising above the distant woods rosecrans now commits general Jefferson C Davis's division near the vineyard farmstead sending Davis forward in hopes of finding a rebel flank and turning it here there is no Confederate flag to turn instead Davis is headed to the very heart of Bragg's massed assault column now it is Davis's turn to call for help and again Rosecrans responds the resulting action around vineyard field will last the rest of the day eight federal brigades bite seven Confederate brigades in the bloodiest fighting on September 19th the field will change hands four times before the exhausted combatants break on the action west of Brock field another rebel division replaces Cheatham 'he's tired troops general eight-piece Stewart's three brigades slam into the Federals driving them back to in by 4:00 p.m. across the Lafayette Road Rosecrans Center is now in crisis his army is nearly split in two George Thomas flex the gap using troops from the Union left these are Brandon's and Baird's men still recovering from the morning fight Rosecrans also commits his last reserve General James neglige division stewards Confederates are pearled back by dusk both sides are exhausted from the 12 hours of nearly continuous bloodletting Bragg's decision to transfer General John Breckinridge from the south to the north end of his line produces one last flare-up after the general Patrick Cleburne southerners smash into the Federals in wintry field and with that the ghastly days fighting is ended both sides sleep on their arms the night is one of hor 18,000 men have fallen the temperature plunges below freezing but with their enemies so close both sides prohibit fires thousands have dropped their packs at the opening guns and are without blankets general Rosecrans calls a council of war he and his generals cluster in the confines of the widow Glen cabin to discuss the day's events and Devine what tomorrow will bring Thomas worried about the gap between his left flank and the next Union forced to the north 6000 men at wasps Ville repeatedly urges Rosecrans to strengthen the left Thomas also asks for the return of his last division under negli Rosecrans agrees though at the expense of his right flank BRAC calls no council of war such gatherings have failed him in the past instead with the welcome news that General James Longstreet is nearing the field Bragg decides to divide his army into two wings six divisions under Longstreet and the remaining five assigned to Leonidas Polk the plan remains unchanged the army will attack and drive the Federals south away from Chattanooga Bragg intends to begin at dawn general D H Hill's Corps will lead the attack with divisions under Breckinridge in Clayburn but Hill has not met with brag nor has he found pokes camp instead pulk sends orders laia a courier to inform him of his role on the 20th but this courier never locates he'll consequently drag in the saddle at first light here's no sounds of battle once again his plans had miscarried rosecrans is also up early indeed he never went to sleep when no attack comes he rides his lines adjusting troop positions at 6:30 he meets with Thomas who again asked for Negley Rosecrans promises a prompt response Negley is in line at Brotherton field and must be replaced before he can move binding those men will take precious time while they wait the men in the ranks start building breastworks at 9:30 Hills men finally attack 2/3 of Hill's Corps assault those breastworks and her blood aliy repulsed but two brigades overlap Thomas's line and turn the Union left they strikes out into Kelly field and for a moment the whole Union Army is in peril but Federals repulse that attack reinforcements hurrying northward at last while Confederate quarreling prevents the rebels from reinforcing their success at eleven-thirty Hills men fall back for Thomas though the danger is averted the crisis only increases his desire for reinforcements rosecrans establishes a new headquarters on a knoll overlooking the Dyer orchard one of the few areas on this heavily wooded field that offer any vantage neglige relief is slow in his frustration mounts general McCook is to provide the replacements but they have not yet arrived instead Rosecrans turns to crittendon's Corps ordering Tom woods division in the line wood with only two brigades asks for a third in cautions that artillery is of little use among the timber in those woods to the east 10800 rebels await the order to advance these are Jane's Longstreet's men assembled into an attack columns five lines deep they know nothing of the confusion amidst the Federals west of the Lafayette Road longstreet is waiting for word from Bragg which due to the problems with Polk and Hill is much overdue Longstreet uses that extra time well assembling a powerful assault column arrayed in five lines Bushrod johnson's men will again spearhead the assault the sounds of battle to the north draw nearer at 10:45 Tom wood receives an urgent dispatch Rosecrans orders him to close up on the left and link-up with General Joseph Reynolds division the army commander is trying to close a gap he thinks has been opened when General John Brennan's men pull out at the behest of George Thomas in reality there is no gap wood knows that and is confused if he moves he will open a gap of his own on the Brotherton farm but McCook urges wood to move and promises to fill the resultant gap himself wood departs just as Longstreet sends his column forward Union disaster ensues the last of Tom woods brigade is caught in the act of moving and overrun federal general Jefferson seed Davis's already used up division next in line to the South stands no chance his command is crushed by a Confederate force five times its size a half mile to the rear Phillip Sheridan's Union division is the next to shatter under the impact with a third of the Union Army is routed off the field including Rosecrans McCook and crittenton all of whom will make their way to Chattanooga General John Bell hood and tactical command of the rebel column tells Johnson to go ahead and stay ahead of everything shortly thereafter hood is badly wounded but not every federal is fleeing on a high ridge near the modest farm of George Snodgrass overlooking Dyer feel scattered Yankees begin to coalesce into a defense around the leadership of generals Thomas wood and Brannan if these last defenders are dislodged then Thomas's position in Kelly field is outflanked and the Union disaster will be complete a first Confederate assault fails and more rebels are sent to add weight than the next effort Thomas realizing the crisis of the battle is at hand establishes a new headquarters behind the Snodgrass cabin at 2:00 p.m. welcome Union reinforcements arrived these are Gordon Granger's head of the Union Reserve Corps who have been holding Rossville with the battle raging to the south Granger decides to march to the sound of the guns his arrival couldn't be better timed his men repulse a second assault on what is now being called horseshoe ridge scrambling up one side of the heights while rebels race for the top from the South Face they meet at the crest in a terrific war of musketry more assaults are flung back at 4 p.m. Longstreet commits his last reserve Preston's division it too is checked but now the Federals are critically short of ammunition George Thomas realizes he can not resist the next assault and despite the pleas of some subordinates decides he must retreat to Rossville that retreat begins in Kelly field where a lull is set in as the Federals pull back however pokes right-wing pushes forward in a final effort russian-born Union General John Turchin leads his Brigade in a daring counter-attack through MacDonald Field opening an escape route for the remaining four divisions clustered around the kelley farmstead most of those Federals will get away but rebel pincers will close on elements of Absalom Baird's division already badly mauled on the 19th hundreds of Yankees are captured as the firing dies away [Applause] on Horseshoe rich a similar situation unfolds Preston's Confederates make a final effort to take the hills just as the Union retreat begins there in the very center of the Union line The Forgotten 22nd Michigan 21st and 89th Ohio are overrun by two Confederate brigades it is now dark the rest of Thomas's force elements of seven Union divisions slip away to Rossville taking up strong new positions on Missionary Ridge Chickamauga the second bloodiest battle of the war is over [Music] 35,000 men have fallen killed wounded or missing 18,500 in gray another 16,500 where the blue over the next two days the Union Army retreats to the fortifications of Chattanooga although he won the battle Braxton Bragg is criticized for allowing the Yankees to escape the Union Army while battered is still intact and ready to renew the match its position on Missionary Ridge is a strong one not easily assailed rosecrans is relieved of duty he had retreated to Chattanooga and stayed there while his army fought on at horseshoe ridge he will forever defend that choice as the correct one but it cost him his command in october ulysses s grant takes command of the Union Army's assembling in Chattanooga Thomas who had stood as firm as a rock at Chickamauga replaces rosecrans grant brings with him troops from Mississippi under General William T Sherman and in late November Union attacks drive their enemies away from Chattanooga once and for all when spring comes again those Federal's will be marching towards Atlanta and on to the sea [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: American Battlefield Trust

Views: 730,888

Rating: 4.916544 out of 5

Keywords: American Battlefield Trust, Civil War Trust, Battle of Chickamauga, Chickamauga and chattanooga, Civil War Western Theater, Rosecrans Chickamauga, Bragg Chickamauga

Id: vlJUuNny9mc

Length: 22min 15sec (1335 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 28 2019