BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA18-20 September 1863

Dr Mark Gerges and Dr Greg Hospodor

Department of Military HistoryUS Army Command and General Staff College

Situation, summer 1863

Three victorious Union armiesGrant at Vicksburg,4 July 1863Meade at Gettysburg, 1-3 July 1863Rosecrans in Tullahoma Campaign, 24

June- 3 July

Why Tennessee?

MG George ThomasXIV Corps

MG William Rosecrans

Army of the Cumberland

MG Thomas CrittendenXXI Corps

MG Alexander McCookXX Corps

MG Gordon GrangerReserve Corps

LTG Leonidas PolkPolk’s Corps

Army of Tennessee19 September 1863

MG W.H. WalkerReserve Corps

LTG DH HillHill’s Corps

GEN Braxton Bragg

MG Simon B. BucknerBuckner’s Corps

Crossing the Tennessee and movement into Georgia

Nature of north Georgia: meandering stream, heavily wooded, etc

18 September

Confederates fight to cross the

Chickamauga stream

19 September

Confederates attack

19 September

By evening, Confederate attacks shift from north to

center of Union line

LTG Leonidas PolkRight Wing

Army of TennesseeMorning of 20 September

MG W.H. WalkerReserve Corps

LTG DH HillHill’s Corps

GEN Braxton Bragg

MG Simon B. BucknerBuckner’s Corps

MG John B. HoodLongstreet’s Corps

LTG James LongstreetLeft Wing

20 September

Morning- CSA attack resumes—but 4 hours late.

LTG Leonidas PolkRight Wing

BG Thomas Wood

20 September

11:00 a.m.:Union disaster!

MG William Rosecrans

MG George ThomasXIV Corps

20 September

Evening:

“Thomas is standing like a rock.”

BG James Garfield, chief of staff to Rosecrans

Results of the Battle

Rosecrans is "confused and stunned like a duck hit on the head.”

A. Lincoln

Union Army surrounded in Chattanooga

(on three sides)

and a new general set to arrive on the scene

BUT. . . Army of the Cumberland defeated, not destroyed.

Results of the Battle

Longstreet corps detached to Knoxville

Didn’t destroy the Army of the Cumberland.

Didn’t liberate any territory lost that summer.

Did stop advance towards Atlanta.

And a morale boost after a terrible summer. . .

Why did they fight in lines? Were they stupid?

Deployment

Theoretically there were around 100 men in each of 10 companies— around 1000 men. In reality, there were usually much less.

Flags played a key role in the regiment.

The “Flanks”

Model 1842 Smoothbore Musket—Buck and Ball Projectiles and Cartridge

Enfield Rifled Musket—Minie Projectiles and Cartridge

Bayonet

Small Arms

The Theoretical Arithmetic of Logistics

requires 3 pounds of food per day (not incl. water).

The daily individual ration for a Union soldier:20 ounces of fresh or salt beef or 12 ounces of pork or bacon1 pound of hard bread or 18 ounces of flour or 20 of cornmeal.

Additionally per every 100 men: 15 pounds of beans or peas10 pounds of rice or hominy10 pounds of green coffee or 1.5 pounds of tea15 pounds of sugar4 quarts of vinegar3.75 pounds of salt4 ounces of pepper30 pounds of potatoeswhen practicable, 1 quart of molasses.

Approximately: 3,000 calories.

Water and railroad supply allowed your army to look like this …

100,000 men rather than

this!

10,000 men

There are roughly 9,500 miles of rail lines in the Confederacy.

Advantages:

CAPACITY

A Civil War-era railcar could carry as much as 15 tons. One 10-car train could carry as many supplies as 150 wagons.

SPEED

A train traveled 5 times faster than a wagon train, which meant more round trips and that fewer resources needed to be devoted to supply services.

DEPENDABILITY

Anyone who has ever dealt with mules will tell you they have a mind of their own. Enough said!

AVAILABILITY

More rolling stock and locomotives could be produced on demand and in different models. This doesn’t apply to mules and horses!

As far as a logistician is concerned the advantages of

railroads are legion.

Can you think of any?

SECURITY

“We are much obliged to the Tennessee [River] which has favored us most opportunely, for I am never easy with a railroad which takes a whole army to guard, each foot of rail is essential to the whole; whereas, they can’t stop the Tennessee … .”

General William Tecumseh Sherman, “Sinews of War”

CAPACITY

An ordinary Ohio River steamboat of 500 tons carried enough supplies to supply an army of 40,000 men and 18,000 horses for nearly two days.  This was the equivalent of five 10-car freight trains.

As good as railroads were for supply, knowledgeable commanders,

especially Union ones, preferred supply lines based on water transport.

Can you think of two reasons why?

The past is a foreign country . . .

Document based research and questions: Defend or refute Bragg’s statement that if it were not for the loss of

these four hours (on 20 Sept), "our independence might have been won.”

Why use military history?

Tactics: critical thinking, relationship between technology and tactics

Personalities: politics, leadership, irony

Battle: critical thinking, results– battle the arbiter

Battle analysis: Students assigned role of commanders

Discuss what they knew, what they thought they knew, and their decisions on a map.

Suggested Sources

The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, a.k.a the O.R. Steven E. Woodworth

Six Armies in Tennessee: The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns.A Deep Steady Thunder: The Battle of Chickamauga

Robertson, William GlennThe Battle of Chickamauga: National Park Civil War Series.

"The Chickamauga Campaign: The Fall of Chattanooga." Blue & Gray Magazine, Fall 2006."The Chickamauga Campaign: McLemore's Cove." Blue & Gray Magazine, Spring 2007."The Chickamauga Campaign: The Armies Collide.” Blue & Gray Magazine, Fall 2007."The Chickamauga Campaign: The Battle of Chickamauga, Day 1." Blue & Gray Magazine, Spring 2008."The Chickamauga Campaign: The Battle of Chickamauga, Day 2." Blue & Gray Magazine, Summer 2008.

Some really good websites to start:National parks—www.nps.govNational Archives (NARA)—www.archives.gov

Questions?

MarkMark.gerges@us.army.mil

GregGregory.hospodor@us.army.mil