USA > Tennessee > History of the Twentieth Tennessee regiment volunteer infantry, C.S.A > Part 22
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Just east of Lookout Mountain is Chattanooga Valley, with a small creek by the same name flowing through and emptying into the Tennessee River. Just south of the city of Chatta- nooga, and south of Chattanooga Valley, runs Missionary Ridge; and parallel with and south of Missionary Ridge is Chickamauga Valley, with Chickamauga River running through it, and empty- ing into the Tennessee River a few miles above Chattanooga. This river is formed by the flowing together of East, Middle, and West Chickamauga Creeks, and Pea Vine Creek. West Chickamauga and Chattanooga Creeks both have their sources in McLemore's Cove, which cove is formed by Pigeon Mountain on the east, and jutting to the north is a spur of Lookout, and on the west a portion of Missionary Ridge.
The great wagon road that leads from Chattanooga south to Rome, Ga., passes through Missionary Ridge at Rossville Gap, crosses Chickamauga Creek at Lee and Gordon's mills, and east of Pigeon Mountain runs on to Lafayette, Summerville, and Rome, Ga.
East of the Chickamauga you will find Pigeon Mountain and Taylor's Ridge, and southeast of these runs the Western and Atlantic R. R., from Chattanooga to Atlanta, 138 miles ; and 38 miles from Chattanooga, on this road, is Dalton, situated in the
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MAJOR JNO. F. GUTHRIE. See page 404.
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valley of the Coosa River, which is the gateway from North Georgia into East Tennessee.
On August 21, Crittenden, who was in command of Rosecrans's left wing, sent General Wilder with his brigade of mounted in- fantry, and Wagner's brigade of infantry, to reconnoitre the north bank of the river from Harrison's Landing, a few miles above Chattanooga, down to and opposite the city, and it was these troops that threw the first shells into Chattanooga.
On August 29 Rosecrans began with his army to cross the Tennessee River at four points, viz : McCook at Caperton's Ferry, 42 miles below Chattanooga ; Thomas at Sand Mountains, others at Bridgeport and the mouth of Battle Creek ; and by September 4 his army was across. Rosecrans now began to cross the mountains through the various gaps in a southeastern direc- tion. On September 10 his two advance divisions, under Negley and Baird, had reached Mclemore's Cove, and Stewart's and Hindman's divisions were sent by a night march to attack them. Stewart arrived first and drew up in line of battle, but for some cause Hindman's division did not arrive until late in the evening, and before he could get in position the enemy beat a hasty re- treat. Stewart's division, in which was the Twentieth Tennes- see Regiment, moved forward just at sundown, and struck the road where the Yankees had passed a few minutes after dark.
The woods were in heavy foliage, the dust from the retreating Yankees was very heavy, and the moon began to shine very brightly. It was a grand and impressing scene.
The Twentieth Tennessee Regiment being on the right of the line, struck the road close on the rear of the Yankee column, when Colonel Smith called for a detail of one officer and three men. I, with three men, reported, when Colonel Smith said : "Lieutenant, I want you to take your men and follow up these Yankees, and see what becomes of them, and if you are not. killed or captured, report back to me some time to-night." My little command of three started, we knew not where, and when about twenty steps away, Colonel Smith hollowed out : " Good- bye, old fellows, I never expect to see you any more."
That night, with my little command, we captured twenty Yankees, and turned them over to Hindman's men, whom we
18
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met late in the night, and after we got rid of our prisoners, we heard there were a lot of bee gums that had been partially robbed by the Yankees, but in their haste to get out of the cove, they did not do a good job. The owner of the bees had left home, so my little command, after a council of war, decided that the honey ought not to be lost. We at once attacked 'the gums, and the bees attacked us, and we were badly stung about the face and hands. We had gotten honey all over our faces and hands, and had no water to wash it off.
By next morning our faces were so swollen, and the honey caught the dust, until we hardly knew each other.
The next day Stewart's division was moved back in the direc- tion of Chickamauga. Both armies were maneuvering on the 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th for the advantage in position. On the night of Sept. 18, 1863, which was the last of the maneuvering before the battle, the two armies occupied their re- spective positions as follows : General Rosecrans was on the north bank of West Chickamauga with four corps, viz : Thomas on the left with the Fourteenth Army Corps of 21,448 men ; Crittenden in the center with Twenty-first Corps of 13,635; McCook on the right with Twentieth Corps of 12,325 ; Gordon Grainger's Reserve Corps, 6,987 ; Cavalry under Mitchell, Wil- der and Minty, 9,517 ; attached to headquarters, signal corps, etc., 2,007, and 4,243 officers, which made the grand total of Rosecrans's Army, Sept. 18, 1863, 70, 162.
General Bragg, on the night of the 17th, was on the south side of West Chickamauga with three corps : Polk on the right, fronting Thomas ; Buckner in the center, fronting Crittenden ; Hill on the left, fronting McCook, with Wheeler's Cavalry in McLemore's Cove on the left ; and Forrest's Cavalry on the right wing. Bragg's line reached from Reed's Bridge on the right to a little beyond Lee and Gordon's Mill on the left, with Wheeler's Cavalry in McLemore's Cove, still further to the left.
The line of infantry was said to be about three and one-quar- ter miles long. Bragg's forces consisted of 33,000 infantry and artillery of his own command; 5,000 under Gen. Buckner, who had withdrawn from Knoxville and joined Bragg ; two small divisions from Mississippi, 5,000 strong ; Longstreet's corps,
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from Virginia, composed of the two divisions of Hood and Law, composed of nine brigades, three of whom did not arrive in time for the battle, viz., Wofford's, Bryan's, and Jenkins'; Longstreet's entire corps, numbering 5,000, with three brigades, not arriving in time, would make the force that he carried into action about 3,400 ; Wheeler's and Forrest's Cavalry, 11,500, making a grand total of 52,900.
Everything was now ready on both sides for the great death struggle of the ages. Bragg issued to his army on the night of the 17th the following orders to be carried out on the 18th : -
"Headquarters Army of Tennessee.
"' IN THE FIELD, LEET'S TAN YARD,
September 18, 1863.
" General Bushrod Johnson's column, on crossing the Chicka- mauga at or near Reed's Bridge, will turn to the left by the most practicable route, and sweep up the Chickamauga towards Lee and Gordon's Mills.
Second. Gen. W. H. T. Walker will cross at Alexander's Bridge, and unite his forces with Johnson's, and push vigorously on the enemy's flank and rear in the same direction.
Third. General Buckner, with his corps, will cross at Thed- ford's Ford and join in the movement to the left, and press the enemy up stream from towards Lee and Gordon's Mills. (The Twentieth Tennessee was in Buckner's Corps.)
Fourth. General Polk will press his forces to the front of Lee and Gordon's Mills, and if met by too much resistance to cross, will bear to the right and cross at Dalton's Ford, or at Thedford's Ford, as may be necessary, and join in the attack.
Fifth. General Hill will cover our left flank from an advance of the enemy from the cove, and by pressing our cavalry in his front, ascertain if the enemy is reinforcing at Lee and Gordon's Mills, in which event he will attack them in flank.
Sixth. Wheeler, with his cavalry, will hold the gaps in Pigeon Mountain, and cover our rear and left and bring up stragglers.
Seventh. All teams not with troops should go towards Ring- gold and Dalton, beyond Taylor's Ridge. All cooking should be done at the trains, and when cooked forwarded to the troops.
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Eighth. The above movements will be executed with the ut- most promptness, vigor, and persistence."
By command of-
GENERAL BRAGG.
GEORGE W. BRENT, A. A. General.
This movement began at 6 A. M. on the 18th, the resistance caused by the enemy's cavalry and mounted infantry and the narrow country roads caused unexpected delays, and a crossing was not effected until late in the afternoon. On the morning of the 18th, the column on the right was put in motion, Gen. N. B. Forrest with his cavalry on the extreme right, forcing a crossing at and near Reed's Bridge.
Gen. Bushrod Johnson, who had been stationed at Ringold with two brigades, and joined Bragg a day or two before, was now in command of Bragg's right column of infantry. He crossed over at Reed's Bridge, and at a ford just above the bridge, about 4 P. M., and moved west about one mile to Jay's Steam Saw Mill at the forks of the road. Both of these roads led to Alexander's Bridge.
Gen. John B. Hood came upon the field while Johnson was at Jay's Saw Mill, and being Gen. Johnson's senior, took charge of the column, and Johnson returned to his division of two brig- ades. Gen. Walker, who was on the left of Johnson's command, attempted to cross at Alexander's Bridge, but was met with such resistance that he was delayed some time, and when he did get possession of the bridge, the enemy had torn it up so badly that he could not cross on it, and had to pass some distance down stream to Byram's Ford before he could effect a crossing, which was done late in the evening, and his division united after dark with Hood's column, and Forrest's cavalry on the north bank of the Chickamauga ; so Bragg's Army, on the night of the 18th, was divided by the Chickamauga River, with Hood, Bushrod Johnson, Trigg, and Forrest separated from the main army. This was a grand opportunity for Gen. Rosecrans, but he did not make use of it, just as Bragg lost an opportunity of crushing Crittenden's corps on the 13th, as they moved out on the Chat- tanooga Road, and Polk with his corps, and W. H. T. Walker's
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division were ordered to attack and did not do it. Bragg's orders were not carried out again on the 9th, in Mclemore's Cove. Gen. Bragg had just grounds for complaint against his inferior officers in this engagement, as we will see further on.
On the morning of the 19th, Buckner, whose corps was on the left of Walker's division, began about daylight to cross his corps at Thedford's Ford, and Cheatham's division of Polk's corps crossed later in the day at the same Ford.
Forrest with his cavalry opened the battle about 8 o'clock, when he drove the enemy some distance, when he in turn was driven back, and Walker was ordered to support him. When these two dashing spirits united their efforts, who could stand before them?
The Yankees recoiled, and left in the hands of Walker and Forrest several batteries of artillery and their dead and wounded. By this time they had aroused the old war dog (Thomas) on the other side, who with his superior numbers, forced Walker and Forrest back ; and the gallant Cheatham, with his Tennessee di- vision, was ordered to the help of Walker and Forrest, but be- fore Cheatham arrived, Walker and Forrest had been forced back to their first position. Now the forces of Walker, Forrest, and Cheatham were united and the struggle became desperate. But Thomas's forces, though largely superior, had to go back. Hood's forces were now ordered in and the battle became gen- eral. Now in the move to the right, an opening in the line be- tween Cheatham and Hood was discovered, and Stewart's division of Buckner's corps was thrown to the right to fill this gap, and at once became hotly engaged. The left of Buckner's corps was about one mile from Lee and Gordon's Mills. Bragg was now pressing Rosecrans's left and left center, and the battle was being waged over the possession of the Chattanooga Road, which if Bragg got possession of, would force Rosecrans into the hills west, and cut him off from Chattanooga.
It was now in the afternoon, and Gen. Polk was ordered to cross the remainder of his corps below Lee and Gordon's Mills and take charge of the right wing.
Gen. A. P. Stewart's division composed of the brigades of Clayton, Brown, and Bate (the 20th Tennessee was in Bate's
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brigade), was thrown forward in column by brigades with such telling effect as to penetrate the enemy's center and get posses- sion of the Chattanooga Road, the bone of contention, and pressed the enemy half a mile beyond it until both flanks were exposed and he slowly retired. A detailed description of this action will be submitted with Gen. Bate's official report.
Hill's corps, late in the day, was ordered to cross below Lee and Gordon's Mills, and Cleburne's division of Hill's corps was the first of his corps to reach the right about sundown, and was ordered to attack at once. Your writer, who was lying on the field, as he thought, mortally wounded, wishes to pay this com- pliment to this Gallant Chief and his Veteran Command. I never heard a more terrific roar of musketry on any field ; al- most every gun seemed to fire at once, which showed the disci- pline of his men. The Yankees were driven back in great disorder for nearly one mile. This magnificent destruction of human life that was performed by the gallant son of the Emerald Isle and his command, closed the fighting of the 19th, except skir- mishing ; and the Confederates were masters of the ground that had been fought over.
It was ascertained from deserters and prisoners, that Gen. Rosecrans had fought nearly the whole of his 70,000 men, and Bragg knew exactly how many of his command had been en- gaged. He had in the battle up to this time Walker's division of 2,500, Cheatham's 7,000, Stewart's 4,040, Cleburne's 5, 115, Hood, Bushrod Johnson, and Trigg's 8,428, Forrest and Pegram's cavalry 3,500, making a grand total of Confederate troops who fought on the first day of 33,583. None of Polk's corps, except Cheatham's division, were engaged, and only Cleburne's division of Hill's corp; and a good portion of Longstreet's command had only come upon the field after dark on the 19th.
Gen. James Longstreet arrived on the field and reported to Gen. Bragg at 11 o'clock at night on the 19th, and received his orders from Bragg. During the night of the 19th, both armies were reorganized. Bragg withdrew Wheeler's cavalry from Mc- Lemore's Cove and placed them nearer his left. He reorganized his army into two wings, the right and left, assigning the com- mand of the right wing to Lieut. Gen. Polk, and the left wing
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to Lieut. Gen. Longstreet. Polk had in his wing the divisions of Breckinridge, Cheatham, Cleburne, Walker, and Forrest's cav- alry numbering 22,071 men. Gen. Longstreet, who commanded the left wing, had the divisions of Preston, Hindman, Johnson, Law, Stewart, and Wheeler's cavalry, numbering 22,982, mak- ing a grand total of Confederates for the second day's battle of 45,453.
Now Gen. Rosecrans's forces for the struggle of the second day were McCook's corps 14,345, Thomas's 24,072, Crittenden's 13,975, Grainger's Reserve corps 6,987, cavalry 7,000, making a grand total of 66,379. This gives a difference in favor of Gen. Rosecrans of 20,926.
Gen Bragg, in his official report of the battle of Chickamauga, in Series Ist, Vol. xxx, part 11, page 33 of the War of the Re- bellion, says: "After the close of the engagement on the evening of the 19th, the proper commanders were summoned to my camp fire, and there received their specific instructions touching the disposition of the troops for the operations of the next morning." Gen. Bragg said that Lieut. Gen. Polk was ordered to assail the enemy on our extreme right at day-dawn on the 20th, and take up the attack in rapid succession to the left. The left wing was to await the attack by the right and the whole line then to be pushed vigorously throughout its extent. "Before the dawn of day," he says, " myself and staff were ready for the saddle, oc- cupying a position in the rear of and accessible to all parts of . the line. With increased anxiety and disappointment I waited until after sunrise without hearing a gun, and at length I de- spatched a staff officer to Lieut. Gen. Polk to ascertain the cause of the delay, and to urge him to a prompt and speedy move- ment. This officer not finding the general with his troops, and learning where he had spent the night, proceeded across Alex- ander's Bridge to the east side of the Chickamauga and there delivered my message."
Gen. Bragg said that he proceeded to the right wing in person, and found the troops not even prepared for the movement. He sent other messengers immediately for Gen. Polk, and he shortly joined him, and his orders were renewed and the attack began at IO A. M., and then the troops went to the assault in detail.
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Gen. Bragg further said, " that the reason assigned for this unfortunate delay by the wing commander appears in part in the reports of his subordinates, which it is sufficient to say, were entirely unsatisfactory."
This is Gen. Polk's reply for not attacking the enemy at day light on the morning of the 20th.
HEADQUARTERS POLK'S CORPS, ARMY OF TENNESSEE, Missionary Ridge, September 28, 1863.
COLONEL : In reply to your communication, I would respect- fully submit to the commanding General the following statement, explanatory of the failure to make an attack upon the enemy, as ordered, at daylight on the 20th.
After leaving army headquarters on the night of the 19th, where I received a verbal order to attack the enemy at daylight, I rode immediately to my headquarters, beyond Alexander's Bridge, where I arrived at II P. M.
On the way, accompanied by General Breckinridge, I met a staff officer of Lieutenant-General Hill, to whom I com- municated my orders, and from whom I learned that General Hill's headquarters were at Thedford's Ford. I asked him to say to General Hill that my headquarters were beyond and near to Alexander's Bridge, and that I desired to see him there. On arriving at my headquarters, I issued orders, dated II: 30 o'clock, to Lieutenant-General Hill and Major-General Cheat- ham to attack the enemy simultaneously at daylight, General Walker's division being held in reserve.
I also posted two couriers at the bridge to keep up fires and in- form persons where my headquarters were. My orders were sent by couriers to the headquarters of the respective generals. General Walker's returned promptly. The courier sent to General Hill, after searching for the General through the night, returned about daylight, saying that he could not find him. General Hill did not make his appearance at my head- quarters. Hearing nothing of the attack, and not knowing where to find General Hill, I sent staff officers in haste directly to Generals Breckinridge and Cleburne, with information that
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General Hill could not be found, and with orders to make the attack at once, and rode to the front myself.
Shortly afterwards I received, in reply to my orders, a commu- nication from General Hill, stating that his divisions were get. ting their rations, and would not be ready to move for an hour or more, and also reporting that Breckinridge's wagons had been lost between Thedford's Ford and the battle field. On reaching General Hill's line, I saw General Cleburne, of General Hill's corps, and asked if he had received my orders to attack. He said he had received it in the presence of General Hill. I found also that General Hill had delayed his attack in consequence of a misapprehension on his part as to the relation between his line and that of General Cheatham, he supposing that Cheatham's line was formed, as he said, on his left at nearly a right angle to his own. In this he was mistaken. The relation of the lines were such as is indicated in the accompanying diagram.
General Hill mistook the line of one of Cheatham's reserve brigades ( Jackson's ), for that of his front line. The order to attack was then repeated and executed.
Respectfully, Colonel, your obedient servant,
L. POLK, Lieutenant-General Commanding.
LIEUT. COL. GEORGE WILLIAM BRENT, Assistant Adjutant-General.
On the morning of the 20th, General Rosecrans's line was formed with Thomas on the left, Crittenden in the center and McCook on the right. On Thomas's extreme left was Baird's division, supported by one brigade of Negley's division ; next to Baird's comes Palmer's division, next to Palmer, Johnson's, next to Johnson's Reynold's, and next Brannon's. This part of Rosecrans's line had been well entrenched during the night of the 19th. The attack was opened about 10 o'clock by Forrest, Breckinridge and Cleburne attacking the troops of Baird, Palmer and Johnson behind their works with partial success. The attack was taken up by the Confederates on to their left, until the two armies were locked in deadly embrace.
Polk had now brought into action almost his entire reserve,
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and was pressing Thomas so hard that he was calling for help. Longstreet with the left wing was gradually forcing back Mc- Cook and Crittenden's right ; it was about this time, 2. p. m., that a fatal mistake was made by the Federal Commanders, who ordered the three remaining brigades of Negley's division, who were on the right of Brannon and left of Wood, hurriedly to the left to support Baird and Palmer, whose breastworks had been stormed and carried by Breckinridge and Cleburne. It was in this assault that Brig. Genl. Lucius E. Polk and his command covered themselves with glory.
This gallant brigade was composed of the following regiments:
First Arkansas, Second Confederate (Tennessee), Fifth Con- federate (Tennessee), and the Second, Thirty-fifth, and Forty- eighth Tennessee.
Gen. D. H. Hill, in his official report, says that the charge of Polk's brigade, and the capture of this angle and two other lines of the Federal works, gave us the victory.
It was the moving of Negley's command that left the gap be- tween Wood and Brannon that Longstreet discovered, and poured seven brigades through it in less than sixty minutes, routing three divisions of Rosecran's line and badly demoralizing the fourth.
It was here that the Federal Brigadier-General Lytle, who was trying to stay this tide, was killed. It was this General Lytle that wrote that famous poem, " I am Dying, Egypt, Dying."
This unfortunate gap for Rosecrans was made still broader by Wood receiving orders to close up on Reynolds, when Brannon was between him and Reynolds, while Wood had to pass to the rear and left of Brannon to close up on Reynolds. It was in this charge that Rosecrans lost his headquarters wagons, forty pieces of artillery, a large supply of medical stores and ambu- lances, besides a number of prisoners. Bragg at this time, 3 P. M., was directing his right wing in person, and massed the divisions of Breckinridge, Cleburne, and Walker, and hurled them against Thomas's left, and doubled it back. McCook and Crittenden had now abandoned their corps, and gone ten miles back to Chattanooga, and left their divisions and brigade com- manders to take care of themselves, back on Snodgrass Hill,
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where the bulk of Rosecran's army had now been driven, while General Rosecrans had abandoned the field and joined McCook and Crittenden, two of his corps commanders, back into Chatta- nooga. Snodgrass' Hill, by 5 P. M., was covered from base to summit with confused lines of blue.
Gordon Grainger, who had been held in reserve near Rossville Gap with a corps of 6,987 men, was ordered in great haste to support Thomas, the only organized corps on the field. It is said that Grainger came upon the field like a roaring lion, seek- ing whom he might devour, but his introduction to Bragg's right was of such a warm and cordial nature that he departed in less than three hours time in company with that grand old soldier, George H. Thomas, who had set out about dark to see if he could discover the whereabouts of Rosecrans, McCook, and Crittenden, whom he afterwards found back in Chattanooga. But before Thomas and Grainger left the field, the terrible strug- gle took place around Snodgrass Hill, where Longstreet, with the divisions of Hindman, Bushrod Johnson and Preston attacked the hill on the west, Stewart, Laws and Kershaw on the south, while a portion of Polk's corps was sweeping down from the east across the Rossville road. When assault after assault was made upon this elevated stronghold that had packed on its blood- stained sides men and artillery as thick as they could stand, your writer heard General Boynton, who was in command of a Federal brigade on Snodgrass Hill that evening, say that the " Confed- erates made seventeen different charges on the different parts of the Federal line before they finally carried them, and such a thing was unequaled in the history of the world."
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