McMinnville. The Union army was 113 miles from its secondary base at Nashville. The Tullahoma campaign, by which Bragg had been forced out of Central Tennessee by a campaign of strategy involving a loss to the Union army of only 570 killed and wounded, ended July 4, 1863. The order of that day, halting the army, contained directions to immediately prepare for a forward campaign. The most vigorous efforts to that end continued day and night unremittingly until August 16th, when the Chickamauga campaign began.

Gen. Rosecrans had decided to make an imposing feint on his left, by throwing Crittenden's Corps over the Cumberland Mountains and Walden's Ridge into the Tennessee Valley, opposite and above Chattanooga, to create the belief that he intended to attack the city from that direction, while he threw the main body of his army over the river in the vicinity of Bridgeport, thirty-five miles below the city, and thence in succession over the Raccoon Mountains and the Lookout Range into the rear of Chattanooga, whence he could advance upon the city, and either shut Bragg up in it, or compel him to come out of it to protect his lines of communication.

The success of such a diversion was rendered the more probable from the fact that any movement in that direction would naturally be construed to indicate a purpose to effect a junction with Gen. Burnside's forces, which were then advancing from Kentucky toward East Tennessee.

The map will disclose both the strength of Gen. Bragg's position, and the serious character of the natural obstacles to military movements which lay in Gen. Rosecrans' path.

He must first cross the Cumberland Mountains, having a general elevation of 2,200 feet. These, and all the other ranges in his path, were very steep and rugged, and devoid of roads that were more than mountain trails, and their summits at all points terminated in palisades of formidable proportions. Next, for the main body of the army, came

the Tennessee River, a deep stream, 1,254 feet wide at Caperton's and 2,700 feet at Bridgeport, where the bridges for crossing it were to be thrown. Crittenden's Corps, which was the diverting column on the north side of the river, after crossing the Cumberlands, had still to cross the precipitous range of Walden's Ridge, 1,300 feet high, before it could reach the Tennessee above Chattanooga.

South of the Tennessee, before the main body, rose Raccoon Mountains, and beyond them the formidable Lookout Range. Both had the same general altitude of the Cumberlands, namely, 2,200 feet. The Cumberlands averaged about thirty miles in width on the roads traveled, Walden's Ridge about fifteen, Raccoon Mountains about twenty, and Lookout about fifteen.

The campaign involved cutting loose from the base at Stevenson, carrying twenty-five days' rations and ammunition sufficient for two battles, crossing a wide river with most inadequate facilities into the enemy's country, and throwing an army over two precipitous and exceedingly difficult mountain ranges into the rear of Chattanooga.

The campaign for Chattanooga opened August 16th. Crittenden's Corps moved from Hillsboro, Manchester, and McMinnville for the Tennessee Valley above Chattanooga. Minty's cavalry operated on the extreme left through Sparta. and Pikeville, and pushed a force of the enemy's cavalry under Gen. Dibrell across the river at Kingston. Minty then proceeded to make most energetic commotion along the river for thirty miles above Blythe's Ferry. Crittenden, who had occupied the Sequatchee Valley with Wood's Division at Anderson, Palmer's at Dunlap, and Van Cleve's at Pikeville, threw Hazen's Brigade of Palmer's Division, and Wagner's of Wood's, over Walden's Ridge into the Tennessee Valley, where Wilder's Brigade of mounted infantry of Reynolds' Division of the Fourteenth Corps joined them. Tents were pitched for many miles along the edge of the escarpment of the ridge, and fires lighted nightly along the crest. Bugles were

blown at evening and morning near all fords for a long distance up the river, ends of boards and timbers were sawed off and allowed to float out of the larger streams, to create the impression that bridges were under construction. A few batteries, by continuous circling from the forests through open spaces visible from the enemy's side of the river, strengthened the idea of an army moving to occupy the other side. On August 21st, Wilder's Brigade appeared on Stringer's Ridge, within easy range of the city, and opened fire upon it with his battery.

The diversion proved entirely successful. Bragg was completely deceived. He withdrew from below the city his only infantry brigade, which was watching the river at Bridgeport, and sent his forces up the river to fortify and defend its crossings against Rosecrans, and Buckner's Corps was ordered toward these positions from East Tennessee.

Meantime the Fourteenth and Twenty-first Corps, and the cavalry, had crossed the Cumberlands to the Tennessee, awaiting the full development of Crittenden's diversion. Reynolds' and Brannan's Divisions were at the mouth of Battle Creek, Baird and Negley near Bridgeport, McCook's Corps near Stevenson, with the cavalry on its right below that point. The train which brought the bridge to be thrown at Caperton's was halted in the forest out of sight where the troops that were to lay it practiced in their work. The cavalry was extended well into the plain country below. The front of Rosecrans' movement as it reached the Tennessee Valley was 150 miles, and no mistake or delay had attended any part of it.

At daybreak, August 29th, fifty boats, each with a capacity for fifty men, were rushed across the open fields back of Caperton's, launched, and rapidly rowed to the south bank of the Tennessee, the small cavalry picket of the enemy driven off, and the bridge promptly laid without opposition. Davis' Division crossed and camped at the foot of Raccoon Mountains. September 2d he had crossed this range with Johnson's Division following, and two days later he had seized the

pass at Winston's over Lookout Mountain, forty-two miles south of Chattanooga. The same day Stanley's cavalry crossed Lookout, and on the 5th descended into Broomtown Valley. Sheridan had thrown pontoons at Bridgeport, crossed, and followed to Valley Head.

Negley's Division of Thomas' Corps crossed with McCook, and Baird's with Sheridan. Brannan and Reynolds crossed August 31st at Battle Creek and Shellmound, chiefly on rafts and in canoes, while such of the men as could swim made light rafts of rails to hold part of their clothes and equipments and swam over. The moment the crossing of the main force was effected, Crittenden withdrew that part of his column in the Sequatchee Valley to Battle Creek, and crossed September 3d and 4th with the rafts and canoes used by Brannan and Reynolds.

The head of Thomas' Corps was over Lookout September 8th, crossing twenty-six miles south of Chattanooga by Johnson's Crook to Stevens' Gap, and Crittenden was nearing Wauhatchie, September 6th.

September 7th Bragg evacuated Chattanooga, and set all his columns from the city and the valley of the river above it in motion toward La Fayette behind Pigeon Mountains.

Of the Union troops in the Tennessee Valley, Wilder's Brigade crossed the river at Friar's Island September 8th, followed by Hazen's Brigade at the same crossing on the 10th, while Wagner's Brigade crossed directly into the city on the afternoon of the 9th.

Crittenden on the 9th had pushed a small force to the top of Lookout, and discovered that Bragg had left Chattanooga. The remainder of Woods' Division, preceded by the Ninetysecond Illinois Mounted Infantry of Wilder's Brigade--Col. Smith D. Atkins commanding-marched into the city, while Palmer's and Van Cleve's Divisions passed around the north point of Lookout, and, leaving Chattanooga three miles to the left, followed after Bragg, and camped at night in Rossville Gap. The first Union troops to enter Chattanooga were

those of the Ninety-second Illinois. Wagner's followed immediately from the north side of the river.

Thus, in three weeks, Rosecrans had repeated his Tullahoma campaign on a greater scale, through a well-nigh barren country, crowded with military obstacles of the most formidable character, and compelled the enemy to evacuate its mountain stronghold. This, too, had been accomplished with a total loss of less than 100 men, most of this occurring in the cavalry operations, and mainly in Minty's command.

Upon leaving Chattanooga, Polk's and Hill's Corps marched by Rossville and Lee and Gordon's Mill to La Fayette, reaching the latter point on the 8th. Walker's and Buckner's Corps withdrew from Tyner's Station and points on the river above it, by way of Graysville, toward La Fayette, while the forces at Hiwassee and Chickamauga Station moved by way of Ringgold. Cleburne's Division was thrown forward into the gaps of Pigeon Mountain. Gen. Bragg had not moved his headquarters beyond Lee and Gordon's, and on the night of the 9th he issued orders for an advance of Hindman's and Cleburne's Divisions to begin at midnight against the head of Gen. Thomas' column, which had reached Davis' Cross-roads from Stevens' Gap.