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CHAPTER V.

THE SECOND DAY'S BATTLE AT CHICKAMAUGA, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1863. .

There was busy re-arrangement of the lines on both sides during Saturday night, and the early morning of Sunday. With the exception of two brigades, Post's, with the trains, and Lytle's, which had remained at Lee and Gordon's Mill, Gen. Rosecrans had put every available man into Saturday's engagement. On the other side, Gen. Bragg had Breckinridge's, Hindman's, and Kershaw's Divisions, Gracie's and Kelly's Brigades of Preston's Division, and Gist's of Walker's, none of which had been engaged on Saturday. Gen. Longstreet in person arrived at II P. M. The army was then divided into right and left wings, Polk being assigned to the command of the right, and Longstreet to the left. Bragg's army had fought after a fair night's rest. The Union troops

in greater part had marched all night before the battle and fought through the day without breakfast. To offset these disadvantages, the Union lines had the best position, being in the main on higher ground, and the circumstances compelling the Confederates to attack.

The La Fayette Road was again to be the prize of battle, and Bragg's plan of thrusting his columns beyond the Union left, and between it and Chattanooga, still controlled in arranging his lines. The troops from the Union right near Viniard's, and Lytle's Brigade from Lee and Gordon's, were brought back to the high ground near Widow Glenn's. The Union center was in rear of the Brotherton Field, and the left, crossing to the east side of the La Fayette Road between Poe's and Kelly's, ran around the south and east sides

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of the Kelly Field, and half way back to the road along its northern border.

A glance at the map at the opening of this chapter will show the arrangement of divisions on Rosecrans' line. Beginning at the left, Baird's, Johnson's, Palmer's and Reynolds' were east of the La Fayette Road, Brannan's next west of it along the western side of the Poe Field, Negley west of Brotherton's, and Sheridan in front of Widow Glenn's. Wilder's Brigade of mounted infantry, with Harrison's Regiment, also mounted, were on the high ground to the right and rear of Sheridan. Van Cleve's, Woods', and Davis' Divisions were, at an early hour, in rear of the center waiting for the final adjustment of the front line. Bragg's line overlapped Rosecrans' by a full division on the Union right, and two brigades and a full division on its left, besides the mounted division of Forrest's Corps still to the right of Armstrong's, which latter was dismounted.

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Bragg's line, beginning on his right, ran by divisions, as follows: Forrest, with two divisions of cavalry, Pegram's and Armstrong's, was east of Cloud's. Breckinridge, Cleburne, and Stewart covered the east and south lines of the Kelly Field, and the east line of the Poe Field, Walker's two divisions were in reserve in rear of Breckinridge, and Cheatham's five brigades in rear of Cleburne. Bushrod Johnson was posted with his center 700 yards east of Brotherton's, and, with Law's and Kershaw's Divisions directly in rear of his own, formed a central column of three divisions. Hindman was on the left of Johnson, and Preston on the extreme left, east and south of Viniard's. Stewart's Division was the right of Longstreet's wing, and Cleberne's the left of Polk's. Stewart's and Johnson's fronts were protected by rude defenses. The Union line throughout was covered by rough barricades of rails, logs, stones, and stumps. These barricades around the Kelly Field were of considerable strength, but elsewhere the protection of the Union lines was slight. No rifle-pits were dug on any part of them.

Before the battle opened, Dodge's Brigade of Johnson's Division was transferred to Baird's left, but this did not extend his flank more than half way to the La Fayette Road. Gen. Thomas was using most energetic means to obtain a division from the center to prolong Baird's left along the crest to the high ground on the La Fayette Road north of McDonald's, when the battle opened, about 9:30 o'clock, by the advance of Breckinridge's Division upon Baird's position. At the moment, John Beatty's Brigade was being stretched in thin line from Baird's left toward the McDonald house.

Bragg was bitterly disappointed by non-compliance with his orders for an attack at daylight by his right, to be taken up successively toward the left by divisions. This delay was of the greatest consequence to the Union forces.

Breckinridge's Division moved from a line about 700 yards east of the glade in front of Baird's position. His left brigade was Helm's; his center, Stovall's; and right, Adams'. Two regiments of Helm's left and three companies of the next one struck on the salient at Baird's left, and were shattered. At the same time, in advancing, they were enfiladed by the salient at Baird's right. Helm was mortally wounded while rallying his line in its recoil from this terrible blow. The whole brigade suffered greatly, but two regiments and seven companies of the third from the right passed by the Union front and into its rear as far as the La Fayette Road. Here this right of Helm met stubborn resistance from the thin line of John Beatty's Brigade, which just before had been still more attenuated by the attempt to stretch it out to the McDonald House and with it cover nearly a division space. Two of Beatty's guns were captured, and his brigade hopelessly confused, but he himself, with what he could gather, rode to Snodgrass Hill and rendered most valuable service till the close of the battle. But Helm's (now Lewis') Brigade had also been so badly broken as to necessitate its withdrawal. Its loss in this assault was one man in three.

Stovall and Adams, however, kept on. They reached the

La Fayette Road without opposition. They had passed the Union left, and were three hundred yards in its rear, and still beyond the position from which they had moved was a division of Forrest's Cavalry dismounted, and beyond that a mounted division-so largely overlapped on this flank was the Union line.

Breckinridge had only to swing his two brigades to the left when a short advance would take him into the Kelly Field. This move he made. Facing south with the road between his brigades, he moved forward. Stovall's left struck the left of Baird and was checked. Stanley's Brigade of Negley's Division had arrived in haste from the center, formed across Adams' pathway, and stopped him also by hard blows. At that moment, Stanley's Brigade was ordered to the left toward Snodgrass Hill. At the same instant Stovall had struggled by the hot fire on the left of Baird, and burst full into the Kelly Field from its northern border. Adams, too, found his way open along the line which Stanley had blocked, and he, too, advanced again. It seemed as if the Union left was fatally enveloped. It lines around the field could not stir, for Cleburne was assaulting from the east, and Stewart from the east and south. The balls which missed these fronts were falling fast all over the west side of the field. Suddenly, a brigade deployed in two lines, rushed out of the forest on the west side of the field just north of the Kelly House, whirled into the face of Stovall, and laid its lines down less than a hundred yards from his advance. The front line of this Union brigade fired a full volley, and Stovall was checked. The rear line sprang to its feet, charged over the front on a run, and Stovall broke. The first line followed the second in the charge, and the enemy was driven back around the Union left. Adams, with his flank exposed and enfiladed, had retired with Stovall. All this time the whole line of four divisions around the field was under furious and most courageous assault from Cleburne and Stewart. But these latter found themselves powerless to cross the

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