o'clock, Preston's large division, two brigades of which had not yet been engaged either day of the battle, was hurried up to Brotherton's from Hall's Ford, and sent over at 4 o'clock to Snodgrass Hill. At 4:30, it relieved Kershaw's Brigade, and assaulted on Stanley's and Brannan's fronts, many of Kershaw's troops marching with it, and Johnson and Hindman advancing simultaneously. Gracie's Brigade carried the salient spur of Stanley's line, and held its outer point an hour, being at length driven down by a charge led by Lt.Col. C. H. Grosvenor, of the Eighteenth Ohio, assisted by the Nineteenth Illinois, Lt.-Col. A. W. Raffner, on its right, and the Twenty-second Michigan, Lt.-Col. Melvin Mudge, on its left. Like the other assaults, at the end of an hour and a half, this last, the fiercest of all, was beaten back. It is doubtful whether the history of wars affords a severer test of soldierly courage and endurance than was shown by these continuing Confederate assaults, from 2 o'clock till sundown, over slopes which successive failures had thickly strewn with dead and wounded comrades. Of the single line which faced such soldiers, with scarce a semblance of works, and at times with empty barrels, till darkness gathered and the battle was done, it need only be said, for men and officers alike, that they were found equal to the tremendous requirements of the hour. At the close of this final attack, Steedman's Division, which, with the rest of the line, had sustained persistent assaults, was out of ammunition, and was withdrawn at sunset to the ridge in its rear. An hour later, it marched to McFarland's Gap, and thence to Rossville. It was almost immediately followed over the crest to the foot of the slope where its lines had been, and there the Confederate left flank halted. Three regiments, the Twenty-first and Eighty-ninth Ohio and Twenty-second Michigan, which were on the left of Whittaker's Brigade, did not receive notice to withdraw with him, and were almost bodily captured at dusk by Trigg's Bri gade, the left of Preston's Division, crossing the ridge to their right and turning into their rear, while Kelly's Brigade of the same division advanced on their front. A similar attempt by the same Confederate brigades to capture Van Derveer's Brigade, next on the left of these and constituting the right of Brannan, was discovered and repulsed. The fighting having ceased, Wood's and Brannan's lines were withdrawn from Snodgrass Hill, the movement beginning on the left of Harker at 7 o'clock, and ending at 8 o'clock on the right of Brannan, at the present observation tower, the whole passing through McFarland's Gap to Rossville. The withdrawal of the line about the Kelly Field was ordered by Gen. Thomas at 5:30 o'clock. Reynolds' Division began the movement by marching north by the flank on the La Fayette Road to the northern limits of the Kelly Field, there filing to the left in the woods, facing north, and encountering Liddell's Division, as related on p. 200, thence turning westward to the first high ground, where Willich, following, also formed, the two together composing the covering force for the rest of the Kelly Field line as it left the position. Palmer's Division followed Reynolds. It was half way across the Kelly Field before the Confederate skirmishers of a general advance appeared at the breastworks which Palmer had left. His line was there subjected to a heavy artillery fire from each flank, but it was soon in order after reaching the forest west of the La Fayette Road. This Johnson's and Baird's Divisions were sustaining a heavy attack just as the order went to them to withdraw. general advance of Bragg's right had been ordered at 3 o'clock. It did not begin till nearly sundown. These remaining Union divisions, the last on the line, bore the whole brunt of this attack. But, though fired upon from in front and on both flanks, and thrown into much confusion, they reached the west side of the field in such condition as enabled them thereafter to move in order and follow the Union column to McFarland's Gap. Arriving at Rossville, the whole army, with the exception of the remnants of Van Cleve's Division, which were sent to Chattanooga, was placed in position in Rossville Gap, and on Missionary Ridge to the right and left of it, and across the valley to Lookout. At daylight, the object of the withdrawal was revealed by the fact that the Union army again stood across Bragg's pathway to Chattanooga. It remained in position throughout the 21st. At midnight, it marched on to Chattanooga. On Tuesday, September 22d, its lines were solidly formed around the city, and the prize of the campaign was won. A brief consideration of the relative strength and losses of each army properly closes this chapter. Gen. Rosecrans had crossed the Tennessee with an effective force of all arms equipped for duty of a few hundred more than 60,000. Of this number Wagner's Brigade, with 2,061 effectives, held Chattanooga, leaving the Union force in front of Bragg slightly less than 58,000. It was several thousand less at the battle, Post's Brigade of Davis' Division and three regiments of infantry and one battery being engaged in guarding supply trains. This made eight regiments of infantry absent. A small part of the Union cavalry was severely engaged, while most of Forrest's cavalry fought as infantry and was desperately engaged the first day. A maximum figure for Gen. Rosecrans' force in action that day would be 55,000. He reported At the same It is difficult to arrive at Gen. Bragg's force. it a week after the battle as 38,846 effectives. time he reported his losses at 18,000, which would make his strength at the battle 56,846. In a letter from Gen. Lee to President Davis, dated September 14, 1863, the following figures of Bragg's actual and prospective strength are thus stated: "If the report sent to me by Gen. Cooper since my re turn from Richmond is correct, Gen. Bragg had, on the 20th of August last, 51, 101 effective men; Gen. Buckner, 16,118. He was to receive from Gen. Johnson 9,000. His total force will, therefore, be 76,219, as large a number as I presume he can operate with. This is independent of the local troops, which, you may recollect, he reported as exceeding his expectations." Ac Gen. Bragg, after the battle, reported Longstreet's force, which was not included by Lee, at 5,000. This, according to the figures furnished Gen. Lee, gave Bragg 81,219. cording to Gen. Johnson's correspondence, after he had sent 9,000 to Bragg, he subsequently dispatched him two small brigades, and these latter reached him the day before the battle. The absence of specific reports makes it impossible to reconcile these discrepencies. Some of the figures of the remarkable losses on each side will be found on pages 227, 229. The battle was desperate from the moment it opened till its close. For the most part the lines fought at close range and, in the countless assaults, often hand to hand. On the first day there were no field works of any kind. On the second, Thomas was protected on portions of his line by such rude barricades as could be hastily thrown together. Brannan and Steedman were without a semblance of works. The battle in the main, on both sides, was dogged, stand-up fighting, far within the limits of point-blank range. For the second day, on the Confederate side, the contest was one continued series of brave and magnificent assaults. CHAPTER VI. ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND, COMMANDED BY MAJ.-GEN. WILLIAM S. ROSECRANS, AT THE BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA, GA., SEPTEMBER 19 AND 20, 1863. [Roster compiled by Hon. J. W. KIRKLEY, Board of Publication of War Records.] GENERAL HEADQUARTERS. 1st Battalion Ohio Sharpshooters. 10th Ohio Infantry, Lieut.-Col. William M. Ward. FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS. Maj.-Gen. GEORGE H. THOMAS. GENERAL HEADQUARters. Provost-Guard. 9th Michigan Infantry, Col. John G. Parkhurst. Escort. Ist Ohio Cavalry, Company L, Capt. John D. Barker. FIRST DIVISION (FOURTEENTH CORPS). First Brigade. Lieut.-Col. Obadiah C. Maxwell. 33d Ohio, Col. Oscar F. Moore. Lieut.-Col. John H. Ely. 1st Michigan, Light Battery A: Second Brigade. Brig. Gen. JOHN C. STARKWEATHER. 24th Illinois : Col. Geza Mihalotzy. Capt. August Mauff. 79th Pennsylvania, Col. Henry A. Hambright. Ist Wisconsin, Lieut.-Col. George B. Bing ham. 21st Michigan: Lieut.-Col. Harrison C. Hobart. Capt. Charles H. Walker. *Not engaged; on train and provost duty. Lieut. David Flansburg. Lieut. Henry J. Willits. |