By, Emily 8-2

Fisher Jr/Sr High School

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The Battle of Chickamauga, which was known as the bloodiest two-day battle ever fought in the Civil War, took place on September 19 through the 20 in 1863. The battle took place in Catoosa county and Walker County; near Chickamauga Creek and Chattanooga, Tennessee. The battle took place here because the Confederate army had to cross Chickamauga Creek, in order to regain control over .

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The armies that fought in the battle were The Army of Cumberland (Union) and the Army of Tennessee (Confederacy). In charge of the Union army were Gen. William S. Rosecrans and Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas. Leading the Confederate army was Gen. Braxton Bragg and Lt. Gen. James Longstreet. The union had about 58,200 men fighting and the confederacy had about 66,600 fighting. Chickamauga was one of the few large battles fought in the Civil War that had almost an even amount of soldiers on each side.

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The battle itself was hard for the men to fight because it was a densely wooded area, which made it hard for the soldiers to maneuver through. When the battle started Gen. Bragg wanted to regain control over Chattanooga.It would be easier to get supplies if he had control over Chattanooga. Also he would have control of a major railroad branch that ran through there. This was an advantage because the railroad would provide good transportation sources. In order to get to Chattanooga they had to cross Chickamauga Creek. This is where the North was set up. Then Bragg decided to attack the Union to the left. Rosecrans heard that the South was attacking on the left so he sent George Thomas’s men over to the left to help fight off the Rebels. This was the Union’s major mistake because when Thomas’ men moved to the left that created a gap. Longstreet’s men took advantage of this situation and drove one third of the Union army out of the battlefield. Rosecrans army and himself were driven away from the battlefield, so Gen. Thomas took charge. Although the Confederate Army kept on attacking Thomas’ men, he would not move; finally he retreated. In the end George Thomas was named "The Rock of Chickamauga," for his bravery.

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This is a map of the battlefield.

This map shows the Confederate Army as red and the Union as blue. Chickamauga Creek is also shown. The Union Army was set up near Lee and Gordon’s Mill. The Confederacy was starting to cross Chickamauga Creek. The stars stand for the headquarters of both sides.

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. The rebels won, although it cost them many men. The North lost about 16,000 men and the South lost about 18,000. The Confederate victory also put them in a bad situation. Instead of the driving the Yankees out of Chattanooga, they drove them back into Chattanooga. This put both sides in harmful situations. It was hard to get supplies and to get mail or information on what was going on because in order to do so, they would have to cross into enemy territories. The Confederate Army was effected by this battle in a bad way. They lost many men and were stuck in the middle of nowhere, where it was hard for them to get food and news of what was going on. Meanwhile, the Union was also effected for the worst. They lost many men too, and there was not a way for them to get food or supplies, which overall weakened the army. I think the Union’s mistake of the gap showed that they weren’t really concentrating on that particular battle. They should have been thinking about what would happen if Thomas’ men moved down the line. Their lack of concentration really lost this battle for them, although they became organized and won the war in the end.

Gen. Braxton Bragg

(picture found in Microsoft Encarta 1999 Encyclopedia.)

William S. Rosecrans

Lt. Gen. James Longstreet.

(picture found @ Microsoft Encarta 1999 Encyclopedia)

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1.) Battle summary: Chickamauga, GA. (1999) May 2, 2000.

2.) Chickamauga – Civil War. (1994-1999) May 8, 2000.

3.) George Thomas. (1999) May 10,2000.

4.) Illinois Regiments in the Battle of Chickamauga. (2000) May 2, 2000.

5.) The Chickamauga Campaign. May 5, 2000.

6.) William S. Rosecrans. May 10, 2000.

7.) "Battle of Chickamauga". Microsoft Encarta 1999 Encyclopedia. 1999 Microsoft Corporation.