Page:Cambridge Modern History Volume 7.djvu/541

 1863] Battle of Chickamauga. 509 again, and began a movement southward round the left flank of Bragg's army, with the object of seizing the railroad communications in rear of the Confederates. The plan promised great results, but its execution was extremely difficult and hazardous, as it involved crossing not only the Cumberland mountains, but the Tennessee river, and two mountain ranges beyond. Nevertheless, Rosecrans executed it with such skill and celerity, that by September 9 Bragg had been forced to evacuate Chattanooga; while the extreme left of Rosecrans' army was in pos- session of that city, and the mountain valleys several miles to the east of the Tennessee river. The strategical success had been so easily won, and was of such supreme importance, that it made Rosecrans over-confident, especially as in connexion with it he also received news of Burnside's safe arrival at Knoxville. Assuming Bragg to be in full retreat, he somewhat heedlessly scattered his detachments in pursuit. Bragg, for his part, had no intention to give up Chattanooga per- manently; and the Confederate government, alarmed at its recent serious defeats at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, and Bragg's continual retirement, was beseeching that general to turn on his pursuer, and straining every nerve to send him assistance. Bragg, having received strong reinforcements, not only promptly checked pursuit, but assumed the aggressive; and on September 19 and 80, 1863, was fought the battle of Chickamauga, one of the greatest and most fiercely contested battles of the war. Bragg's first effort was to take advantage of Rosecrans' headlong pursuit, and crush his separated detachments in detail; but this was thwarted by the failure or tardiness of his own commanders. Before battle was joined, each army was well concentrated on opposite sides of Chickamauga Creek, eight miles south-east of Chattanooga, Bragg with 71,500 men, Rosecrans with 57,000. It would seem that the conflict was finally brought on by accident rather than design, because, operating in a mountainous and wooded region, the movements of each side were so well concealed that only actual collision betrayed the proximity of brigades and divisions. It thus resolved itself into a moving conflict, Bragg making continual efforts to outflank and crush his antagonist's left, while Rosecrans shifted his divisions to meet and thwart the attack. In the course of these movements on the second day, through a mistake or misconstruction of orders, a gap of two brigades was left open in Rosecrans' line. The enemy discovered this gap and poured through it with an energy before which the whole Unionist right and part of the centre crumbled away, and dispersed in flight toward Chattanooga. Rosecrans himself retired in the conviction that the day was hopelessly lost, and on reaching Chattanooga telegraphed the disaster to Washington. The day was however not yet completely lost. In the shifting movement, Major-General Thomas, commanding the centre, had been sent to the extreme left, where he found a strong position on the head of a ridge CH. XV.