Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 12.djvu/258

244 and Hill, the artillery and Stuart's cavalry. Longstreet's corps was sent to Bragg, and Lee's army from that time varied very slightly from 43,000 after the end of 1863. Two corps were ordered away from Meade about the same time that Longstreet's two divisions were detached from Lee and sent to Johnston. The two armies thus reduced were engaged only in desultory fighting, including one successful advance by Lee in October, and the attempt of Meade at Mine run which failed.

Bragg, commanding in Tennessee, had fallen back in June, during Lee's operations in Pennsylvania, from Tullahoma to Chattanooga, with his army of 44,000 men, and placed it in intrenchments there in the period of Gettysburg and the surrender of Vicksburg. Rosecrans, with an army of about 65,000, followed him across the Tennessee river, and Burnside with 15,000 took possession of Cumberland Gap. Bragg, perceiving the design of Rosecrans to turn his left flank, evacuated Chattanooga and chose a line of battle on the Chickamauga river. These movements occupied the time from July 1st to September i8th, and brought the two armies together at the battle of Chickamauga. The first day's fight on the 19th was a drawn battle, but General Longstreet's divisions arrived on the field, and with this accession of strength Bragg won on the 2oth the great battle that utterly defeated the whole of the army of Rosecrans except the wing which Thomas held with a steadiness that gained him the well-won title of "the Rock of Chickamauga."

The routed forces of Rosecrans, that fled into Chattanooga from this battlefield, were joined by Thomas, who had made good his retreat after his heroic fighting. The Confederate army closed in about the place of refuge which Rosecrans had sought, and made critical the situa-