Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 09.djvu/75

66 narrow gap which admits the railroad, a wagon road, and a good sized creek, a tributary of the Chickamauga.

The creek hugs the southernmost or left-hand hall as you face Ringgold. The wagon road and railroads run close to the creek.

At it western mouth, next to Ringgold, the gap widens out to a breadth of over a hundred yards, leaving room for a patch of level wood land on each side of the roads. The gap is about half a mile through, but the plain immediately in front of its east or read mouth is so cut up by the windings of the creek that three bridges, or three fords, have to be crossed in the first half mile of road leading from the gap to Dalton.

It will be perceived at once that this was a dangerous position to be caught in, if the enemy should succeed in turning either flank. The gap and the hills on either hand are thickly wooded, except the base of the right-hand hill, along which, next to the town, a heavy fringe of young timber extends from the gap northward for three or four hundred yards. Behind this fringe of trees I placed two regiments of Smith's Texas brigade, Colonel H. B. Granberry, Seventh Texas, commanding; the Sixth, Tenth and Fifteenth Texas, consolidated, Captain John R. Kennard commanding, on the left; the Seventeenth, Eighteenth, Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Texas dismounted cavalry, consolidated, Major W. A. Taylor commanding, on the right. The remaining regiment of the brigade, the Seventh Texas, Captain C. E. Talley commanding, I sent to the top of the right-hand hill, with instructions to keep out of view, but watch well the right flank of its brigade at the foot. On the precipitous hill to the left of the gap and creek, I placed the Sixteenth Alabama, Major F. A. Ashford commanding, of Lowry's Alabama and Mississippi brigade, with instructions to conceal itself and guard well the left flank. I also sent on the face of this hill, fronting Ringgold, three companies of the Sixth and Seventh Arkansas consolidated, of Liddell's Arkansas brigade, under charge of Lieutenant Dulin, of General Liddell's staff.

For the defence of the gap itself I disposed the rest of the Arkansas brigade, under command of Colonel D. C. Govan. The Fifth and Thirteenth Arkansas, consolidated, Colonel John E. Murray commanding, I placed in a small ravine, running across the mouth of the gap from the right-hand hill to the railroad embankment. The Eighth and Nineteenth Arkansas, consolidated, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel A. S. Hutchinson, fifty paces in read and parallel to the former regiment. The Sixth and Seventh Arkansas, consolidated, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Snyder, and the Second, Fifteenth