Visited Chickamauga battlefield and its unforced turnover*
Posted by Potomac on April 3, 2024, 13:16:01
The Union and Confederate forces were busy trying to kill each other without resolution in sight when Union commander Rosecrans was mistakenly informed there was a gap in the main line. In response, he moved a brigade and CAUSED a gap. Oops. Confederates took off on a fast break and stormed through, eventually routing the Union forces.
After regrouping in Chattanooga under newly-arrived Grant and Thomas, the blues eventually threw back the grays, which in turned triggered Sherman’s march to Atlanta and then the sea.
When I visit a preserved battlefield on a peaceful day, it is not easy to picture hundreds or thousands of Americans storming out of the woods trying to kill other Americans behind hastily-built defenses.