A* summary of the Battle of Chickamauga for AQA A Level History students studying America (the American Civil War.) Written by a student now studying at Oxford University. Following this summary will guarantee you the top marks.
Battle of Chickamauga
Before the Battle
-Confederate General Braxton Bragg follows the Union army north.
-17th September 1863: Bragg’s troops are reinforced with Virginia divisions under Gen. Hood and a Mississippi
division under Brig. Gen. Johnson.
-It is the first transport of Confederate troops from one theatre to another to achieve numerical superiority.
-18th September: with renewed confidence that Chattanooga could pass once again into Confederate hands,
Bragg marches his army to the west bank of Chickamauga Creek.
-He hopes to wedge his troops between Chattanooga and the Federal army.
-Bragg was hopeful that his advance would have been a surprise to Union Rosencrans.
-Rosecrans, however, observes the Confederates marching in the morning and anticipates Bragg’s plan.
-By the time Bragg’s army crosses the creek, Union reinforcements are in place.
-Bragg’s infantry skirmishes with Federal infantry and mounted infantry armed with Spencer repeating rifles.
During the Battle
-19th September: Battle begins.
-Bragg’s men gain ground but cannot break the extended Union line despite a series of aggressive attacks.
-Confederate luck changes at 11:00 p.m., when Gen. Longstreet’s divisions arrive. The Confederates now
outnumber the Federals.
-Bragg divides his forces into two wings. Longstreet commands the left; Lt. Gen. Polk takes charge of
Confederate troops on the right.
-20th September: battle resumes at 9:30 a.m., with coordinated Confederate attacks on the Union left flank.
- About an hour later, Rosecrans, believing a gap exists in his line, orders Brig. Gen. Wood’s division to fill it.
-Wood, however, knows that the order is a mistake; moving his division would open a large swath in the Union
position.
-However, Wood who already been berated twice in the campaign for not promptly following orders,
immediately moves, creating a division-wide hole in the Union line.
-This is the chance the Confederates need. Longstreet masses a striking force, led by Gen. Hood, of eight
brigades divided into three lines.
-Longstreet’s men hammer through the gap, and Union resistance at the southern end of the battlefield
evaporates as Federal troops, including Rosecrans himself, are pushed off the field.
-Rosecrans is urged to lead the army in an attack the next day, rejects the idea and remains in Chattanooga.
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