General Thomas was ordered to cross his corps by Frick's or Cooper's and Stevens' gaps, and occupy the head of McLemore's Cove. "General Crittenden was ordered to reconnoitre the front of Lookout Mountain, sending a brigade upon an almost impracticable path, called the Nickajack Trace, to Summertown, a hamlet on the summit of the mountain overlooking Chattanooga, and holding the main body of his corps, either to support these reconnoissances, to prevent a sortie of the enemy over the nose of Lookout, or to enter Chattanooga in case the enemy should evacuate it or make but feeble resistance. Simultaneously with this movement, the cavalry was ordered to push, by way of Alpine and Broomtown Valley, and strike the enemy's railroad communication between Resaca Bridge and Dalton. "These movements were promptly begun on the 8th and 9th of September. The reconnoissance of General Crittenden on the 9th developed the fact that the enemy had evacuated Chattanooga the day and night previous, and his advance took peaceable possession at one o'clock P.M. "His whole corps, with its trains, passed around the point of Lookout Mountain on the 10th, and encamped for the night at Rossville, five miles south of Chattanooga. "During these operations, General Thomas pushed his corps over the mountains at the designated points, each division consuming two days in the passage. "The weight of evidence, gathered from all sources, was, that Bragg was moving on Rome, and that his movement commenced on the 6th of September. General Crittenden was, therefore, directed to hold Chattanooga with one brigade, calling all the forces on the north side of the Tennessee across, and to follow the enemy's retreat vigorously, anticipating that the main body had retired by Ringgold and Dalton. "Additional information, obtained during the afternoon and evening of the 10th of September, rendered it certain that his main body had retired by the Lafayette road, but uncertain whether he had gone far, General Crittenden was ordered at one o'clock A.M. on the 11th to proceed to the front and report, directing his command to advance only as far as Ringgold, and ordered a reconnoissance to Gordon's Mill. His report and further evidence satisfied me that the main body of the rebel army was in the vicinity of Lafayette. "General Crittenden was therefore ordered to move his corps, with all possible dispatch, from Ringgold to Gordon's Mill, and communicate with General Thomas, who had by that time reached the eastern foot of Lookout Cook had reached the vicinity of Alpine, Mountain. General Crittenden occupied and, with infantry and cavalry, had reRinggold during the 11th, pushing connoitred the Broomtown Valley to Wilder's mounted infantry as far as Summerville, and ascertained that the Tunnel Hill, skirmishing heavily with enemy had not retreated on Rome, but the enemy's cavalry. Hazen joined him. was concentrating at Lafayette. near Ringgold on the 11th, and the whole corps moved rapidly and successfully across to Gordon's Mill on the 12th. Wilder, following and covering the movement, had a severe fight with the enemy at Letts' tan-yard. "During the same day, the Fourth U. S. Cavalry was ordered to move up the Dry Valley road, to discover if the enemy was in the proximity of that road on Crittenden's right, and open communication with Thomas' command, which, passing over the mountain, was debouching from Stevens' and Cooper's gaps, and moving on Lafayette through Dry Gap of the Pigeon Mountain. "On the 10th, Negley's division advanced to within a mile of Dug Gap, which he found heavily obstructed, and Baird's division came up to his support, on the morning of the 11th; Negley became satisfied that the enemy was advancing upon him in heavy force, and perceiving that if he accepted battle in that position, he would probably be cut off, he fell back after a sharp skirmish, in which General Baird's division participated, skilfully covering and securing their trains to a strong position in front of Stevens' Gap. On the 12th, Reynolds and Brannan, under orders to move promptly, closed up to the support of these two advanced divisions. "Thus it was ascertained that the enemy was concentrating all his forces, both infantry and cavalry, behind the Pigeon Mountain, in the vicinity of Lafayette, while the corps of this army were at Gordon's Mill, Bailey's Cross Roads at the foot of Stevens' Gap, and at Alpine, a distance of forty miles from flank to flank, by the nearest practicable roads, and fifty-seven miles by the route subsequently taken by the twentieth army corps. It has already been ascertained that the main body of Johnston's army had joined Bragg, and an accumulation of evidence showed that the troops from Virginia had reached Atlanta on the 1st of the month, and that reinforcements were expected soon to arrive from that quarter. It was therefore a matter of life and death to effect the concentration of the army. 'General McCook had already been directed to support General Thomas, but was now ordered to send two brigades to hold Dougherty's Gap, and to join General Thomas with the remainder of his command with the utmost celerity, directing his march over the road on the top of the mountain. He had, with great prudence, already moved his trains back to the rear of Little River, on the mountain, but unfortunately, being ignorant of the mountain road, moved down "During the same day, General Mc- the mountain at Winston's Gap, down Lookout Valley to Cooper's Gap, up the mountain and down again, closing up with General Thomas on the 17th, and having posted Davis at Brooks', in front of Dug Gap, Johnson at Pond Spring, in front of Catlett's Gap, and Sheridan at the foot of Stevens' Gap. "As soon as General McCook's corps arrived, General Thomas moved down the Chickamauga toward Gordon's Mill. Meanwhile, to bring General Crittenden within reach of General Thomas, and beyond the danger of separation, he was withdrawn from Gordon's Mill on the 14th, and ordered to take post on the southern spur of Missionary Ridge, his right communicating with General Thomas, where he remained until General McCook had effected a junction with General Thomas. narrowness of the roads retarded our movements. During the day, while they were in progress, our cavalry under Colonel Minty was attacked on the left, in the vicinity of Reed's Bridge, and Wilder's mounted infantry were attacked by infantry, and driven into the Lafayette road. "It became apparent that the enemy was massing heavily on our left, crossing Reed's and Alexander's bridges in force, while he had threatened Gordon's Mill. "Orders were therefore promptly given to General Thomas to relieve General Crittenden's corps, posting one division near Crawfish Spring, and to move with the remainder of his corps, by the Widow Glenn's house, to the Rossville and Lafayette roads, his left extending obliquely across it near Kelly's House. "General Crittenden was ordered to proceed with Van Cleve's and Palmer's divisions, to drive the enemy from the Rossville road, and form on the left of General Wood, then at Gordon's Mill. "General McCook's corps was to close up on General Thomas, occupy the position at Crawfish Springs, and protect General Crittenden's right while holding his corps mainly in reserve. "The main cavalry force was ordered to close in on General McCook's right, watch the crossing of the Chickamauga, and act under his orders. "Thus, on the evening of the 17th, the troops were substantially within supporting distance. Orders were given at once to move the whole line northeastwardly down the Chickamauga, with a view to covering the Lafayette road "The movement for the concentration toward Chattanooga, and facing the of the corps more compactly toward most practicable route to the enemy's Crawfish Springs was begun on the front. morning of the 18th, under orders to "The position of our troops and the conduct it very secretly, and was exe CHATTANOOGA AND ITS DEFENCES. CONSTRUCTED AND ENGRAVED TO ILLUSTRATE THE WAR WITH THE SOUTH Entered according to act of Congress A. 1865 by Virtue. & Torston in the clercks office of the district court of the United States for the southern districe of New York. A Topographical Map of the ground on which the battles of Chickamauga and Ringgold were fought for the possession of the great Railwad tri angle of Tennessee and Georgia. Charles, Sholl |