History of the United States, Volume 4 | Page 8

battle was fought, October 8, 1862, which
gave the richly loaded wagon-train time to escape into Tennessee,
whither Bragg followed.
The Christmas holidays of 1862 found the Confederate host at

Murfreesboro, Tenn., thirty miles southeast of Nashville, where the
Union army lay. Rosecrans, who had succeeded Buell, moved suddenly
to the banks of Stone River, within four miles of the gay town, and
prepared to attack. Bragg, like Wellington from Brussels on the
morning of Waterloo, hurried forth to meet him. At dawn, December
31st, the gray-colored columns emerged from the fog that overhung the
river, and spiritedly beat up the Union right. Two divisions were swept
back. Sheridan's men, inspired by their dashing leader, held their
ground for awhile, but fell rearward at last, and, forming a new line,
stood at bay with fixed bayonets. Rosecrans recalled the troops who
had crossed the river to make a similar attack upon the Confederate
right, and massed all his forces at the point of assault. Six times the
southrons charged, six times they were tumbled back by the Union
batteries double-shotted with canister. Night fell on a drawn battle.
[Illustration: Portrait.] General William S. Rosecrans.
The next day, January 1, 1863, was peaceful save for cavalry
skirmishing. January 2nd the awful combat was renewed. Rosecrans
having planted artillery upon commanding ground, Bragg must either
carry this or fall back. He attempted the first alternative, and was
repulsed with terrible slaughter, losing 1,000 men in forty minutes. He
escaped south under cover of a storm. In proportion to the numbers
engaged, the battle of Stone River was one of the bloodiest in the war.
About 45,000 fought on each side. The Union loss was 12,000, the
Confederate nearly 15,000.
Rosecrans did not advance again till June, although Bragg lay quite
near. The latter fell back as the Unionists approached, first into
Chattanooga and then over the Georgia line. Rosecrans followed. Bragg
was now re-enforced, and determined to retake Chattanooga, which lay
on the Tennessee River and was an important strategical point. The two
armies met on Chickamauga Creek, twelve miles south of Chattanooga.
All through the first day's battle, September 19th, there was hot
fighting--charges and countercharges--but no decisive advantage fell to
either side. During the night Bragg was reenforced by Longstreet's
corps from Virginia, and he opened the next day's fight with an assault

upon the Union left. Brigades were moved from the centre to support
the left. Through the gap thus made Longstreet poured his men in
heavy columns, cutting the Union army in two. Its right wing became
demoralized, and fled toward Chattanooga in wild confusion,
Rosecrans after it at a gallop, believing that all was lost.
But all was not lost. General Thomas commanded the Union left. Like
a flinty rock he stood while Polk's and Longstreet's troops surged in
heavy masses against his front and flank. About three o'clock heavy
columns were seen pouring through a gorge almost in Thomas's rear.
They were Longstreet's men. It was a critical moment Granger's
reserves came rushing upon the field. Raw recruits though they were,
they dashed against Longstreet like veterans. In twenty minutes, at cost
of frightful slaughter, the gorge and ridge were theirs. Longstreet made
another assault, but was again repulsed. At nightfall Thomas fell back
to Chattanooga, henceforth named, and justly, the "Rock of
Chickamauga." For six hours he had held his own with 25,000 braves
against twice that number. Out of 70,000 troops Bragg lost probably
20,000. Rosecrans's force was about 55,000, his loss 16,000.
[Illustration: Portrait.] General George H. Thomas.
Bragg proceeded to shut up the Union army in Chattanooga. Grant,
now commanding the Department of the Mississippi, was ordered to
recover Chattanooga, and his deeds along this front, though less often
mentioned, will glitter upon the page of history with little if any less
lustre than those about Vicksburg. Upon his arrival, late in October, he
found the city practically in a state of siege. Its railroad communication
with Nashville was cut off, and supplies had to be hauled in wagons
sixty miles over a rough mountain road. The men had been for some
time on half rations. Thousands of horses and mules had starved, and
the artillery could not be moved for lack of teams. There was not
ammunition enough for one day's fighting. In five days Grant wrested
the railroad from Bragg's men and bridged the Tennessee, so that an
abundant supply of food and ammunition came pouring in.
Elated at his Chickamauga triumph, and unaware that he now had a
greater than Rosecrans in his front, Bragg deemed it a safe and

promising stratagem to despatch Longstreet's corps to Knoxville to
capture Burnside. It was a fatal step, and Grant was not slow to take
advantage of it. He telegraphed Sherman to put his