Battle of Chickamauga

Chickamuaga, located in northwest Georgia and just south of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was the site for one of the worst Union defeats of the Civil War. The loss brought an end to the North's Chickamauga Campaign, which was a planned offensive through south-central Tennessee and northwestern Georgia.

Chattanooga was the true source for the conflict. Both the North and the South targeted Chattanooga as a pivotal strategic acquisition. Not only did the North see it as a door to invading Atlanta, Chattanooga was also a rail hub, a manufacturing center, and instrumental in banking and commerce due to its location on the Tennessee River.

Union Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans and his Army of the Cumberland had driven General Braxton Bragg and his Confederate Army of Tennessee across the state and into Chattanooga. Determined to capture the city, Rosencrans used clever diversionary tactics to cross the Tennessee River without opposition. Fearing he wouldn't be able to withstand the Union charge, Bragg withdrew his men from the city.

Little did Rosencrans realize that Bragg was merely repositioning, not retreating. Bragg's plan was to attack the three Union corps separately, thinking they were spread too far apart to support each other.

The ensuing battle was fought between September 18 and 20, 1863. The fighting was fierce and created confusion in the Union ranks. Rosencrans was led to believe there was a gap in his line, but when he moved troops to bridge the nonexistent gap, he actually created one. Confederate Maj. Gen. James Longstreet was quick to exploit the mistake, forcing nearly a third of the Union soldiers from the field.

Thanks to Longstreet's maneuver, the Confederacy claimed victory and halted the Union advance into Georgia. But the victory came at a steep price. All told, the two sides suffered nearly 35,000 casualties.