AKMY OPERATIONS. 



125 



force to the advance of the infantry column at 

 Trenton. 



The following topographical view will assist 

 in the comprehension of the subsequent move- 

 ments : Chattanooga is situated on the Tennes- 

 see river, at the mouth of the Chattanooga val- 

 ley a valley following the course of the Chat- 

 tanooga creek, and formed by Lookout moun- 

 tain and Missionary ridge. East of Missionary 

 ridge, and running parallel with it, is anoth- 

 er valley Chickainauga valley following the 

 course of Chickainauga creek, which, like the 

 Chattanooga, creek, discharges its waters into 

 the Tennessee river the first above, and the 

 last below the town of Chattanooga, and has 

 with it a common source in McLemore's Cove, 

 the common head of both valleys, and formed 

 by Lookout mountain on the west and Pigeon 

 mountain to the east. Wills's valley is a nar- 

 row valley, lying to the west of Chattanooga, 

 formed by Lookout mountain and Sand moun- 

 tain, and traversed by a railroad, which takes 

 its name from the valley, and which, branching 

 from the Nashville and Chattanooga railroad, 

 where the latter crosses the valley, has its pres- 

 ent terminus at Trenton, and future at Tusca- 

 loosa, Alabama. The distance of Bridgeport 

 from Chattanooga is twenty-eight miles, of 

 Caperton's Ferry about forty, and of Trenton 

 something over twenty. Ringgold is eighteen 

 miles from Chattanooga, on the Georgia State 

 road, and Dalton some forty, at the point where 

 the Georgia State road connects with the East 

 Tennessee railroad. Rome is sixty-five miles 

 southwest of Chattanooga, on the Coosa river," 

 at the point of confluence of the Etowah and 

 Oostenaula. The wagon road from Chattanooga 

 to Rome, known as the Lafayette road, crosses 

 Missionary ridge into Chickamauga valley at 

 Rossville, and, proceeding in a southwesterly 

 direction, crosses Chickamauga creek, eleven 

 miles from Chattanooga, at Lee's and Gordon's 

 Mills, and, passing to the east of Pigeon moun- 

 tain, goes through Lafayette, distant some 

 twenty-two miles from Chattanooga, and Sum- 

 merville, within twenty-five miles of Rome. 

 From Caperton's Ferry there is a road leading 

 over Sand mountain into Wills's valley at Tren- 

 ton, and from Trenton to Lafayette and Dalton, 

 over Lookout mountain, through Cooper's and 

 Stevens's Gap into McLemore's Cove, and over 

 Pigeon mountain by Plug Gap. The road from 

 Trenton, following Wills's valley, exposed, by 

 easy communications, Rome, and, through it, 

 Western Georgia and Eastern Alabama, with 

 easy access to the important central positions, 

 Atlanta and Selma. 



Gen. Bragg, believing that a flanking move- 

 ment was the object of Gen. Rosecrans by his 

 advance on the left, ordered Lieut.-Gen. Hill, 

 on Monday, September 7th, to move with his 

 corps toward Lafayette, Gen. Polk to Lee's and 

 Gordon's Mills, and Maj.-Gen. Buckner, with 

 the Army of East Tennessee, and Maj.-Gen. 

 Walker, with his division from the Army of 

 Mississippi, to concentrate at Lafayette, and 



Brig.-Gen. Pegram to cover the railroad with 

 his cavalry. These dispositions having been 

 made of the Confederate forces, Maj.-Gen. Crit- 

 tenden, commanding the left wing of the Fed- 

 eral army, which had not moved with the right 

 and centre, but had been left in the Sequatchie 

 valley, crossed the Tennessee river at the mouth 

 of Battle creek, and moved upon Chattanoo- 

 ga. Maj.-Gen. McCook, commanding the right 

 wing, was thrown forward to threaten Rome, 

 and the corps of Maj.-Gen. Thomas was put in 

 motion over Lookout mountain, in the direction 

 of Lafayette. 



A charge of incapacity was subsequently 

 made against Gen. Bragg, because he did not 

 at this time fall upon Gen. Thomas with such 

 a force as would have crushed him ; then turned 

 down Chattanooga valley, throwing himself 

 between the town and Gen. Crittenden, and 

 crushed him ; then passed back between Look- 

 out mountain and the Tennessee river into 

 Wills's valley, and cut off Gen. McCook's re- 

 treat to Bridgeport ; thence moved along the 

 Cumberland into the rear of Gen. Burnside, and 

 defeated him. But Gen. Bragg now threw a 

 force forward into McLemore's Cove, which re- 

 sisted the advance of Gen. Thomas, as above 

 stated. It was on such a limited scale as only 

 to check this advance, and was thence with- 

 drawn to Lafayette. "Within thirty-six hours 

 after this force retired, Gen. Rosecrans had re- 

 called Gen. McCook, and concentrated him with 

 Gen. Thomas in McLemore's Cove. Meantime, 

 Gen. Crittenden, after occupying Chattanooga, 

 did not stop to fortify it, but moved on toward 

 Ringgold to cut off Gen. Buckner, who was un- 

 derstood to be moving to the support of Gen.- 

 Bragg. On reaching the point on the Georgia 

 railroad at which Gen. Buckner crossed, and 

 discovering that he was too late, he turned to- 

 ward Lafayette to follow him. Moving up the 

 Chickamauga, on the east side, he was con- 

 fronted by a force of Confederate cavalry un- 

 der Gens, Pegram and Armstrong, which re- 

 tired before him until supported by a large body 

 of infantry, when Gen. Crittenden, declining 

 a battle, fell back on the Chickamauga, and 

 crossed at Gordon's Mills. This brought the 

 whole of Gen. Rosecrans's force on the west 

 side of the Chickaraauga within easy support- 

 ing distance. 



Gen. Bragg now moved his army by divis- 

 ions, and crossed the Chickamauga at several 

 fords and bridges north of Gordon's Mills, up 

 to which he ordered the Virginia troops, which 

 had crossed many miles below, and near to 

 which he attempted to concentrate. At this 

 time the right of Gen. Rosecrans really rested 

 on Gordon's Mills. Gen. Thomas had moved 

 on until his left division, under Gen. Brannan, 

 covered the Rossville road. Gen. Baird was 

 on Gen. Brannan's right, then followed suc- 

 cessively Gens. Johnson's, Reynolds' s, Palmer's, 

 and Van Cleve's divisions. Gen. Wood covered 

 Gordon's Mills ford. Gen. Negley, four miles 

 farther south, held Owen's Gap. Gens. Davis 



