Army
of Tennessee State Historical Marker Located in
front of John B. Gordon Hall at N. Main and Margaret Streets, Lafayette, Ga. (Text) THE
ARMY OF TENNESSEE Late in August,
1863, the Army of the Cumberland, Maj. Gen. Wm. B. Rosecrans, USA, crossed the
Tennessee River near Bridgeport and threatened Chattanooga. On Sept. 7th, learning
that Rosecrans was moving toward his rear in the direction of Rome (42 miles S),
Gen. Braxton Bragg, CSA, withdrew his Army of Tennessee from Chattanooga to this
vicinity, with headquarters in LaFayette, to meet the Union advance when it crossed
Lookout Mountain. Deciding that Bragg
was retreating via Ringgold (21 miles NE) and Summerville (18 miles S), Rosecrans
divided his army to pursue both columns and to strike at Bragg's flanks. Thomas'
14th Corps moved through Stevens' Gap into McLemore's Cove, west of LaFayette;
McCook's 20th Corps toward Summerville; Crittenden's 21st Corps toward Ringgold.
By the 12th, when Rosecrans realized his error, his flanks were widely separated,
leaving Thomas alone in front of Bragg's whole Army. Although a hasty reconcentration
was begun, it was not completed until the night of September 17th. In
the meantime, an effort by Bragg to crush Thomas and Crittenden in turn failed
for want of strong leadership. This failure forced Bragg to fight Rosecrans' reassembled
army near West Chickamauga Creek (15 miles N) on the 19th and 20th. Although Bragg
won the Battle of Chickamauga, it required two days of desperate fighting, during
which his losses almost nullified his victory. 146-13
GEORGIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION 1957 |
