Battle Of Chickamauga Essay

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The Battle of Chickamauga was one of the bloodiest battles in the U.S. Civil War’s western theatre. General Rosecrans was the Union Army of the Cumberland commanding general. He ultimately failed in the principles of mission command and lost the battle. Gen. Rosecrans made many correct decisions, but his poor decisions caused the Union’s defeat. The Battle of Chickamauga was one of the few Civil War battles where the Confederate Army outnumbered the Union Army involved in the battle. General Rosecrans the Commander of the Army of the Cumberland, and General Braxton Bragg commanding the Army of Tennessee. The Union conducted a strategic campaign aimed at capturing the major industrial area of Chattanooga and its railroad junction. The Union …show more content…

General Rosecrans’ Union forces had spread out as they moved south. The Confederate Army began opening moves nearly cut off 2 Union divisions. The Union divisions barely escaped. This highlighted the Union Army’s vulnerable position and strength of the Confederate Army. Gen. Rosecrans began to reconsolidate his Army. General Rosecrans noticed the large clouds of dust kicked up by Confederate force movement. This represented the first decision point of the battle. General Rosecrans managed to anticipate the Confederate attack plan and began to position his forces to counter it. Initial skirmishes began on 18 Sept as forces attempted to find the disposition of enemy forces. The terrain was a series of open forest and hills that restricted visibility and maneuver. Confederate and Union forces both struggled to arrive on the battle field in large …show more content…

He reconsolidated around an area of terrain called the ‘Horseshoe Bend’. The entire Confederate force focused on General Thomas’ position a series of hills, woods, and high ground that protected the lines of retreat through valleys and draws towards Chattanooga. General Thomas was able to maintain the Union line until the night of 20 September when his force began to withdraw back to Chattanooga. Of the 65,000 Confederate forces involved in the battle, they suffered 18,000 casualties. Union Forces engaged were 60,000, and they suffered 16,000 casualties. Mission Command in the Chickamauga

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