Chickamauga: Bloody Battle in the West
by Glenn Tucker
Book #1868A
$14.95
448 pp., revised edition, maps, illustrations, index, paperback.
The year 1863 dawned bright and full of promise for the Confederacy. By the fall, however, disaster had pushed the Confederacy to the brink of extinction, and by year’s end its fate was sealed; sealed ironically in a moment of victory and not defeat. Sealed on the battlefield of Chickamauga. Chickamauga: Bloody Battle in the West details the battle that was both victory and defeat for the Southern Confederacy.
While Lee invaded Pennsylvania and Grant besieged Vicksburg, Union General William S. Rosecrans, through a series of brilliant movements, forced Confederate General Braxton Bragg back from Tullahoma, Tennessee, to the citadel of Chattanooga. Weeks later, he forced Bragg to evacuate that important city altogether and flee into northern Georgia. Emboldened by his success, Rosecrans sent his army in wild pursuit. His three army corps separated from one another by considerable distance, advanced further into Georgia and, unknowingly, into grave danger. Contrary to Rosecrans’ belief, Bragg was not in flight, but awaiting reinforcements and an opportunity to strike, and strike savagely he did.
On Saturday, September 19, 1863, the dense woods of northern Georgia erupted in one of the most bitter, confusing, and costliest engagements in American military history, the battle of Chickamauga. This two day battle claimed 37,000 American soldiers as casualties of war and offered the Southern Confederacy one last opportunity for military victory. The author recounts in detail the Northern and Southern movements that led to the engagement near Chickamauga Creek, and then superbly describes the battle itself. Included are crisp descriptions and analyses of Bragg’s unsuccessful initial efforts to attack the separated units of Rosecrans’ army, the timely arrival of Southern reinforcements from the Army of Northern Virginia, the reasons behind the order that resulted in a gap in the Union line, and the tenacity of George Thomas on Snodgrass Hill. Above all, the valor, determination and fortitude displayed by soldiers on both sides is amply displayed through the use of numerous participant accounts. Tucker also discusses the aftermath of the battle and how Bragg cast aside the opportunity to recapture Chattanooga, and probably destroy the Union army as an effective force. His failure to complete the defeat of the Union army ultimately resulted in opening the road to Atlanta, and shattered the dreams of Southern independence.
Glenn Tucker is a most remarkable writer. He is well-known for his other Civil War efforts such as High Tide at Gettysburg, Lee and Longstreet at Gettysburg, and Hancock the Superb. Tucker has the talent to blend historical fact and humanism to weave a factual, yet vivid and entertaining, account of this great clash of armies. Tucker’s works appeal to the expert and amateur alike.
Chickamauga: Bloody Battle in the West is Tucker at his best. Long overshadowed by Gettysburg and Vicksburg, Chickamauga has finally received the acclamation it deserves. This work is indispensable to an understanding of the battle of Chickamauga and the campaign for Chattanooga, and is indispensable to any military study of the Civil War. The narrative is enhanced by excellent campaign and battlefield maps.—Review from The Civil War Book Exchange
