I . l GEORGIA'S G CIDE TO THJ<~ CIVIL WAR THE BATTLE OF Cl-IICKAMAUGA SEPTEMBER 19-20, 1863 In the fall of 1863, some of the ha rdest fighting of the Civil War occurred in the fields and thick woods of northwest Georgia. The prize was Chattanooga, Tennessee, a key rail center and gateway to the Confederate heartland. On September 19, 1863, si xty-si x thousand Confederate troops under General Bra xton Bragg attempted to dislodge an army of fiftyeight thousand Federals under the command of Major General William S. Rosecrans south of Chattanooga at Crawfish Springs, Georgia. The ensuing engagement would become known as the Battle of Chickamauga, one of the major battles of the American Civil War. Fighting began early in the morning on September 19 between Federal infantry and Confederate cavalry and would spread throughout the day into a general engagement along the Lafayette Road. The opposing armies fought desperately al l day, often hand-to-hand, resulting in no clear advantage. Du ring the next day's fighting, Rosecrans m istakenly ordered a troop movement that op ened a gap in the Federal line. The gap wa s o pe ned just as Confederate Lt. General James Lo ng street's corps, newly arrived from Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, attacked at that very point. Longstreet's men smashed through the hole, rolling up the Federal line on both sides and routing half of Rosecrans ' army. Union General George H. Thomas rallied many of the retreating Federals and formed a new line of defense on Snodgrass Hill, also known as Horseshoe Ridge, staving off the destruction of the Union army. The defense line held against concentrated Confederate assaults, earning Thomas the nickname "Rock of Chickamauga." After dark on September 20, the Union army withdrew from the field and retreated into Chattanooga . The next day, the Confederates pursued and occupied Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, and the Chattanooga Valley. In, November 1863, Rosecrans ' replacement, Lt . General Ulysses S. Grant would drive Bragg 's army from around Chattanooga and back into Georgia, thus opening the way for the Atlanta Campaign the following spring. Chickamauga wa s the bloodi est two-day battle of the war, costing the South 18,000 and the North 16,000 casualties. As an example of the decimation, one Confederate regiment, the 20th Georgia, lost seventeen of it s twenty-three officers in the battle. Chickamauga Creek had lived up to its Cherokee name " River of Death ." CHICKAMAUGA AND CHATTANOOGA NATIONAL M ILITARY PARK In 1892, Congress authorized the purchase of 5,200 acres of land in northwest Georgia that now forms the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. This was the first major Civil War battlefield set aside as a memorial to the soldiers who fought there. The park was officially dedicated in 1895 by veterans both north and south. The visitor's center offers interpretive exhibits, a books store, and a multi-media program that gives detailed orientation of the battle. Outside, a display illustrates the various types of light field artillery used during the Chickamauga and Chattanooga campaign. The battlefield contains hundreds of monuments, interpretative tablets and wayside exhibits. Visitors can hike and bike along the trails. Wilder Tower, Chickamauga Battlefield Courtesy of Bob Price LEE AND GORD ON'S MILLS Lee and Gordon's Mills, one of the oldest mills in Georgia, is located near the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park at the confluence of Chickamauga Creek and Crawfish Springs. Landowner and entrepreneur James Gordon settled in Chickamauga in 1836 and built the Gordon-Lee Mansion. He owned the mill in partnership with his son-in-law James Lee. On September 9 and 10, 1863, the mill served as headquarters for Confederate General Braxton Bragg. When Bragg subsequently moved his headquarters south to LaFayette, Georgia, Union troops occupied the mill. Skirmishing occurred here between opposing forces from September 13 through 18, prior to the Battle of Chickamauga. During the battle the m ill served as a geographic reference point for troop movements. At the beginning of the Atlanta Campaign in May 1864, Union Major General James B. McPherson used the mill as a staging area for his move against Snake Creek Gap west of Resaca. In 1993, the mill was renovated to its Civil War era appearance. A museum displays photographs and artifacts from the Civil War. Lee and Gor don 's Mills, Chickamauga Courtesy o f Library of Congress GORDON-LEE NIANSIO N In September 1863, James Gordon's mansion served as headquarters for Union Major General William S. Rosecrans and his chief of staff, futu re president of the United States James A. Garfield. Today, the Gordon-Lee Mansion is one of the few structures remaining from the battle. Although Rosecrans came to occupy the house just prior to the battle, his army was spread out across many miles. Ironically, Confederate General Braxton Bragg, headquartered in John B. Gordon Hall in LaFayette, Georgia was closer to Rosecrans' men than Rosecrans himself. During the Battle of Chickamauga, the Gordon-Lee mansion was used as a hospital with wagons placed outside the windows to collect amputated limbs. After the battle, and the retreat of Rosecrans' army, Federal doctors were permitted to stay behind and continue tending to the enormous number of wounded from both sides that were brought there. The Gordon-Lee Mansion was the site of a major post-war event, the reconciliatory 1889 Blue and Gray Barbeque where veterans of both armies dined together. Fourteen thousand veterans attended including generals John Brown Gordon and William S. Rosecrans. The Honorable Gordon Lee, the Seventh District U.S. congressman from Georgia who owned the home hosted the event. AB LE STREIGH T'S RAID AND THE CIVIL WAR IN ROME -----c~---- Founded shortly after the Land Lottery of 1832, Rome, Georgia is located at the convergence of the Etowah and Oostanaula Rivers and at the headwaters of the Coosa River. Like its Italian namesake, it's surrounded by seven hills. A prime site for water powered industry, factories produced goods for the Confederate war effort such as artillery, munitions and haversacks. Due to its importance as a supply center Rome became the target of several Federal offensives. In late April and early May 1863, Federal Colonel Abel D. Streight, in command of 1,700 men and a caravan of seven hundred mules, set out on a raid across Alabama to Georgia with the intent of destroying the industrial capacity of Rome. Traveling through the frontier wilderness of northern Alabama, Streight and his men engaged in a five-day running battle with Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest's cava lry. Though outnumbered by Streight's force, Forrest and his battalion of five-hundred mounted soldiers captured the Federals and their mule train in eastern Alabama not far from the Georgia border. Forrest received a hero's welcome when he arrived in Rome on May 3, 1863 for saving the city. Streight's raid brought the reality of the perils of war to the people of Rome. The city appropriated three thousand dollars for the construction of fortifications on three of the seven hills around the city. On August 21, 1863, the Rome Weekly Courier wrote, "the fort in Desoto shall be known as Fort Attaway. The fort in Hillsboro (Myrtle Hill) shall be known as Fort Stovall. The fort between Rome and Woodville shall be known as Fort Norton on Jackson Hill." On May 15, 1864, Federal General Jefferson C. Davis' division marched on Rome. Davis' soldiers were met by General Samuel G. French's Confederate division arrayed in line of battle. Fighting ensued on May 17. Davis drove the Confederates into Rome but was halted by the artillery of Fort Attaway. Davis then entrenched on Shorter Hill and fired on Confederate ships in the river. On May 19, the Confederates evacuated Rome and the Federal army took the city. Civil War sites in Rome include Fort Norton on Jackson Hill overlooking the Rome Visitors Center, Myrtle Hill Cemetery on South Broad Street at Myrtle Street and the Noble Brothers Foundry at the Rome Visitors Center. For t Nor ton, Rome Courtesy of Bob Price Myrt le Hill Cemetary, Rome Courtesy of Bob Price cROSSROADs OF CONFLICT -~- - Crossroads of Conflict: A Guide to Civil War Sites in Georgia contains information on more than 350 sites around the state. The book serves the dual purpose as a tou r guide and as an in-depth history of Civil War Georgia. Included are over 200 modern and period photographs, images, maps, GPS coordinates, and a detailed chronology of events as they unfolded during the four-year conflict. Crossroads of Conflict is available at www.GACiviiWar.org, www.ugapress.org and select retail outlets. ( 2 N I 2 w~@~E s I 2 G E