Battle of Chickamauga
For the first three years of the Civil War, Georgia was virtually left untouched by the war. There were a few skirmishes, though the Battle of Fort Pulaski in 1862 led to the North’s control of the Georgia coast and expansion of the Union Blockade of Southern ports. However, the major impact of war arrived on Georgia’s doorstep in 1863, during the Battle of Chickamauga. The town of Chickamauga is located in Walker County just 10 miles south of the Tennessee/Georgia line (the TAG corner of the state). The battle lasted three days from September 18-20 and was the second bloodiest battle of the Civil War with over 34,000 casualties. The battle was the largest ever fought in the state of Georgia.
The Generals that led this battle were William S. Rosecrans of the USA and Braxton Bragg of the Confederate States of America (CSA). This battle was part of a larger Northern objective to capture the city of Chattanooga, itself an important rail center, and to use its capture as a stepping stone to capture a more significant rail road hub: Atlanta. While Rosecrans captured Chattanooga earlier that September, he wanted to circle around Bragg’s army and cut the Southern supply lines in Western Tennessee and Northwest Georgia. However, the CSA discovered Rosecrans’s army in the area and attacked.
This battle is significant for several reasons. It was the largest Union defeat in the Western theater of the Civil War. After the battle, Bragg, who was preoccupied with his enormous losses, failed to follow the Union forces back into Chattanooga. Eventually, the Confederates turned their attention to Chattanooga but were soundly defeated by Union troops and reinforcements under the leadership of General Ulysses Grant. This southern defeat provided Grant the stepping stone which led to his promotion to the Commanding General of the U.S. Army. Once Chattanooga was defended and securely in Union hands, it was used as a launching point for Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign.
Read the article. Please type your answers in the spaces below.
1.Why is Chickamauga such an historically significant battle for Georgia?
It was the biggest
2. Who won this battle? North or South?
3. What was the major mistake made by Braxton Bragg?
4. The name of the battle is the Battle of Chickamauga, but why was Chattanooga important?
5. In which GA region did this battle occur?
6. Who led this battle for the Union?
7. Who led this battle for the CSA?
1. Chickamauga is historically significant for Georgia because it was the largest battle ever fought in the state and had a major impact on the outcome of the Civil War.
2. The South (Confederate States of America) won this battle.
3. The major mistake made by Braxton Bragg was failing to follow the Union forces back into Chattanooga after the battle.
4. Chattanooga was important because it was an important rail center and capturing it would provide a stepping stone for the Union to capture Atlanta, a more significant railroad hub.
5. This battle occurred in the northern region of Georgia, specifically in Walker County.
6. William S. Rosecrans led this battle for the Union.
7. Braxton Bragg led this battle for the Confederate States of America (CSA).