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Sep 13 1863 (Sunday)

Shortly after midnight, Robert E. Lee is notified by Jeb Stuart that Federal cavalry have crossed the Rappahannock River. Lee reports, "They came in force, having crossed the Rappahannock at all fords from Stark's, on Hazel River, to Kelly's [ford]." General Meade has sent his cavalry forward to determine if the reports of Longstreet's departure are accurate. Meade reports, "General Pleasonton...only encountered cavalry and artillery....[This] tends to confirm the reported retrograde movement of the Confederate army. Both Generals Pleasonton and Warren have been cautioned that their movement was to be restricted to a reconnaissance for obtaining information of the enemy's position." After a brief struggle at Culpeper Court House, Kilpatrick's troopers push the Rebel cavalrymen to the safety of the Rapidan River.

GROVE CHURCH, VA. - PETER T. WASHBURN, Adjutant and Inspector General of Vermont. - SIR: We...crossed the Rappahannock River...and arrived in the vicinity of Culpeper Court-House at about 12 o'clock m.. where our cavalry were briskly engaged in skirmishing with the enemy's cavalry and artillery, driving them toward the town....We then received orders to charge into town, which we did..., and occupied a knoll on the south side of the village, where the regiment was subjected to a very severe artillery fire from the enemy's guns stationed at our front and left. We were here directed by General Custer, commanding brigade, to attack the force occupying the woods to the left of the town...The fight at this place continued for a considerable length of time, three separate charges having been made by our men....A movement on our flanks was at one time attempted, but it failed in its purpose, the enemy being compelled to retire. The repulse of the enemy along the whole line being at this time (4 o'clock p.m.) complete, they retreated in the direction of the Rapidan River. The pursuit was continued until dark, but their forces did not make a stand before crossing....I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, WILLIAM WELLS, Major, Commanding First Vermont Cavalry.

Despite the protests of Leonidas Polk, General Bragg sends unequivocal orders to attack the Union forces near Pea Vine Road. At 7 a.m., he issues the orders: "The lieutenant-general commanding announces his intention of making the attack so soon as the division commanders are ready for it. The moment they are ready they will notify him of the fact. The attack will begin on left wing." Bragg urges Polk, "It is highly important your attack in the morning should be quick and decided. Let no time be lost." After impatiently waiting to hear the sounds of gunfire, at 8:30 a.m., Bragg reiterates his orders: "Major-Generals Cheatham, Hindman, and Walker will push forward a brigade each on the Gordon's Mills, Pea Vine, and Ringgold roads respectively, following the cavalry, in order to develop the enemy." However, Polk's advance is so slow that, by the time his men reach Pea Vine Road, the Union forces in the area have already withdrawn to safety.

WARM SPRINGS, GA. - General S. COOPER, Adjutant-General, C. S. Army, Richmond, Va. - SIR: [General Polk] was...ordered not to defer his attack, his force being already numerically superior to the enemy, and was reminded that his success depended upon the promptness and rapidity of his movements....Early on the 13th, I proceeded to the front...to find that no advance had been made on the enemy, and that his forces had formed a junction and recrossed the Chickamauga. Again disappointed, immediate measures were taken to place our trains and limited supplies in safe positions, when all our forces were concentrated along the Chickamauga, threatening the enemy in front. Major-General Wheeler, with two divisions of cavalry, occupied the positions on the extreme left, vacated by Hill's corps, and was directed to press the enemy in McLemore's Cove, to divert his attention from our real movement. Brigadier-General Forrest, with his own and Pegram's divisions of cavalry, covered the movement on our front and right....I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, BRAXTON BRAGG, General.

Other activity on this date:
Union reconnaissance from Culpeper Court-House to Raccoon Ford with cavalry skirmishes at Muddy Run, Brandy Station, Culpeper Court-House, Pony Mountain, and Stevensburg, Virginia.
Union reconnaissance from Henderson's Gap, Alabama. to La Fayette, Ga.
Union reconnaissance from Lee and Gordon's Mills toward La Fayette, Ga.
Skirmish near Summerville, Ga.
Skirmish on Strother Fork of Big Black River in Iron County, Missouri.
Confederate attack on, and skirmish near Salem, Missouri.


[Sunday] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday]

Sep 14 1863 (Monday)

General Lee reacts swiftly to check the Union advance. He reports, "I advanced last night to the Rapidan a portion of Early's and Anderson's divisions, and arrested the farther progress of the enemy." General Pleasonton reports that his cavalrymen have reached the Rapidan River, but can go no further. "We have not been able to effect a crossing in consequence of the advantages the opposite side gives in commanding the fords." However, Pleasonton has been able to confirm the rumors that General Longstreet's men have been detached from the Army of Northern Virginia. General Meade reports, "An examination of the prisoners sent in shows that Ewell's and A. P. Hill's corps are still on the south side of the Rapidan near Orange Court-House and Raccoon Ford....It is believed and reported by the prisoners that Longstreet's corps had gone south, designation said to be Tennessee. McLaws' division, they assert positively, has passed through Richmond."

SEPTEMBER 14, 1863--9 p.m. (Received 10.30 p.m.) - Major-General HALLECK: General Pleasonton reports that he has driven the enemy's cavalry and artillery across the Rapidan, and has to-day unsuccessfully attempted to force a passage at three points, Raccoon Ford, Somerville Ford, and Mitchell's Ford, being at each point met by artillery in position, and rifle-pits manned by infantry....My judgment...is, that Lee's army has been reduced by Longstreet's corps, and perhaps by some regiments from Ewell and Hill. What the amount of force left with him, it is difficult to conjecture, but I have no doubt it is deemed sufficient by him, with the advantages of position, to check my crossing the Rapidan....Under these circumstances, I have directed General Pleasonton to maintain his position on the Rapidan..., and in the meantime to endeavor to obtain more definite information....I see no object in advancing, unless it is with ulterior views, and I do not consider this army is sufficiently large to follow him to Richmond, and lay siege to that place, fortified as we know it to be....GEO. G. MEADE, Major-General, Commanding.

General McCook reports that his divisions "are now marching with all haste to join General Thomas." With Crittenden and Thomas' corps already within supporting distance, Rosecrans' concentration of the Army of the Tennessee is nearly complete. Charles Dana reports, "Everything progresses favorably; concentration of the three corps already substantially effected. Enemy has withdrawn from this basin, and the reports of scouts show that he is evacuating La Fayette and moving toward Rome." However, the news that reinforcements for Bragg's army are already on the way, causes Henry Halleck to scramble to get reinforcements to "Old Rosy." Generals Burnside, Hurlbut, and Schofield receive Halleck's message: " There are good reasons why troops should be sent to assist General Rosecrans...with all possible dispatch. It is believed that the enemy will concentrate to give him battle." Meanwhile, a dejected Bragg pulls his army back to La Fayette and begins to lash out at the generals who allowed Rosecrans' army to escape his grasp. To General Hindman, Bragg writes: "The general commanding desires as early as practicable a written report of the operations of the forces under your command on the 10th and 11th instant, and causes of your delay in an attack on the enemy on the morning of the 11th."

LA FAYETTE, September 14, 1863. (Received 15th.) - General S. COOPER: We have so far failed to encounter the enemy in any force. Whenever we make our appearance he retires before us. His policy seems to be to avoid an engagement. We shall press him as long as able to subsist. BRAXTON BRAGG.

Other activity on this date:
Skirmish in Smyth County, Virginia (vicinity of Marion). 30 men under Lt. Jonathan B. Carlisle were detached for the purpose of trying to destroy bridges on the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad. Confederate records indicate that about half the party was captured near Marion, Virginia.
Skirmish near La Fayette, Georgia.
Confederate attack on Vidalia, Louisiana.

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Sep 15 1863 (Tuesday)

Ever since the sacking of Lawrence, Kansas, General Ewing has kept his forces extremely busy scouring the Kansas/Missour border in search of any trace of the elusive Quantrill. Finally, Colonel Weer falls upon Quantrill's trail. He reports, "After a week spent in bushwhacking, in search of Quantrill's guerrillas, I became convinced that his band continued to secrete themselves upon the waters of the Snibar and Blue Creek, in Jackson County, Missouri." However, when some of Weer's men stumble across Quantrill's camp, most of the Rebel guerillas are able to escape to safety.

PLEASANT HILL, MO., September 15, 1863. - Brigadier-General EWING, Commanding District of the Border. - SIR: This morning I made another night march, with a view to surprise him [Quantrill], if possible. I...entered the timber of the Snibar without being observed. At daylight, the command being divided into four detachments, we commenced a thorough scouring of the Snibar Hills....Half of the different detachments were dismounted, and penetrated the woods deployed as skirmishers....Captain Coleman, of the Ninth Kansas, who commanded on the extreme left, in the course of the day fell upon a trail, by following which he soon came upon Quantrill's own camp. He promptly attacked it, killed 2 of the guerrillas, captured some 40 horses, destroyed all their subsistence stores..., all their bedding, clothing, ammunition, and some arms. The enemy fired but one volley, and at once disappeared in the thick underwood, where pursuit was impossible....The expedition demonstrates the fact that Quantrill's band is still secreting itself in Jackson County, though evidently preparing for another raid....Respectfully, your obedient servant, WM. WEER, Colonel, Commanding.

A series of last summer storms along the Atlantic coastline slow Federal attempts to keep the pressure of Fort Sumter. General Beauregard reports, "The equinoctial storm appears to be over. Some rain and wind during the night, but this morning is clear and pleasant. The enemy are busy at work near Battery Wagner and did not fire a gun to-day." The silence is shattered when the powder magazine at Battery Cheves explodes. Beauregard explains: "At about 11.05 a.m. the magazine at [Cheves] battery blew up....It is thought the accident occurred from the premature explosion of a shell from which the sergeant of the magazine was endeavoring to extract a short-time fuse, in order to replace it by a longer one. As all 4 men in the magazine were killed, the cause of the explosion can only be a matter of conjecture."

BATTERY CHEVES. - Lieutenant [J. M.] SCHNIERLE, Adjutant, &c. - LIEUTENANT: I have the honor to report a very sad accident at this post..., the explosion of the magazine and death of 5 men and a lieutenant. How it was caused it is impossible to tell. A sentinel was always kept at the entrance, with strict orders to allow no pipes or fire in any shape near it, nor allow any one but ordnance men and commissioned officers to enter without leave. Although I am not positive how it occurred, I feel confident, and it is my opinion, that it was caused by a shell exploding while the fuse was being extracted. We have had a great number of live shell sent to us with short fuses, which we have had to extract and replace them with longer ones....The first thing heard of the explosion was the report of a single shell at that place, which ignited others, and I presume some fuses or quick matches were blown into the magazine, the door of which was open, causing the explosion. There were about 1,200 pounds of powder burned, together with 25 shells. All the tools, &c., in these [buildings] were, of course, lost....I have the honor, lieutenant, to be, your obedient servant, W. W. BILLOPP, Captain, Commanding.

Convinced the the Copperheads have organized into vast secret societies throughout the North, President Lincoln issues a proclamation suspending habeas corpus "in all cases of persons held in military custody for military offenses." Lincoln argues: "Must I shoot a simple-minded soldier boy who deserts, while I must not touch a hair of a wily agitator who induces him to desert?" With the whole country a war zone, military arrests in areas far from the fighting are justified as, Lincoln explains, the Civil courts are "utterly incompetent" to defend the security of the nation in a time of war.

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A PROCLAMATION. I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do hereby proclaim and make known to all whom it may concern, that the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus is suspended throughout the United States..., and that this suspension will continue throughout the duration of the said rebellion, or until this proclamation shall, by a subsequent one to be issued by the President of the United States, be modified or revoked. And I do hereby require all magistrates, attorneys, and other civil officers within the United States, and all officers and others in the military and naval services of the United States...to give it full effect....ABRAHAM LINCOLN. By the President: WM. H. SEWARD, Secretary of State.

Other activity reported on this date:
Retirement of 76 year old Union Chief of Ordnance Brig. Gen. James W. Ripley. Known for his vigorous opposition to breech loading and repeating rifles.
Affair near Kempsville, Virginia.
Explosion of Cheeves Battery on James Island S of Fort Johnson.
Union bombardment of Legare's Point.
Skirmish at Summerville, Georgia.
Skirmish in Jackson County, Missouri.

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Sep 16 1863 (Wednesday)

Robert E. Lee is puzzled by the actions of the Army of the Potomac, across the Rapidan River from his entrenched positions. He reports, "No attempt has been made by the enemy to cross the Rapidan....He seems to be collecting forces in the vicinity of Culpeper Court-House. Whether it is with a view of its occupancy or of a farther advance, is not yet apparent. A few days will probably disclose." In light of his recent dispatch of forces to aid Braxton Bragg's army, Lee is extremely disappointed to learn of Bragg's withdrawal from Chattanooga. He writes to President Davis: "I learn by the papers of to-day that General Rosecrans' army entered Chattanooga..., and that General Bragg has retired still farther into the interior. It also appears that General Burnside did not move to make a junction with Rosecrans, but marched upon Knoxville." Lee continues, "Had I been aware that Knoxville was the destination of General Burnside, I should have recommended that General Longstreet be sent to oppose him, instead of to Atlanta. If General Bragg is unable to bring General Rosecrans to battle, I think it would be better to return General Longstreet to this army, to enable me to oppose the advance of General Meade with a greater prospect of success."

RICHMOND, VA., September 16, 1863. - General R. E. LEE, Comdg. Army of Northern Virginia, Orange C. H.: - GENERAL: I have been disappointed by the retreat of General Bragg from Chattanooga, which I saw defeated the purpose for which Longstreet's corps had been sent....Could this have been foreseen, it would no doubt have been better to have...sent him by way of Bristol, to attack Burnside from the east....I conversed freely with General Longstreet, and he seemed to concur with me in the propriety of the most active operations, both by attack upon the enemy and expeditions against his lines of communication....I can but hope, however, that with the large army which General Bragg commands he will recover by force the country out of which he seems to have been maneuvered by the enemy....The opportunity has been lost which was presented in the earlier stages of the campaign, and the question now is, what is the best which it remains for us to do...? The demonstrations of the enemy in your front have very probably resulted from the knowledge that Longstreet's corps had been detached. I cannot imagine how the information was acquired at so early a date....I have despaired in the present condition of Richmond of being able to keep secret any movement which is to be made from or through this place....Very respectfully and truly, yours, JEFFERSON DAVIS.

Buoyed by knowledge that Longstreet's men are on their way to reinforce his army, Braxton Bragg calls his corps commanders together for a council of war. At the meeting, Bragg and his generals agree on a plan for attempting to flank Rosecrans' on the north by interposing the army between the Union army and their supply base at Chattanooga. Bragg relays the news to Richmond: "The enemy has retired before us at all points. We shall now turn on him in the direction of Chattanooga." Leonidas Polk reports, "General Bragg issued address to troops, telling them we should march against the enemy and crush him. Learned that Longstreet's corps was arriving at Dalton, and French's division was also coming up from Mississippi....In evening order received to march at 8 a.m. to-morrow."

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF TENNESSEE, In the Field, La Fayette, Ga., September 16, 1863. Buckner's corps and Walker's reserves will move at daylight to-morrow and take position from Pea Vine Church, north along Pea Vine Creek. Polk's corps will move at 8 a.m. to-morrow and take post on Buckner's left, and occupy the ground to near Glass' Mill, so as to command that crossing. Forrest's cavalry will cover the front and flank of both these movements. Wheeler's cavalry, leaving a small force to observe the road south, will pass through Dug to Catlett's Gap, press the enemy, secure some prisoners if possible, and join our flank near Glass' Mill. Reed's Bridge, Byram's Ford, Alexander's Bridge, and the fords next above, will be seized and held by our cavalry. Hill's corps will occupy the gaps across Pigeon Mountain and observe the road to the south, and be ready to move at a moment's notice. All extra wagon trains will be sent across Taylor's Ridge, near Ringgold....By command of General Bragg: GEORGE WM. BRENT, Assistant Adjutant-General.

Recovering slowly from the injuries he suffered in a fall from his horse, Ulysses Grant returns to Vicksburg. John Rawlins reports the return of his chief, "General Grant has returned from New Orleans, and although unable to walk from the effects of injuries..., his general health is good and he is able for duty." From his sick bed, Grant dictates a message for Henry Halleck. "I...am still confined to my bed, lying flat on my back. My injuries are severe, but still not dangerous; my recovery is simply a matter of time. Although fatiguing, I will still endeavor to perform my duties, and hope soon to recover that I may be able to take the field at any time I may be called on to do so....If able to write myself I should write much more at length..., but being compelled to dictate for another to write I will be brief, and should I recover in a short time sufficiently to write, I will address you again."

SEPTEMBER 16, 1863. - General RAWLINS, Vicksburg: Am glad to hear the general is back. Tell him everything is well with me and to my front; to take good rest and be easy. He should be allowed absolute rest for a week. Let me know whether he sustained any internal or other injury, as reports of ribs, arms, and eyes have all reached me through all kinds of sources....W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General.

Other activity reported on this date:
Skirmish at Smithfield, West Virginia (on Opequon Creek WNW of Harper's Ferry).
Affair at Brownsville, Arkansas. A 3d Mo. Cav. Co. H muster roll shows a man killed at Brownsville and indicates that he was killed by a party of Rebels who came dashing in town.



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Sep 17 1863 (Thursday)

When Joe Wheeler returns from scouting the Union positions in McLemore's Cove, he reports that almost all of Rosecrans' army is there. Convinced that the Union flank extends no farther that Lee and Gordon's Mill, Bragg cancels his attack orders and prepares to maneuver his army to take advantage of this new information. He orders: "The movements of...to-day are suspended...; wagons will, however, be kept loaded ready for a move at a moment's warning." Working feverishly on a new attack plan, Bragg's orders are not issues until late in the evening. Bragg reports, "Brig. Gen. B. R. Johnson...was moved toward Reed's Bridge, which brought him on the extreme right of the line. Walker's corps formed on his left opposite Alexander's Bridge, Buckner's next near Thedford's Ford, Polk's opposite Lee and Gordon's Mills, and Hill's on the extreme left. With Johnson moved two brigades just arrived from Mississippi, and three of Longstreet's corps....Orders were issued on the night of the 17th, for the forces to cross the Chickamauga, commencing the movement at 6 a.m. on the 18th by the extreme right, at Reed's Bridge." In Bragg's new plan, Bushrod Johnson is to cross the Chickamauga Creek at Reed's Bridge, wheel to the left and advance towards the vital junction of the Reed's Bridge and La Fayette Roads. From that point, a five mile advance would give Bragg control of both McFarland's and Rossville gaps, and seal off "Old Rosy's" line of retreat.

HDQRS. POLK'S CORPS, ARMY OF TENNESSEE, At Mrs. Park's, near Rock Spring, September 17, 1863--10.30 p.m. - Brigadier-General MACKALL, Chief of Staff. - GENERAL: My divisions left La Fayette this p.m. as soon as the roads were clear, and arrived at the end of their march about 10 o'clock....Hindman's division moved out on the Crawfish Valley road, and is now encamped with its right near the point at which Cheatham's left rests, and extends thence in the direction of Worthen's Gap....I understand that Van Cleve's and Palmer's divisions are on the Crawfish Spring road leading up the cove. I learn of no enemy on my right. General Armstrong informs me that he finds some of the enemy on the Chattanooga road, between Anderson's and Gordon's Mills; the force not known. He is picketing the Crawfish Valley road as far as Glass' Mill. The space between Pea Vine Church and Worthen's Gap is too long for my corps. Respectfully, general, your obedient servant, L. POLK, Lieutenant-General, Commanding.

The increased Rebel activity across the lines is soon spotted by Union signal stations. General Wood reports, "Some of my lookouts have just reported a considerable cloud of dust..., with some indistinct firing. The lookout reports the column of dust, when first seen, as moving northward....The lookouts are posted in a tree on a high point near the left of the line. I cannot detect the dust with my glass from my headquarters, but the lookouts have a better sweep over the country than I have." Rosecrans sends orders to all his corps commanders. "Forward as soon as possible special report of the troops of your command now at the front and available for the line of battle. The report will be made by divisions, and will show the strength of the infantry and artillery separately." As he prepares his army for battle, "Old Rosy" adjusts his line northwards to cover the various fords and bridges on his left flank. Charles Dana reports, "There are pretty clear indications that the rebels are massing their forces..., east of Pigeon Mountain, between Shields' and Catlett's Gaps. A body of rebel infantry and cavalry has just come into this valley by way of Dug Gap, and [another] rebel column...continues to raise a cloud of dust on the road between Shields' Gap and Ringgold."

Report of Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans, U.S. Army, commanding the Army of the Cumberland. - The ADJUTANT-GENERAL U.S. ARMY. - SIR: As soon as General McCook's corps arrived General Thomas moved down the Chickamauga toward Gordon's Mills. Meanwhile, to bring General Crittenden within reach of General Thomas and beyond the danger of separation, he was...ordered to take post on the southern spur of Missionary Ridge, his right communicating with General Thomas....Thus, on the evening of the 17th, the troops were substantially within supporting distance. Orders were given at once to move the whole line northeastwardly down the Chickamauga, with a view to covering the La Fayette road toward Chattanooga, and facing the most practicable route to the enemy's front....W. S. ROSECRANS, Major-General.

Other activity reported on this date:
Skirmish at Raccoon Ford, Virginia.
Skirmish at Neal's Gap, Georgia.
Skirmish at Owen's Ford (on West Chickamauga Creek).
Union reconnaissance from Rossville and skirmish at Ringgold, Georgia.


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Sep 18 1863 (Friday)

Despite receiving repeated orders from Henry Halleck to "Move down your infantry as rapidly as possible toward Chattanooga to connect with Rosecrans," Ambrose Burnside, his army spread out from Knoxville to Bristol, is reluctant to move his men to Chattanooga. He reports, "It is reported on...good authority that Ewell's corps is coming this way. It is certain that all the trains have been sent east...for the purpose of transportation of troops." When Halleck sends an urgent dispatch to George Meade in Virginia to determine if Burnside's fears are justified, the "Old Snapping Turtle" responds: "There is abundant evidence from deserters and scouts, going to show that Ewell's corps is in my front, and nothing to indicate that any portion of it has gone to East Tennessee."

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, September 18, 1863--4 p.m. - Major-General MEADE, Army of the Potomac: - General Burnside is very apprehensive that a part of Ewell's corps has gone by Lynchburg to East Tennessee. If you get any evidence to that effect, I wish to send it to Burnside, as his movements must very much depend upon the information. H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief.

At the urging of Zebulon Vance, President Davis launches an investigation into the behavior of Henry "Rock" Benning and his brigade while en route from Virginia to Georgia. While in Raleigh, North Carolina, some of Benning's Georgians wrecked the offices of William Holden's Raleigh Standard in retaliation for some of the paper's ani-war editorials. Vance reports, "The soldiers who originated the mob belonged to Benning's brigade, and were led by their officers, several of whom I saw in the crowd, but heard none of them [were] armed except a Major Shepherd....I feel it my duty to demand that punishment may be inflicted on the officers who assisted or countenanced the [act]....A few more such exhibitions will bring the North Carolina troops home to the defense of their own State and her institutions."

RICHMOND, September 18, 1863. - Brig. Gen. H. L. BENNING, Commanding, &c.: - SIR: The President has been informed that in the recent mobs which occurred in Raleigh, N. C...Major Shepherd and other officers belonging to your brigade were prominent as leaders of the soldiers who participated in the outbreak; and...it is alleged [they acted], if not with your consent, at least with your knowledge of what was to occur. The Secretary of War directs that you be informed of these charges, that you require of Major Shepherd and other officers of your command who may be concerned a full report of all facts in this connection with which they may be cognizant, and that you forward the same to this office with such statements on the subject as you may deem it advisable to make....It is earnestly hoped that such explanations may be given by the officers concerned as will entirely exonerate them. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, S. COOPER, Adjutant and Inspector General.

Early in the morning, Braxton Bragg issues his revised orders for the upcoming battle. "Johnson's column (Hood's), on crossing at or near Reed's Bridge, will turn to the left by the most practicable route and sweep up the Chickamauga, toward Lee and Gordon's Mills. Walker, crossing at Alexander's Bridge, will unite in this move and push vigorously on the enemy's flank and rear in the same direction. Buckner, crossing at Thedford's Ford, will join in the movement to the left, and press the enemy up the stream from Polk's front at Lee and Gordon's Mills. Polk will press his forces to the front of Lee and Gordon's Mills." The giant turning movement is to be spearheaded by Bushrod Johnson's division. While Johnson is maneuvering his men into position, Nathan Bedford Forrest's hard fighting cavalrymen tangle with the Union cavalrymen defending Reed's Bridge. At 1:00 p.m., Johnson is directed to move his men across the creek "and engage the enemy regardless of the force in your front." Bragg continues, "The army is now waiting on your movement."

HEADQUARTERS, Chattanooga. - Maj. W. H. SELLERS, Assistant Adjutant-General. - SIR: I received orders...to attack the enemy in my front in whatever force I might find them, and after crossing Reed's Bridge to turn to the left by the most practicable route and sweep up the Chickamauga toward Lee and Gordon's Mills....While forming the line Brigadier-General Forrest joined me with his escort, and proceeded to the front to develop the position of the enemy....The skirmishers of the Twenty-third Tennessee Regiment becoming engaged, the whole regiment..., charged with a shout and run, and drove off the Yankees before they could destroy the bridge....My command commenced crossing the Chickamauga about 3 p.m. Major-General Hood having appeared in the column, I reported to him, and submitted to him my orders....Having crossed the Chickamauga partly by the bridge and partly by the ford above the bridge, by 4 p.m., the command advanced to Jay's steam saw-mill, about 1 mile west of Reed's Bridge, where there are two roads leading to Alexander's Bridge. I ordered the formation to be preserved and the line of battle extending across the right-hand or western road, to move forward.....I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, B. R. JOHNSON, Brigadier-General.

From his position astride Alexander's Bridge, Colonel Wilder reports on the situation at nearby Reed's Bridge. "Colonel Minty has fallen back, after being re-enforced by two regiments and two pieces of artillery of mine. A rebel infantry force has crossed Chickamauga between Alexander's Bridge and Reed's Bridge, getting in my rear." Deftly using their Spencer repeating rifles, Wilder's men hold off the Rebel attack for most of the day. He reports, "I held the rebels at Alexander's Bridge until they outnumbered me on every side. I got off my artillery, and am falling back on General Wood." The Rebel advance across Chickamauga Creek and toward his vulnerable left flank, causes General Rosecrans to again shift General Thomas' corps northwards to cover the roads to McFarland's Gap and Rossville. Thomas reports, "At 4 p.m. the whole corps moved to the left along Chickamauga Creek to Crawfish Spring. On arriving at that place received orders to march on the cross-road leading by Widow Glenn's house to the Chattanooga and La Fayette road, and take up a position near Kelly's farm, on the La Fayette road, connecting with Crittenden on my right at Gordon's Mills." Wilder's stalwart defense stall's Bragg's attack plan and inflicts heavy casualties on the Rebel attackers. General St. John Liddell, whose brigade suffers 105 killed and wounded near Alexander's bridge reports, "I can only account for this disproportion [of casualties to] the efficiency of this new weapon."

HDQRS. 1ST BRIG., 4TH Div., 14TH ARMY CORPS. - Maj. Gen. W. S. ROSECRANS, U.S. Army, Commanding, &c. - GENERAL: At 10 a.m., we were attacked by a brigade of rebel infantry, but our position being a strong one we repulsed them easily. Colonel Minty, being at Reed's Bridge, 2 miles below, with a brigade of cavalry, sent a pressing request for help. I sent Colonel Miller with the Seventy-second Indiana and seven companies of the One hundred and twenty-third Illinois and a section of the Eighteenth Indiana Battery to his assistance. Soon after three brigades of rebel infantry again attempted to carry my position. We repulsed them, however, with severe loss to them. At 5 p.m. a picket stationed in my rear reported a strong force of rebel infantry in my rear. Having driven the cavalry away from a ford below me, I immediately commenced withdrawing my forces in the direction of Gordon's Mills, and intercepted the force that was trying to surround me, when, being re-enforced..., we held the rebels from farther advance....I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. T. WILDER, Colonel Seventeenth Indiana, Comdg. Mounted Brigade.

Other activity reported on this date:
Skirmish at Crooked Run, Virginia (W of Cedar Run Mountain).
Skirmishes at Pea Vine Ridge, Reed's Bridge, Dyer's Ford, Spring Creek, near Stevens' Gap, and at Alexander's Bridge, Georgia.
Skirmish at Calhoun, Tennessee.
Skirmish at Cleveland, Tennessee. A detachment the 8th Mich. Cav. compelled to fall back before superior numbers losing some 30 or 40 troopers.
Affair near Fort Donelson, Tennessee. 2 men from Co. E, 83d Ill. Inf. killed.
Skirmish at Kingsport, Tennessee.


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Sep 19 1863 (Saturday)

An uncertain General Meade reports to Henry Halleck, "I do not feel justified in making a farther advance without...positive authority." Meade continues, "The whole question...hangs upon the advantages to be gained and the course to be pursued in the event of success....In fine, I can get a battle out of Lee under very disadvantageous circumstances....In this view I am reluctant to run the risks involved, without the positive sanction of the Government." Unwilling to shoulder the burden of ordering Meade to attack, Henry Halleck responds, "Unless directed to do so, I never attempt to direct a general when, where, or how to give battle." Halleck explains: "I have no idea of playing the part of an Austrian ruler....Your objective point...is Lee's army, and the object to be attained is to do it as much harm as possible with as little injury as possible to yourself....The accomplishment of...[this] will...depend upon circumstances which...can properly be judged of only by the general in the field." The entire exchange between Meade and Halleck angers Abraham Lincoln who remains sceptical of generals who are not aggresive.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, Washington, September 19, 1863. - Major-General HALLECK: These two armies confront each other across a small river, substantially midway between the two capitals, each defending its own capital, and menacing the other. General Meade estimates the enemy's infantry in front of him at not less than [60,000]....General Meade...has with him, and between him and Washington...over 90,000....For a battle, then, General Meade has three men to General Lee's two. Yet, it having been determined that choosing ground and standing on the defensive gives so great advantage that the three cannot safely attack the two, the three are left simply standing on the defensive also. If the enemy's 60,000 are sufficient to keep our 90,000 away from Richmond, why, by the same rule, may not 40,000 of ours keep their 60,000 away from Washington, leaving us 50,000 to put to some other use? Having practically come to the mere defensive, it seems to be no economy at all to employ twice as many men for that object as are needed....I have constantly desired the Army of the Potomac to make Lee's army, and not Richmond, its objective point. If our army cannot fall upon the enemy and hurt him where he is, it is plain to me it can gain nothing by attempting to follow him over a succession of intrenched lines into a fortified city. Yours, truly, A. LINCOLN.

Braxton Bragg spends the night quietly at Thedford's Ford still confident that his army is in position to turn the left flank of the enemy. However, before Bragg can get his men into motion, General John Brannan launches an attack in the direction or Reed's Bridge. Colonel Dan McCook, "Cump" Sherman's old law partner before the war, had informed General Thomas that a lone Confederate brigade was camped on the west side of Chickamauga Creek. Thomas, in turn, ordered Brannan to advance and gobble up the isolated unit. However, shortly after advancing, Brannan runs into a swarm of Rebel defenders and calls for reinforcements. When the brigades of Generals Van Derveer and Connell, together with the advancing division of General Absalom Baird fall on Nathan Bedford Forrest's defenders, he also request reinforcements. With the battle having been joined, Forrest reports, "Finding the enemy too strong..., I dispatched a staff officer to Lieutenant-General Polk's quarters for General Armstrong's division. He could only spare Colonel Dibrell's brigade, which arrived shortly after we engaged the enemy; was speedily dismounted and formed, and, with General Pegram's division, were able to hold position until infantry re-enforcements arrived, the first brigade of which, under Colonel Wilson, formed on my left, advanced in gallant style, driving the enemy back and capturing a battery of artillery, my dismounted cavalry advancing with them. The superior force of the enemy compelled us to give back until re-enforced by General Ector's brigade, when the enemy was again driven back."

HEADQUARTERS FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS, Chattanooga, Tenn. - Brig. Gen. JAMES A. GARFIELD, Chief of Staff, Department of the Cumberland. - GENERAL: Col. Dan. McCook...met me at General Baird's headquarters, and reported...that he could discover no force of the enemy except one brigade, which had crossed to the west side of the Chickamauga at Reed's Bridge...; and he believed it could be cut off, because, after it had crossed, he had destroyed the bridge, the enemy having retired toward Alexander's Bridge. Upon this information I directed General Brannan to post a brigade, within supporting distance of Baird, on the road to Alexander's Bridge, and with his other two brigades to reconnoiter the road leading to Reed's Bridge to see if he could locate the brigade reported by Colonel McCook, and, if a favorable opportunity occurred, to capture it....Very respectfully, your obedient servant, GEO. H. THOMAS, Major-General U.S. Volunteers, Commanding.

General W.H.T. Walker hurriedly sends additional units into the fray. With the battlefield covered by dense woods, complete with thorny thickets and bristling underbrush, the commanding generals are only able to follow the action by the sounds of the gunfire and through intermittent reports sent back by line officers. When General Baird's advance is finally halted, Rebel reinforcements strike at the unsettled Union line. General Thomas reports, "Hearing from prisoners that the enemy were in heavy force on his immediate right, [General Baird] threw back his right wing in order to be ready for an attack from that quarter. Before his dispositions could be completed, the enemy, in overwhelming numbers, furiously assaulted..., and drove them in disorder. Fortunately, at this time Johnson's division, of McCook's corps, and Reynolds' division, of my corps, arrived, and were immediately placed in position....As soon as formed they advanced upon the enemy, attacking him in flank and driving him in great disorder for a mile and a half....The enemy, at this time being hardly pressed by Johnson, Palmer, and Reynolds in flank, fell back in confusion upon his reserves, posted in a strong position on the west side of Chickamauga Creek between Reed's and Alexander's Bridges." General Walker, having already been pushed back a mile and a half, is in danger of being driven back into the creek when General Cheatham, commanding the largest division in Bragg's army, arrives on the field. Cheatham's men halt the Federal advance until, late in the afternoon, the fighting breaks off due to exhaustion and a lack of ammunition.

HEADQUARTERS FORREST'S CAVALRY COMMAND, Dalton, Ga. - Lieut. Col. GEORGE WILLIAM BRENT, Assistant Adjutant-General, Army of Tennessee. - COLONEL: When driven back the second time, with the loss of another battery, their full strength was developed, and, being met and overpowered by vastly superior numbers, we were compelled to fall back to our first position. A cavalry charge was made to protect the infantry as they retired, which they did in good order, but with loss. We captured many prisoners, but were unable for want of horses to bring off the guns captured from the enemy....We fell back, fighting and contesting the ground, to our original position near the mill on the Reed's Bridge road. General Cheatham's division coming up and engaging the enemy drove them for some distance, but was in turn compelled to fall back. Seeing General Maney's brigade hard pressed and retiring before the enemy, I hastened to his relief with Freeman's battery of six pieces, dismounting Colonel Dibrell's brigade to support it....They were gallantly protected by Colonel Dibrell in retiring, who fell back with the line of infantry....I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant, N. B. FORREST, Brigadier-General, Commanding.

Throughout the day, Rosecrans and Bragg have been throwing additional units into the growing battle near Reed's Bridge. Bragg, in an attempt to turn "Old Rosy's" flank, and Rosecrans, in an effort to blunt the repeated Rebel attacks. General A. P. Stewart's division, the "little giants," are the next Rebel unit to enter the battle. Given vague orders by Bragg, Stewart searches out his commanding general "to get more specific instructions," only to be told that General Polk was in command of the right wing and that, "I must be governed by circumstances." Unable to find Polk, Stewart reports, "I saw no officer whose rank was superior to my own," and following the sounds of the rifle fire, Stewart launches his men, in column by brigades, against the center of the Union line along the La Fayette Road near the Brotherton cabin. Rosecrans' efforts to strengthen his left has stripped the center of his line and as a result, Stewart's attack is a smashing success. General Joseph Reynolds brings all the available artillery, fourteen cannons in all, to bear on Stewart's unsupported right flank, and Rosecrans sends the divisions of Brannan and Negley, along with Wilder's Lightning Brigade to stem the tide. Negley reports, "[I] moved to the left of his (General Rosecrans') headquarters..., when I discovered a gap in our line, through which the enemy was moving upon the right flank...Stanley's brigade was immediately dispatched to meet and check the advance of the enemy, Sirwell supporting him on his right. After a brisk skirmish the enemy was driven back into the woods."

HEADQUARTERS STEWART'S DIVISION, Near Chattanooga, Tenn. - Capt. J. N. GALLEHER, Assistant Adjutant-General, Buckner's Corps. - SIR: Near noon, Maj. Pollok B. Lee brought me an order from the commanding general to move to the point where firing had commenced....Moving by the right flank in the direction indicated, from half a mile to a mile, we arrived near a corn-field, beyond which the heaviest firing was heard. Messengers were sent in search of General Polk, but without success, and fearing to lose too much time, I determined to move upon the enemy across this corn-field. Lieut. W. B. Richmond, aide to General Polk, confirmed me in this design. He came up in search of the general himself, and told me that from what he knew of the nature of the ground and situation of the enemy, a better point at which to attack them could not be found....After a severe engagement of near an hour..., General Clayton withdrew to replenish his exhausted ammunition, and his place was supplied by General Brown. This gallant officer, with his veteran command, advanced rapidly, driving the enemy before them several hundred yards through a dense undergrowth and routing his first line, driving it back upon his second, which was posted on a slight ridge and supported by artillery. Advancing upon this line under a terrific fire from all arms the enemy were forced from the ridge, which was occupied, but from which the brigade soon withdrew in consequence of a force of the enemy threatening its right....It being necessary to relieve Brown, Bate's brigade was brought up and received by the enemy with as hot a fire as had successively greeted Clayton and Brown. Attacking, however, with their usual impetuosity they drove the enemy back, forcing him to withdraw his batteries and to abandon one position after another....Clayton's brigade being again brought forward as a support to Bate's, the two pressed on, driving the enemy beyond the road leading to Chattanooga. Clayton's brigade, with a portion of Bate's, continued the pursuit for half a mile..., when, in consequence of threatening movements on the right and left, they fell back leisurely about sunset, reforming on the east side of the road....I am, captain, very respectfully, your obedient servant, A. P. STEWART, Major-general.

In the confusion of the battle, John Bell Hood's three brigades, along with Bushrod Johnson's division are without orders when Stewart makes his charge. When Stewart is forced to make a stubborn withdrawal, Hood can stand it no longer and launches an attack of his own. Crashing into Jefferson C. Davis' division, Hood's men, like Stewart's, pierce the Union line along the La Fayette Road. Colonel Wilder's men are again on the scene. Wilder reports, "Another column of rebels came out of the woods near Vineyard's house moving obliquely at and to my right, driving General Davis' command before them. General Crittenden at this point came near being captured in trying to rally these troops. I immediately again changed front and enfiladed their right flank with an oblique fire, which soon drove them back with terrible slaughter. General Davis now rallied his men, who gallantly advanced on my right under a galling fire, but were soon driven by overwhelming numbers back again to my right....We...kept up a constant fire with our repeating rifles, causing a most fearful destruction in the rebel ranks." As with Stewart's advance, Hood's success is unsupported and his flanks are vulnerable when two brigades from General Wood's division, marching to reinforce the left on the Union line, arrive on the field. General Harker's brigade strikes Bushrod Johnson's column in the left flank, and the Rebel attackers are again forced to withdraw back across the road. Only darkness ends the fierce fighting along the lines.

HEADQUARTERS, Chattanooga. - Maj. W. H. SELLERS, Assistant Adjutant-General. - SIR: By direction of Major-General Hood..., I ordered the division to advance and engage the enemy....In front of Gregg's brigade the woods presented a thick undergrowth, in which that brigade at once becoming hotly engaged, its progress was impeded, while Johnson's brigade advanced some 600 yards before the enemy opened fire upon it....Gregg's brigade advanced some 300 yards, obliquing in endeavoring under fire to keep the connection to the right. The connection, however, was broken in the thick woods between the second and third battalions, the two right regiments preserving their connection with the line on their right, and wheeling with it to the right; the third and fourth regiments, advancing less obliquely, faced more to the south, while the left regiment of that brigade moved more directly to its front....The two regiments from Gregg's brigade drove the enemy in rapid flight across the Chattanooga road, and passed a small house in a corn-field west of the road and north of Vineyard's house...; though the enemy in their front were in flight and broken, those regiments fell back for want of support and on account of reenforcements received by the enemy and a flank fire on the left....The contest continued here nearly an hour, when the enemy, after a stubborn resistance, gradually retired to an open woods beyond the road from Chattanooga to Lee and Gordon's Mills. Approaching the road, a part of the brigade halted and poured its fire into the enemy's ranks, now in full view 200 yards in front; again advanced, crossed the road....The Seventeenth Tennessee Regiment...and the Third and Forty-first Tennessee Regiments...advanced somewhat farther when the enemy, marching by the flank, suddenly appeared on the left and rear of the last two regiments. Colonel Walker...on discovering this movement, faced his regiment by the rear rank and moved back across the road, while Colonel Tillman hastened to communicate the knowledge of the movement to Colonel Fulton, Commanding Johnson's brigade. The movement of the enemy down the Chattanooga road was so prompt that they penetrated our line on the left of Johnson's brigade, filed off to the left, and fired a volley into its rear. This brigade now moved by one impulse to the right, and fell back to the east of the road from Chattanooga to Lee and Gordon's Mills....Finding my line now (about sunset) quite irregular in its formation, I proceeded immediately to reform it in the wood about 600 yards east of the road from Chattanooga to Lee and Gordon's Mills, where, by order of Major-General Hood, temporary breastworks of timber were put up along the line....I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, B. R. JOHNSON, Brigadier-General.

The last division released to the battlefield by Braxton Bragg, led by Irishman Pat Cleburne, crosses the icy, shoulder high waters of Chickamauga Creek at Thedford's ford at 4:30 p.m. Cleburne reports, "Soon after sunset my division was formed...about 300 yards in rear of the right of the first line....I now received orders from Lieutenant-General Hill to advance and drive back the enemy's left wing." Despite the ferocity of Cleburne's attack, his advance soon bogs down in the forested darkness. Richard Johnson, commanding the defending forces reports, "My entire line was attacked by an overwhelming force in front, flank, and rear. Here the assault was terrific, but darkness soon prevented us from recognizing friend from foe, and in hand-to-hand contest the enemy was repulsed....I received an order...to fall back...and encamp....By this movement many of our wounded fell into the hands of the rebels."

HEADQUARTERS CLEBURNE'S DIVISION, HILL'S CORPS, ARMY OF TENNESSEE, Missionary Ridge, near Chattanooga, Tenn. - Lieut. Col. ARCHER ANDERSON, Assistant Adjutant-General, Hill's Corps. - COLONEL: The enemy, posted behind hastily constructed breastworks, opened a heavy fire of both small-arms and artillery. For half an hour the firing was the heaviest I had ever heard. It was dark, however, and accurate shooting was impossible. Each party was aiming at the flashes of the other guns, and few of the shot from either side took effect....There was some confusion at the time, necessarily inseparable, however, from a night attack. This, and the difficulty of moving my artillery through the woods in the dark, rendered a farther advance inexpedient for the night. I consequently halted, and, after readjusting my lines, threw out skirmishers a quarter of a mile in advance and bivouacked....Respectfully, P. R. CLEBURNE, Major-General.

As the firing dies down and the men on both sides settle in for a long, cold night, Generals Bragg and Rosecrans call their senior commanders together for councils of war. Rosecrans reports, "During the evening...the corps commanders were assembled at headquarters at Widow Glenn's house, the reports of the positions and condition of their commands heard, and orders given for the disposition of the troops for the following day. Thomas' corps...was to maintain substantially his present line, with Brannan in reserve. McCook..., was to close on Thomas..., covering the position at Widow Glenn's, and Crittenden to have two divisions in reserve near the junction of McCook's and Thomas' lines to be able to succor either." The conditions at Bragg's headquarters, near Thedford's ford, are not quite so serene. Despite the fact that James Longstreet has not arrived on the field, largely because Bragg has neglected to send an escort to Catoosa Station to direct the general to the battlefield, Bragg decides to reorganize his army into two wings and give "Old Pete" command of the left wind. Bragg reports, " The whole force was divided for the next morning into two commands and assigned to the two senior lieutenant-generals, Longstreet and Polk-the former to the left, where all his own troops were stationed, the latter continuing his command of the right....Lieutenant-General Polk was ordered to assail the enemy on our extreme right at day-dawn..., and to take up the attack in succession rapidly to the left. The left wing was to await the attack by the right, take it up promptly when made, and the whole line was then to be pushed vigorously and persistently against the enemy." When Longstreet finally appears, Bragg is summoned from his ambulance and the two discuss the next day's operations. It is too late however, for Longstreet to examine his lines, or to notify his corps commanders of their next day's responsibilities.

HEADQUARTERS, Near Chattanooga. - Col. GEORGE WILLIAM BRENT, Assistant Adjutant-General. - COLONEL: Our train reached Catoosa Platform, near Ringgold, about 2 o'clock in the afternoon....As soon as our horses came up (about 4 o'clock), I started with Colonels Sorrel and Manning, of my staff, to find the headquarters of the commanding general. We missed our way and did not report till near 11 o'clock at night. Upon my arrival, I was informed that the troops had been engaged during the day in severe skirmishing while endeavoring to get in line for battle. The commanding general gave me a map showing the roads and streams between Lookout Mountain and the Chickamauga River, and a general description of our position, and informed me that the battle was ordered at daylight the next morning....I was assigned to the command of the Left Wing, composed of Hood's and Hindman's divisions, an improvised division under Brig. Gen. B. R. Johnson, and Buckner's corps, consisting of Stewart's and Preston's divisions....I have the honor to be, colonel, very respectfully, your most obedient servant, J. LONGSTREET, Lieutenant-General.

Unlike William Rosecrans, who has his orders written out to each of his corps commanders and "read in the presence of all," Braxton Bragg issues only verbal orders to his two wing commanders. Leonidas Polk returns to his headquarters with the responsibility of coordinating and implementing the initial charge of Bragg's expected day-dawn assault. Unfortunately, the courier sent to deliver the orders to D.H. Hill cannot find the general and retires for the night without informing anyone of his failure. D.H. Hill reports, "I left at 11 o'clock to find General Bragg at Thedford's Ford, where the orders for the day stated that his headquarters would be....As I had no orders for the next day, I deemed it necessary to find the commanding general....About midnight Lieutenant-Colonel Anderson, adjutant-general, reported that my corps had been placed under command of Lieutenant-General Polk as wing commander, and that the general wished to see me that night at Alexander's Bridge, 3 miles distant. I was much exhausted..., and therefore resolved to rest until 3 o'clock." Despite being at Thedford's ford, Hill is unable to locate Bragg, and after his three hour nap, is equally unable to locate Polk, his new wing commander. Thus, both Bragg and Polk retire for the night unaware that D.H. Hill and all of his division and brigade commanders are completely ignorant that they are expected to spearhead an attack, scheduled to jump off tomorrow morning at day-dawn.

Deposition of John H. Fisher. - HEADQUARTERS POLK'S CORPS. On the night of September 19, I was on duty at headquarters as courier. About 12 o'clock a dispatch was handed me to be carried to Lieutenant-General Hill. I left immediately in search of General Hill, having been informed that General Hill was near Thedford's Ford. I was unable to find General Hill after searching for him for about four hours. In my search I came up with General Cheatham and made inquiry of him for General Hill. He informed me that he knew nothing of his whereabouts. I also met with General Breckinridge and made of him the same inquiry and received of him the same answer. After going in every direction and inquiring of all the soldiers I met of his and other commands I returned to headquarters, after a search of about four hours, unable to find General Hill. Upon my return I did not report to Colonel Jack, as I understood from his clerk (Mr. McReady) that I was not to disturb him upon my return. JOHN H. FISHER, Orleans Light Horse.

General Officer fatalities on this date:

Smith, Preston, 1823-1863, Tennessee. Smith graduated from Jackson College in Columbia, Tennessee, and upon graduation moved to Memphis to practice law. He was commissioned colonel of the 154th Tennessee early in the war and succeeded to brigade command after Bushrod Johnson was wounded at Shiloh. Smith is seriously wounded shortly thereafter, but recovers in time to lead a brigade in the Army of Tennessee during the invasion of Kentucky. He was promoted to brigadier-general on October 27th, 1862, and led his brigade at Stones River and during the Tullahoma campaign. During Pat Cleburne's night attack, Smith was ordered to bring his brigade into action in support of Cleburne, but was killed when he mistakenly stumbled into the Federal lines while searching for James Deshler's brigade in advance of his own men. Smith was hit by several balls before being carried to the rear where he died within the hour.

Other activity on this date:
Skirmish at and Union occupation of Bristol, Tennessee.
Skirmish at Como, Tennessee.

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