The fighting 255exasperation, Bragg called on Longstreet to
launch an assault.
Never before on a battlefield had
Longstreet fallen into such good fortune.
Rosecrans had begun to pull units over to his
beleaguered left, as additional support for
Thomas. When a Union staff officer
mistakenly reported a gap in the line on the
right - the troops were actually well
concealed in some woods - Old Rosy shifted
some units over, this time creating a gap.
Into this breach Longstreet's men
fortuitously charged. Two Union divisions
collapsed, racing back to Chattanooga. In
their flight, they took the Union army
commander with them. Once the Rebels
penetrated the line, Longstreet ordered them
to wheel right, to envelop the bulk of
Rosecrans's command. Union units melted
away, until the old stalwart, Thomas, held
firm. With some timely reinforcements, the
native Virginian Thomas refused to budge
from Snodgrass Hill, and repeated Rebel
attacks could not drive him off. At dark, he
withdrew his men, earning the sobriquet
'Rock of Chickamauga' for his efforts.
In triumph, Bragg emerged in lower
standing than before the battle. No one was
impressed with his leadership during the
course of the fight, and the bloodbath - over
18,000 casualties on the Rebels' side and
more than 16,000 for the Yankees - seemed
to have paralyzed him. He contributed
nothing after the breakthrough, and despite
pleas by Forrest and others to follow up the
victory, he stalled. The Federal troops made
good their escape and fortified. Eventually,
Bragg took up positions to lay siege,
attempting to cut off all supplies, but he
lacked the resources to do so completely.
After Bragg wasted a splendid opportunity
to crush the bulk of the Anny of the
Cumberland, old and new wounds began to
fester among the Confederate high
command. Bragg suspended Polk and two
others for refusing to obey orders. Several
generals petitioned Davis to remove Bragg.
and Longstreet penned the Secretary of War,
pleading with him to send Lee. Forrest
rejected such niceties. He threatened Bragg to
George H. Thomas, a Virginian by birth, served as corps
commander under Rosecrans. His defense at Chickamauga
saved the Army of the Cumberland and earned him the
nickname of the 'Rock of Chickamauga.' Appointed its
commander before the Chattanooga battles, he served in
the Atlanta campaign. Late in 1864,Thomas routed Hood's
army at Nashville. (Library of Congress)his face. I have stood your meanness as long
as I intend to,' thundered the brilliant
cavalryman. 'You have played the part of a
damned scoundrel, and are a coward, and if
you were any part of a man I would slap your
jaws and force you to resent it.' Forrest then
made clear that if Bragg ever interfered or
crossed paths with him, 'it will be at the peril
of your life.' Bragg, as well as everyone else in
the army, knew Forrest would do it, too.
Finally, Davis traveled out to Chattanooga
to resolve matters himself. The Rebel
President relieved D. H. Hill, a good yet
cantankerous officer, and transferred Polk to
Mississippi. With Davis's assent, Longstreet
took 15,000 men to recapture Knoxville. Yet
the President failed to address the major
problem, Bragg.
On the other side, Rosecrans's days were
numbered. Officials in Washington tolerated
his seemingly interminable delays as long as