The American Civil War - This Mighty Scourge of War

258 The American Civil War

men fought like tigers, and Sherman could
make little headway against such a
determined and well-led foe.

With Union plans stymied, Grant directed

Thomas to order his men forward. The

Union commander hoped that if men from

the Army of the Cumberland seized the first

row of rifle pits, it would draw Confederate

reinforcements from the flanks and assist

Sherman and Hooker. To the shock of both

Grant and Thomas, who were standing

together, soldiers in the Army of the

Cumberland not only crashed through the

first line of defense, they kept on going. An

annoyed Grant asked who gave that order,

saying there would be 'hell to pay,' Thomas

admitted knowing nothing. As the defenders

fell back, the Yankee troops pursued so

closely that Rebels higher up the slope could

not fire for fear of shooting their own men.

Confederates, moreover, had chosen their

primary line on the actual, not the military,

crest, which created dead spaces where

gunfire could not touch anyone. Federals

discovered that as they clambered up the

incline, they gained these pockets of

protection from enemy fire, and Rebels could

not depress their artillery guns enough to hit

them. On 25 November, the Army of the

Cumberland exacted revenge for the

Chickamauga disaster. They utterly shattered

the center of Bragg's line.

Cleburne's division acted as rear guard and

blocked Union pursuit. Still, Bragg had to fall

back 30 miles (48km) to Dalton, Georgia, to

regroup. The men in the Army of the

Tennessee had no confidence in Bragg's

leadership; the turmoil of high command and

the detachment of Longstreet's men had

caused severe damage to the morale of the

men. A week after the debacle at Chattanooga,

Bragg resigned as army commander.

Nor did Longstreet's Knoxville

expedition reap benefits to the Confederate

cause. He advanced on Burnside, delayed,

and when he did finally attack, it failed.

After the rout of Bragg's army, Grant rushed

Sherman with two corps to help relieve

Burnside. As the Federals approached,

Longstreet slipped away.

The battles for Chattanooga