not up to an extended foray into the
Sequatchie Valley. Ever since Rosecrans
had advanced into middle Tennessee start-
ing with his successful Tullahoma Cam-
paign of late June 1863, right up to the
Battle of Chickamauga in late September,
Wheeler’s cavalry had been in constant
action with the enemy, whether scouting,
performing picket duty, or acting as the
rear guard for Bragg’s force. Almost four
months of hard riding and close contact
with Bluecoat riders had taken its toll on
the Rebel cavalry by way of broken-down
horses, equipment lost or in need of repair
and, of course, the utter fatigue of the men.
The condition of his outfit did not augur
well for the success of the assignment
handed Wheeler, but even worse was to
hinder the effort. Along with his weakened
divisions, led by Brigadiers John A. Whar-
ton and W.T. Martin, Bragg ordered that
General Nathan Bedford Forrest take three
brigades from his command to go along
with Wheeler. At this point in the war
Wheeler and Forrest were bitter enemies.
A botched raid on Dover, Tenn., in Febru-
ary 1862, where Wheeler was in charge
and Forrest was his subordinate, ended in
a costly defeat for the Gray raiders. For-
rest, who had been opposed to the plan
Wheeler had devised for the operation,swore after the fight that “[I]would be in
[my] coffin before I’ll fight again under
your command.”
After arguing with Bragg that his men
were not up to the task he had given them,
Forrest threatened the Army leader with
physical violence, and ended his tirade
against Bragg by declaring Bragg “was
unfit to command an army,” vowing never
to serve under him again. Fortunately for
all concerned, Forrest very soon after was
given an independent command by none
other than President Jefferson Davis, thus
removing him from the authority of both
Bragg and Wheeler for good.
Although Forrest would not be going on
the Sequatchie Valley excursion, his now
leaderless cavalry under Brig. Gen. H.B.
Davison and Colonels John S. Scott and
George B. Hodge would be taking part.
Like Wheeler’s troopers, Forrest’s three
former brigades had performed rigorous
service during the Chickamauga Cam-
paign and they and their mounts were in
no condition to make the proposed long
march. But again ignoring the facts about
the state of his cavalry, Bragg ordered For-
rest’s former troops to rendezvous with
Wheeler’s men on the south side of the
Tennessee River at Cottonport, 35 miles
northeast of Chattanooga.September 30 saw the juncture of
Wheeler’s and Forrest’s commands at Cot-
tonport. Wheeler quickly realized that For-
rest had not been exaggerating about the
state of his men. As he later reported, “The
three brigades from General Forrest were
mere skeletons, scarcely averaging 500
effective men each. They were badly
armed, and had but a small supply of
ammunition, and their horses were in hor-
rible condition, having been marched con-
tinuously for three days and nights without
removing saddles. The men were worn
out, and without rations.” Further, For-
rest’s subordinates voiced their opinion
that not only were their troopers not up to
the mission, but also that the men resented
having to again serve under Wheeler.
“Fighting Joe” listened to the complaints
and rejected them. He spent the rest of the
day weeding out those soldiers who were
patently unfit for duty, and consolidated
Forrest’s men into one brigade under Gen-
eral Davidson.
That evening, led by the 4th Tennessee
Cavalry Regiment, Wheeler’s 4,000 troop-
ers and six artillery pieces splashed across
the Tennessee River. Dispersed by a charge
of the 3rd Alabama Cavalry, supported by
artillery, the Yankee picket and two can-
non defending a wooded area on the north
bank fled the scene. Thus, the Confeder-
ates were across the river with only trifling
losses and Wheeler spent most of October
1 making further plans. He and the men
set off that evening, but gained only 10
miles before a heavy rainstorm made the
roads so muddy and the going so difficult
that the Graycoats were ordered into
bivouac. Meanwhile, the Federals, hearing
of the enemy river passage, beefed up their
patrols along the Tennessee. Also, three
regiments of infantry along with artillery
were sent to Anderson’s Cross Roads in
the Sequatchie Valley to protect the trains.
Late on October 2, the Confederates
were camped on the crest of Walden’s
Ridge with a clear view of the Sequatchie
Valley below. That night the cavalry com-
mander gathered his officers around him
to detail his plan for the morrow. Report-
ing to the assembled group that a FederalKevin HymelRebels held this view of Chattanooga from Lookout Mountain. They had their enemies in a very tight place.CWQ-Sum16 Wheeler's Raid_Layout 1 4/20/16 5:18 PM Page 61