A Personal Account of the Battle of Chickamauga

Capt. William G. Hendrick

            In the personal effects of my grandfather, Charles Kendrick, son of Captain William G. Kendrick was an Inspector’s Log Book from the civil war. William is fondly called WGK by my family since the 50 letters we have that he sent home from his service in the Union Army were usually signed ‘WGK’. WGK signed up as Captain of Company A, 79th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, but was serving as Brigade Inspector, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 14th Army (Col. T.R. Stanley commanding the Brigade) at the time of the Battle of Chickamauga. Found in this Inspector’s Log used by WGK is his personal view of the Battle of Chickamauga, written on 28 September 1863 - just eight days after the battle.

Topographical description of the battlefield of Chickamauga and the fight seen from Brannan’s Division

Chattanooga Tenn.
Sept. 28th 1863.

McLemore’s Cove, where the great battle of Chickamauga was fought on the nineteenth and twentieth instants, is situated between the Lookout mountains and the Pigeon mountains, is from eight to twelve miles in breadth, and extends about fifty miles to the South of the Tennessee River. Chattanooga is situated in the northwest corner of the Cove, and immediately at the foot and northeast terminus of the Lookout mountains. Two large creeks head in this Cove and flowing northward through the Cove empty into the Tennessee River. Chattanooga Creek, the most western of these, flows along the base of Lookout Mountains and empties into the Tennessee River below Chattanooga. The Chickamauga River is the most eastern of these, and flows along the base of the Pigeon Mountains, emptying into the Tennessee River above Chattanooga. Between these two creeks is a ridge called Missionary Ridge, running through the entire extent of this Cove, about four miles in width, covered with scrubby black oak, some pine and undergrowth, coarse gravelly soil, and is crossed in every direction with numerous good roads. Two main roads run through the extent of the Cove, one along the valley of the Chattanooga River, another along the valley of the Chickamauga River. Crossing the Lookout Mountains from Trenton our army entered the Cove by way of Stephens’s Gap, about twenty-six miles south of Chattanooga. Eight miles to our front and left lay the gaps in pigeon mountains, over which we expected to cross en route for Lafayette. These were strongly guarded by Bragg’s forces, who a few days before evacuated Chattanooga for this purpose. These Gaps, beginning with the most southern one, are known respectively as the Blue Bird Gap, Dug Gap, and Catlett’s Gap.

            On Friday, the 18th instant, our division (Brannan’s) lay at Morgan’s Ford, on the Chickamauga river, about seven miles northeast of Stephens’s Gap, and eighteen miles south of Chattanooga, three miles distant from and fronting Catlett’s Gap of Pigeon Mountains. The division was ordered to march at six o’clock P.M. Our line of march lay along the Chattanooga road running along the valley of the Chickamauga river for the distance of six miles to Crawfish Springs, at which place we turned off from this road and struck the Lafayette and Chattanooga road one half mile north of Gordon’s Mill, which point we reached about daybreak on the morning of the 19th. This Lafayette road crosses Chickamauga Creek at Gordon’s Mill, heads the Pigeon Mountains eighteen miles south of Chattanooga, and runs along the east side of these to Lafayette, and is the road Bragg’s forces moved along confronting ours. The Chickamauga valley road and this road unite at Rossville, seven miles from Gordon’s Mill, and five miles from Chattanooga. Half way between Gordon’s Mill and Rossville the battle commenced, and was the necessary consequence of two roads running together.

The race was for Chattanooga, and the army that made it first must of needs have the road. Our army marched hundreds of miles last fall to gain Louisville and fought the battle of Perryville for the possession of Kentucky, the battle of Stone River for the possession of Middle Tennessee. But the great battle Chickamauga was fought for the possession of a little crossroad. Our line of battle lay along this road extending from Rossville to Gordon’s Mill. From Rossville east to Chickamauga river is about five miles; Rossville is a t the foot of Missionary Ridge; from this to the river the land is mostly level, and covered with black oak timber and considerable undergrowth; some cleared fields. The fight was commenced in this wise: At 9 o’clock A.M. the 2nd brigade of Brannan’s division was ordered to the left of the road in the direction of Ringgold and Wilson’s Ford, on the Chickamauga river, one mile and a half distant, to reconnoiter the enemy’s front and pick up any brigade of rebels we might find out of place. We had scarcely advanced a mile when we encountered Walker’s division. The hail of musketry was terrific and its roar deafening for one hour and a half. Gen. Brannan’s division was flanked and forced to retire; and one after one the divisions on the right and left centre were compelled to give away, beginning on the left. Reynolds division, with two regiments of our brigade, the 18th and 74th Indiana were the last to give back, after having held their position at the point of the bayonet, without a single round of Ammunition, for over half an hour. The army then at 12 o’clock on Sunday, was split square in two, and the centre forced back. Missionary Ridge lay in out rear only three quarters of a mile. Gen. Thomas, with his usual coolness and sagacity, seeing how the fortunes of the day were bent, ordered the troops under his command to rally on the summit of this ridge. The battle was immediately renewed against this gallant band with all the redoubled fury occasioned by the elation of success. The rebels charged and charged, stormed and stormed the hill, but Gen. Thomas was bent upon holding his position; cartridge boxes were taken from the wounded and slain to furnish the ammunition for the troops to fight with; ammunition train had been cut of and ordered from the field; and all the while our soldiers fought with a heroism never before seen in the history of this war.

            Two thousand men upon a solitary ridge, confronted by a foe superior in numbers, worn out of strength, exhausted with fatigue, and out of ammunition, resolved to hold the place at all hazards with the point of the bayonet, and on this hill-side a hundred tombs will rise of foes, contending hand to hand, felled at each other’s feet. In the extreme moment when all our ammunition had been used to a single cartridge, Granger arrived to our relief with his reserve corps. This was about 5 o’clock P.M. The fight was renewed with increased vigor and raged until dark with unabating fury. The rebels were then silenced about dark, at which juncture of night, Gen. Thomas thought best to call his men down from the hill of glory they had so gallantly defended to the last and withdraw to a place of safety, three miles in the direction of Chattanooga to Rossville.

The retreat was effected quietly and in the best order, the rebels being too intent on halloing and yelling to think of watching us very closely or following us up. The day following we lay at Rossville, within three miles of the battle-ground, and reorganized our forces. The curious can guess how badly the rebels were afflicted when they suffered us to remain so near them the day following the battle. They were very content to let us fall back on our own account; and unmolested we came to Chattanooga the next night.

The rebels began to invest the place on Tuesday. They have not attempted to attack us, but seem on the contrary very anxious for us to evacuate. They come in once every day with a strong picket force to see whether or not it be the case.

Perhaps we will evacuate the place when we get reinforcements, but the evacuation will be a very serious matter with them. The Army of the Cumberland is right side up yet. We are not yet crushed. The street confronting us is not to long for us to go through and we will go through it.

K. W. G.

 

David W. Bash, great grandson of Capt. William G. Kendrick, Company A, 79th Pennsylvania Volunteers. He is working on a book based on the 50 letters which Capt. Hendrick wrote home during the Civil War from 1861 to 1863, ending just after the Battle of Chickamauga. Also included will be additional records from that time period about Kendrick, including a letter of recommendation from Gen. George H. Thomas after William's resignation due to injuries received in that battle.