Georgia Natural Wonder #195 - Crawfish Springs - Battle Of Chickamauga (Part 1). 875

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Crawfish Springs - Battle Of Chickamauga (Part 1)

Waterfowl have claimed the crystal-clear waters that gush forth from the hillside at Crawfish Springs, a municipal park located within the historic district of Chickamauga, Ga. Ducks paddle through the cold shallow water, and a palette of green aquatic grasses sway toward a railroad bridge built in the 1880s. Downstream, another spring adds volume to the watershed before it empties into West Chickamauga Creek.



Don’t let Crawfish Springs fool you. It might appear to be a quaint place for a picnic, with its gently sloping grass hills, crumbling rock walls and scattering of Civil War interpretive markers.



However, Crawfish Springs is sacred ground. The spring and surrounding landscape are historically significant to the Cherokee Nation and the American Civil War’s bloody Battle of Chickamauga.



Crawfish Spring is a body of water in Walker County, Georgia, on the east side of Cove Road in Chickamauga. The spring was named for Chief Crayfish the leader of the Tsikamagi  Cherokee.

History

Native Americans

After the period of the Mississippian mound builders, the area around Crawfish Spring passed into control of the Cherokee. Under pressure from the encroachment of white settlers, around 1800, the Cherokee nation divided into eight districts, one of which was the Chickamauga District, which included Crawfish Spring. According to Frederick Ufford, director of the Walker County Regional Heritage Museum and Civil War Center in Chickamauga, "Any place where there are large springs, generally there were populations of American Indians because of the water source". The Cherokee constructed their courthouse for the Chickamuaga District on a spot adjacent to Crawfish Spring.



In the mid-1800s, the Cherokee divided their nation into eight districts, and Crawfish Springs became part of the Chickamauga District. The district’s courthouse, which operated from 1821 until the Indian Removal in 1838, was located across the road from Crawfish Springs at the current site of the Gordon-Lee Mansion.


Gordon Lee Mansion from road and springs.

Cherokee arrowheads were produced en masse downstream from Crawfish Springs on a piece of land formerly known as Fork Field. A large number of arrowheads were found there in the years before the field was cultivated.


Downstream Chickamauga Creek.

Almost three-fourths of the land in present-day Georgia was distributed using the lottery system. Cherokee land in Northwest Georgia was sold through land lotteries in 1832. In 1838, any remaining Cherokee in North Georgia were forcibly removed to Indian Territory during what is known today as the Trail of Tears. The empty Cherokee courthouse then became the first county seat of Walker County, Ga.


Gordon-Lee Mansion

It is probable that the Cherokee from Crawfish Spring were detained at Ft Cummings in LaFayette Georgia and then marched back through their old settlement at the spring on their way to Ross's Landing in Chattanooga, Tennessee; the beginning of the Trail of Tears.

White settlement

Shortly after the forced removal of the Cherokee from their ancestral lands in Georgia in 1836, James Gordon and his brothers moved to Crawfish Springs from Gwinnett County, Ga.



James Gordon bought the Lee and Gordon’s Mill site from Leroy Holiway and built the grist mill with an attached store room (general store). The mill served as the first general store in Walker County.



The mill was occupied by both Confederate and Union armies. The Confederate under General Bragg the first few days of September 1863. Later September 19, 20 1863, General Rosecrans stationed a detachment at the mill to prevent Confederates from crossing the creek.



The mill stood empty and neglected from 1967 until 1993, when they sold the mill property to Mr. Frank Pierce. Mr. Pierce completely, at his own expense, restored the mill the way it was 167 years ago, repairing the turbines and all working machinery.



At the present time grinding is being done on one of the three original mills.



In 1840 Gordon built a 2,500-acre  plantation and constructed a two-story brick house adjacent to Crawfish Spring.


Side view Gordon-Lee Mansion.

The house was built on the site of the old Cherokee courthouse.



Construction began in 1840 and was not completed until 1847 due to labor and financial issues.



Slave laborers built Gordon’s brick mansion-known today as the Gordon-Lee Mansion.



The mansion is the only remaining structure from the Battle of Chickamauga.



As it stands now the home is owned by the city of Chickamauga and is a national historic site.



The Gordon-Lee Mansion has now been turned into a Wedding venue and is open for tours during spring and summer.

Civil War

With the outbreak of the American Civil War James Gordon's son, Clark Gordon stood upon a rock beside the Gordon-Lee Mansion and organized 2nd Company D, First Georgia Volunteer Infantry, C.S.A.





On September 16, 1863, two days preceding the Battle of Chickamauga, Union Major General William S. Rosecrans commandeered the house and surrounding property for use as his headquarters during the battle.



The spring became the primary water source for troops under Rosecrans' command. One of his staff officers, Col. John P. Sanderson, wrote in his diary that "the spring here is a magnificent one, affording an abundant supply for man and beast of the entire army, of cool, soft, and delicious water".



A member of the 37th Indiana Infantry Regiment was also impressed by the spring. George H. Putney wrote "After going some distance, we came to Crawfish Springs. There we were permitted to fill our canteens, which we gladly did, as we knew the importance of water in a bottle. What a beautiful spring of water that was and is! Think of going from that pure life-giving fountain of clear, cold water, springing up in great abundance, to a great and dreadful battle where smoke and dust and toil and wounds and death hold high carnival. That is war!"



Wagons were backed up under the windows of the house so the severed limbs of soldiers could be tossed out and disposed of more easily. The floors were so covered in blood that mats had to be put down to hide the stains. Many soldiers wrote their last words upon the walls and the women of the Gordon family would copy the messages down and try to send them to family members of the fallen soldiers.


Wandering the gardens and out buildings of the Gordon Lee Mansion.

The 39th Indiana Mounted Infantry encamped at the spring during the battle, which precipitated the establishment of the federal army's major field hospital and medical supply depot there. After the start of battle, wounded filled the Gordon house and large tents that were erected on the grounds. When the number of wounded Union soldiers overwhelmed those facilities, the wounded were laid out in rows on the ground, with lines of campfires at their feet.



On September 20, 1863, cavalry under the command of Confederate Major General Joseph Wheeler swept through the area, capturing the hospital and large quantities of medical supplies, in addition to 1,000 wounded Union soldiers.

Post Civil War

Twenty-six years after the Battle of Chickamauga, on September 20, 1889, General Rosecrans returned to Crawfish Spring, where he was greeted by Confederate Major General John B. Gordon (then governor of the state of Georgia) in a reunion of former foes "in the spirit of reconciliation and friendship". The reunion was attended by 14,000 veterans from both sides of the conflict and was known as the Blue and Gray Barbecue.



Military bands were present to provide entertainment, and 30 tables were set up to hold the food. A ceremonial “smoking for peace” took place following the meal. Pipes made from wood taken from Snodgrass Hill and stems made from river cane cut from the banks of West Chickamauga Creek were used for the ceremony, as well as some 85 pounds of tobacco.


Camp Thomas today.

Plans to create the nation’s first national military park came into being at the Blue and Gray Barbecue at Crawfish Springs. The event prompted President Benjamin Harrison to designate the Chickamauga battlefield as America's first Military Park. As a result, the country’s first and largest national military park - Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park - was dedicated in September 1895.


Camp Thomas restored.

The following year, Congress passed legislation allowing the Military Park to be used as a training ground for the Army. As war with Spain looked inevitable, in early 1898 the Chickamauga Battlefield Park came under consideration is the place of troop training. The reason was the Chickamauga Park offered good railroad link's to most parts of the country. Besides the adequate railroads, the climate was warm and would help acclimate many of the Northern troops to the Cuban weather conditions.



The all Black 25th Infantry Regiment camped and the site was named Camp George H. Thomas. Due to lack of sanitation, disease was rampant.


Looking up to camp Thomas buildings from spring.

In the early 20th century, Chickamauga became a textile mill town. D.A. Jewell and his business partner, Col. W.L.L. Bowen, purchased land adjacent to Crawfish Springs to open a mill, the Crystal Springs Bleachery Company, along the banks of Crawfish and Crystal Springs in 1909.


The Tannery was a main business in Chickamauga.

The Crystal Springs Bleachery Company closed earlier this year; however, Crawfish Springs continues to beam with aquatic beauty and a heavy dose of history. Downtown Chickamauga offers a vibrant historic district for visitors, with shopping, historic sites, cafés and restaurants. The former railroad depot houses the Walker County Regional Heritage and Civil War Center, just a short walk from Crawfish Springs.

Water supply and recreational area

Until 1888, the area and post office of Chickamauga was known as Crawfish Spring. The spring was the primary water supply for settlers and for the city itself.


Kids hanging out on water tower during Chickamauga Days Festival.


Water Tower and downtown Chickamauga.

When the city converted to another water source, Crawfish Spring became a recreational area.



The spring is no longer used as a city water supply and has been converted to a park setting with picnic tables, a swing, and a gazebo.



The cool shade of the tall trees surrounding the spring give plenty of relief from the hot summer sun. Parking is free along Cove Road and the spring is open for all to enjoy at no charge.

Geology

Crawfish Spring is estimated to flow at a rate of approximately 14 million US gallons per day, emanating from the base of a small dolomite hill. It is along the contact of the Chickamauga Limestone and Knox Dolomite. The Knox Dolomite forms Missionary Ridge to the west of the spring, and it is this chert ridge that acts as the catchment area for the water flowing from the spring.



Every picture so far has been a Top Row Dawg image. Except the Mill vintage image.





Battle of Chickamauga (Part 1)

The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 18–20, 1863, between U.S. and Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a Union offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign, in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia. It was the first major battle of the war fought in Georgia, the most significant Union defeat in the Western Theater, and involved the second-highest number of casualties after the Battle of Gettysburg.



The battle was fought between the Army of the Cumberland under Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans and the Confederate Army of Tennessee under Gen. Braxton Bragg, and was named for Chickamauga Creek. The West Chickamauga Creek meanders near and forms the southeast boundary of the battle area and the park in northwest Georgia. (The South Chickamauga ultimately flows into the Tennessee River about 3.5 miles northeast of downtown Chattanooga).


Rosecrans and Bragg.

After his successful Tullahoma Campaign, Rosecrans renewed the offensive, aiming to force the Confederates out of Chattanooga. In early September, Rosecrans consolidated his forces scattered in Tennessee and Georgia and forced Bragg's army out of Chattanooga, heading south. The Union troops followed it and brushed with it at Davis's Cross Roads. Bragg was determined to reoccupy Chattanooga and decided to meet a part of Rosecrans's army, defeat it, and then move back into the city.

September 18


September 18 movements on the eve of the Battle of Chickamauga

Bushrod Johnson's division took the wrong road from Ringgold, but eventually headed west on the Reed's Bridge Road. At 7 a.m. his men encountered cavalry pickets from Col. Robert Minty's brigade, guarding the approach to Reed's Bridge. Being outnumbered five to one, Minty's men eventually withdrew across the bridge after being pressured by elements of Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry, but could not destroy the bridge and prevent Johnson's men from crossing. At 4:30 p.m., when Johnson had reached Jay's Mill, Maj. Gen. John Bell Hood of Longstreet's Corps arrived from the railroad station at Catoosa and took command of the column. He ordered Johnson to use the Jay's Mill Road instead of the Brotherton Road, as Johnson had planned.



At Alexander's Bridge to the south, Col. John T. Wilder's mounted infantry brigade defended the crossing against the approach of Walker's Corps. Armed with Spencer repeating rifles and Capt. Lilly's four guns of the 18th Indiana Battery, Wilder was able to hold off a brigade of Brig. Gen. St. John Liddell's division, which suffered 105 casualties against Wilder's superior firepower. Walker moved his men downstream a mile to Lambert's Ford, an unguarded crossing, and was able to cross around 4:30 p.m., considerably behind schedule. Wilder, concerned about his left flank after Minty's loss of Reed's Bridge, withdrew and established a new blocking position east of the Lafayette Road, near the Viniard farm.


Visiting the Chickamauga Visitor Center with my recently deceased best friend and season ticket buddy Sean.

By dark, Johnson's division had halted in front of Wilder's position. Walker had crossed the creek, but his troops were well scattered along the road behind Johnson. Buckner had been able to push only one brigade across the creek at Thedford's Ford. Polk's troops were facing Crittenden's at Lee and Gordon's Mill and D.H. Hill's corps guarded crossing sites to the south.



Although Bragg had achieved some degree of surprise, he failed to exploit it strongly. Rosecrans, observing the dust raised by the marching Confederates in the morning, anticipated Bragg's plan. He ordered Thomas and McCook to Crittenden's support, and while the Confederates were crossing the creek, Thomas began to arrive in Crittenden's rear area.

First day: September 19


Confederate troops advancing at Chickamauga (drawing by Alfred R. Waud)

The land between Chickamauga Creek and the LaFayette Road was gently rolling but almost completely wooded. ... In the woods no officer above brigadier could see all his command at once, and even the brigadiers often could see nobody's troops but their own and perhaps the enemy's. Chickamauga would be a classic "soldiers battle," but it would test officers at every level of command in ways they had not previously been tested. An additional complication was that each army would be attempting to fight a shifting battle while shifting its own position. ... Each general would have to conduct a battle while shuffling his own units northward toward an enemy of whose position he could get only the vaguest idea. Strange and wonderful opportunities would loom out of the leaves, vines, and gunsmoke, be touched and vaguely sensed, and then fade away again into the figurative fog of confusion that bedeviled men on both sides. In retrospect, victory for either side would look simple when unit positions were reviewed on a neat map, but in Chickamauga's torn and smoky woodlands, nothing was simple.

Six Armies in Tennessee, Steven E. Woodworth


Dense forest 1st day.

Rosecrans's movement of Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas's XIV Corps the previous day put the left flank of the Army of the Cumberland farther north than Bragg expected to find when he formulated his plans for an attack on September 20. Maj. Gen. Thomas L. Crittenden's XXI Corps was concentrated around Lee and Gordon's Mill, which Bragg assumed was the left flank, but Thomas was arrayed behind him, covering a wide front from Crawfish Springs (division of Maj. Gen. James S. Negley), the Widow Glenn's house (Maj. Gen. Joseph J. Reynolds), Kelly field (Brig. Gen. Absalom Baird), to around the McDonald farm (Brig. Gen. John M. Brannan). Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger's Reserve Corps was spread along the northern end of the battlefield from Rossville to McAfee's Church.


Actions, morning of September 19

Bragg's plan was for an attack on the supposed Union left flank by the corps of Maj. Gens. Simon B. Buckner, John Bell Hood, and W.H.T. Walker, screened by Brig. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry to the north, with Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Cheatham's division held in reserve in the center and Maj. Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne's division in reserve at Thedford's Ford. Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman's division faced Crittenden at Lee and Gordon's Mill and Breckinridge's faced Negley.



The Battle of Chickamauga opened almost by accident, when pickets from Col. Daniel McCook Jr.'s brigade of Granger's Reserve Corps moved toward Jay's Mill In search of water. McCook had moved from Rossville on September 18 to aid Col. Robert Minty's brigade. His men established a defensive position several hundred yards northwest of Jay's Mill, about equally distant from where the 1st Georgia Cavalry waited through the night south of the mill. At about the time that McCook sent a regiment to destroy Reed's Bridge (which would survive the second attempt in two days to destroy it), Brig. Gen. Henry Davidson of Forrest's Cavalry Corps sent the 1st Georgia forward and they encountered some of McCook's men near the mill. McCook was ordered by Granger to withdraw back to Rossville and his men were pursued by Davidson's troopers. McCook encountered Thomas at the LaFayette Road, having finished an all-night march from Crawfish Springs. McCook reported to Thomas that a single Confederate infantry brigade was trapped on the west side of Chickamauga Creek. Thomas told Brannan's division to attack and destroy it.


Jay's sawmill battle site.

Brannan sent three brigades in response to Thomas's order: Col. Ferdinand Van Derveer's brigade moved southeast on the Reed's Bridge Road, with Col. John Croxton's brigade on his right. Col. John Connell's brigade came up behind in reserve. Croxton's men drove back Davidson's advanced cavalrymen and Forrest formed a defensive line of dismounted troopers to stem the tide. Croxton halted his advance because he was unsure of Forrest's strength. Forrest requested reinforcements from Bragg and Walker near Alexander's Bridge and Walker ordered Col. Claudius Wilson's brigade forward about 9 a.m., hitting Croxton's right flank. Forrest protected his own right flank by deploying the brigade of Col. George Dibrell, which ran into Van Derveer's brigade and came to a halt under fire. Forrest sent in Brig. Gen. Matthew Ector's brigade, part of Walker's Reserve Corps, but without Walker's knowledge. Ector's men replaced Dibrell's in line, but they were also unable to drive Van Derveer from his position.


Rosie and Hendrix run wild at the Jay's Mill battle site.

Brannan's division was holding its ground against Forrest and his infantry reinforcements, but their ammunition was running low. Thomas sent Baird's division to assist, which advanced with two brigades forward and one in reserve. Brig. Gen. John King's brigade of U.S. Army regulars relieved Croxton. The brigade of Col. Benjamin Scribner took up a position on King's right and Col. John Starkweather's brigade remained in reserve. With superior numbers and firepower, Scribner and King were able to start pushing back Wilson and Ector.


Lot of fire power on display visitor center.

Bragg committed the division of Brig. Gen. St. John R. Liddell to the fight, countering Thomas's reinforcements. The brigades of Col. Daniel Govan and Brig. Gen. Edward Walthall advanced along the Alexander's Bridge Road, smashing Baird's right flank. Both Scribner's and Starkweather's brigades retreated in panic, followed by King's regulars, who dashed for the rear through Van Derveer's brigade. Van Derveer's men halted the Confederate advance with a concentrated volley at close range. Liddell's exhausted men began to withdraw and Croxton's brigade, returning to the action, pushed them back beyond the Winfrey field.


Bragg's Headquarters.

Believing that Rosecrans was attempting to move the center of the battle farther north than Bragg planned, Bragg began rushing heavy reinforcements from all parts of his line to his right, starting with Cheatham's division of Polk's Corps, with five brigades the largest in the Army of Tennessee. At 11 a.m., Cheatham's men approached Liddell's halted division and formed on its left. Three brigades under Brig. Gens. Marcus Wright, Preston Smith, and John Jackson formed the front line and Brig. Gens. Otho Strahl and George Maney commanded the brigades in the second line. Their advance greatly overlapped Croxton's brigade and had no difficulty pushing it back. As Croxton withdrew, his brigade was replaced by Brig. Gen. Richard Johnson's division of McCook's XX Corps near the LaFayette Road. Johnson's lead brigades, under Col. Philemon Baldwin and Brig. Gen. August Willich engaged Jackson's brigade, protecting Croxton's withdrawal. Although outnumbered, Jackson held under the pressure until his ammunition ran low and he called for reinforcements. Cheatham sent in Maney's small brigade to replace Jackson, but they were no match for the two larger Federal brigades and Maney was forced to withdraw as both of his flanks were crushed.


Visitor Center.

Additional Union reinforcements arrived shortly after Johnson. Maj. Gen. John Palmer's division of Crittenden's corps marched from Lee and Gordon's Mill and advanced into the fight with three brigades in line—the brigades of Brig. Gen. William Hazen, Brig. Gen. Charles Cruft, and Col. William Grose—against the Confederate brigades of Wright and Smith. Smith's brigade bore the brunt of the attack in the Brock field and was replaced by Strahl's brigade, which also had to withdraw under the pressure. Two more Union brigades followed Palmer's division, from Brig. Gen. Horatio Van Cleve's division of the XXI corps, who formed on the left flank of Wright's brigade. The attack of Brig. Gen. Samuel Beatty's brigade was the tipping point that caused Wright's brigade to join the retreat with Cheatham's other units.


Actions, early afternoon of September 19

For a third time, Bragg ordered a fresh division to move in, this time Maj. Gen. Alexander P. Stewart's (Buckner's corps) from its position at Thedford Ford around noon. Stewart encountered Wright's retreating brigade at the Brock farm and decided to attack Van Cleve's position on his left, a decision he made under his own authority. With his brigades deployed in column, Brig. Gen. Henry Clayton's was the first to hit three Federal brigades around the Brotherton Farm.



Firing until their ammunition was gone, Clayton's men were replaced with Brig. Gen. John Brown's brigade. Brown drove Beatty's and Dick's men from the woods east of the LaFayette Road and paused to regroup. Stewart committed his last brigade, under Brig. Gen. William Bate, around 3:30 p.m. and routed Van Cleve's division. Hazen's brigade was caught up in the retreat as they were replenishing their ammunition. Col. James Sheffield's brigade from Hood's division drove back Grose's and Cruft's brigades. Brig. Gen. John Turchin's brigade (Reynolds's division) counterattacked and briefly held off Sheffield, but the Confederates had caused a major penetration in the Federal line in the area of the Brotherton and Dyer fields. Stewart did not have sufficient forces to maintain that position, and was forced to order Bate to withdraw east of the Lafayette Road.


Brotherton cabin.

At around 2 p.m., the division of Brig. Gen. Bushrod R. Johnson (Hood's corps) encountered the advance of Union Brig. Gen. Jefferson C. Davis's two brigade division of the XX corps, marching north from Crawfish Springs. Johnson's men attacked Col. Hans Heg's brigade on Davis's left and forced it across the LaFayette Road. Hood ordered Johnson to continue the attack by crossing the LaFayette Road with two brigades in line and one in reserve. The two brigades drifted apart during the attack. On the right, Col. John Fulton's brigade routed King's brigade and linked up with Bate at Brotherton field. On the left, Brig. Gen. John Gregg's brigade attacked Wilder's Union brigade in its reserve position at the Viniard Farm. Gregg was seriously wounded and his brigade advance halted. Brig. Gen. Evander McNair's brigade, called up from the rear, also lost their cohesion during the advance.


Actions, late afternoon to dark, September 19

Union Brig. Gen. Thomas J. Wood's division was ordered to march north from Lee and Gordon's Mill around 3 p.m. His brigade under Col. George P. Buell was posted north of the Viniard house while Col. Charles Harker's brigade continued up the LaFayette Road. Harker's brigade arrived in the rear of Fulton's and McNair's Confederate regiments, firing into their backs. Although the Confederates retreated to the woods east of the road, Harker realized he was isolated and quickly withdrew. At the Viniard house, Buell's men were attacked by part of Brig. Gen. Evander M. Law's division of Hood's corps. The brigades of Brig. Gens. Jerome B. Robertson and Henry L. Benning pushed southwest toward the Viniard field, pushing back Brig. Gen. William Carlin's brigade (Davis's division) and fiercely struck Buell's brigade, pushing them back behind Wilder's line. Hood's and Johnson's men, pushing strongly forward, approached so close to Rosecrans's new headquarters at the tiny cabin of Widow Eliza Glenn that the staff officers inside had to shout to make themselves heard over the sounds of battle. There was a significant risk of a Federal rout in this part of the line. Wilder's men eventually held back the Confederate advance, fighting from behind a drainage ditch.


Spencer Repeating Rifle.

The Federals launched several unsuccessful counterattacks late in the afternoon to regain the ground around the Viniard house. Col. Heg was mortally wounded during one of these advances.


Statue of Col. Hans Christian Heg, Wisconsin State Capitol, Madison. During protests in June 2020, the statue was pulled down, decapitated, and thrown into Lake Monona. Restored now

Late in the day, Rosecrans deployed almost his last reserve, Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan's division of McCook's corps. Marching north from Lee and Gordon's Mill, Sheridan took the brigades of Cols. Luther Bradley and Bernard Laiboldt. Bradley's brigade was in the lead and it was able to push the heavily outnumbered brigades of Robertson and Benning out of Viniard field. Bradley was wounded during the attack.


Baldwin monument killed in far distance.

By 6 p.m., darkness was falling, and Braxton Bragg had not abandoned his idea of pushing the Federal army to the south. He ordered Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne's division (Hill's corps) to join Polk on the army's right flank. This area of the battlefield had been quiet for several hours as the fighting moved progressively southward. George Thomas had been consolidating his lines, withdrawing slightly to the west to what he considered a superior defensive position. Richard Johnson's division and Absalom Baird's brigade were in the rear of Thomas's westward migration, covering the withdrawal. At sunset Cleburne launched an attack with three brigades in line—from left to right, Brig. Gens. James Deshler, Sterling Wood, and Lucius Polk. The attack degenerated into chaos in the limited visibility of twilight and smoke from burning underbrush. Some of Absalom Baird's men advanced to support Baldwin's Union brigade, but mistakenly fired at them and were subjected to return friendly fire. Baldwin was shot dead from his horse attempting to lead a counterattack.


Philemon Baldwin and spot he was shot.

Deshler's brigade missed their objective entirely and Deshler was shot in the chest while examining ammunition boxes. Brig. Gen. Preston Smith led his brigade forward to support Deshler and mistakenly rode into the lines of Col. Joseph B. Dodge's brigade (Johnson's division), where he was shot down. By 9 p.m. Cleburne's men retained possession of the Winfrey field and Johnson and Baird had been driven back inside Thomas's new defensive line.


Smith and Grave.


Preston Smith Memorial Shell Monument Marker
View of the mortuary monument situated between the Smith Brigade Tablet (foreground) and the 77th Pennsylvania Monument (background).

Casualties for the first day of battle are difficult to calculate because losses are usually reported for the entire battle. Historian Peter Cozzens wrote that "an estimate of between 6,000 and 9,000 Confederates and perhaps 7,000 Federals seems reasonable."

OK I have the whole second day of Chickamauga to cover and it is probably the greatest Confederate victory of the Civil War. I have the greatest Unnatural Wonder of Georgia on deck for an excuse to post on the battle under a new post. Today's GNW Gals are Crawfish Baby-dolls.