by the way of Stevens’s Gap toward Lafayette, which he expected to occupy.  Crittenden had passed through Chattanooga, at first directing his march an Ringgold.  Thus the corps of the army were not in conjunction, and between McCook and Thomas there intervened a positive and aggressive obstacle in the shape of Bragg’s army concentrating and awaiting reinforcement at Lafayette.  Under these circumstances Bragg could have taken the different corps in detail, and it is strange that he did not, even before receiving his reinforcements, turn on McCook in Broomtown Valley and destroy him.

Intelligence that Bragg would give battle began to come to us from various sources as early as the 10th of September, and on the 11th McCook found that he could not communicate with Thomas by the direct road through Broomtown Valley; but we did not begin closing in toward Chattanooga till the 13th, and even then the Twentieth Corps had before it the certainty of many delays that must necessarily result from the circuitous and difficult mountain roads which we would be obliged to follow.  Had the different corps, beginning with McCook’s, been drawn in toward Chattanooga between the 8th and 12th of September, the objective point of the campaign would have remained in our hands without the battle of Chickamauga, but, as has been seen, this was not done.  McCook was almost constantly on the march day and night between the 13th and the 19th, ascending and descending mountains, his men worried and wearied, so that when they appeared on the battle-field, their fatigued condition operated greatly against their efficiency.  This delay in concentration was also the original cause of the continuous shifting toward our left to the support of Thomas, by which manoeuvre Rosecrans endeavored to protect his communications with Chattanooga, and out of which grew the intervals that offered such tempting opportunities to Bragg.  In addition to all this, much transpired on the field of battle tending to bring about disaster.  There did not seem to be any well-defined plan of action in the fighting; and this led to much independence of judgment in construing orders among some of the subordinate generals.  It also gave rise to much license in issuing orders:  too many people were giving important directions, affecting the whole army, without authority from its head.  In view, therefore, of all the errors that were committed from the time Chattanooga fell into our hands after our first crossing the Tennessee, it was fortunate that the Union defeat was not more complete, that it left in the enemy’s possession not much more than the barren results arising from the simple holding of the ground on which the engagement was fought.

CHAPTER XVI.

At Chattanooga—­the enemy fortifies lookout mountain and missionary
ridge—­reorganizing the army—­removal of general Rosecrans
—­punishment of deserters—­grant at Chattanooga—­the fight on lookout
mountain—­A brave color-bearer—­battle of missionary ridge.