The battle of Chickamauga
The Battle of Chickamauga began on Sept. 18,1863 and ended on September 20,1863. The Union was aiming to force the Confederates out of Chattanooga. The leader of the Confederate army was Braxton Bragg and the leader of the Union army was General William Rosecran. Bragg wanted to re-occupy Chattanooga to meet apart of Rosecrans army, defeat them and then return to the city. The Union troops followed Bragg's army south. On the 17th of September, Bragg headed north intending to meet and beat the XXI army corps. As Bragg marched north on the 18th of September, his cavalry and his infantry fought with the Union cavalry and mounted infantry which were armed with modern guns such as Spencer repeating rifles. The Confederate got ahead because Rosecran had made a mistake thinking that he had a gap in his line. He moved his men in a different position allowing a real gap to form, letting Bragg drive 1/3 of Union men and himself off the field. Rosecran was dropped from command and George H. Thomas took over. The battle lasted until after dark. Thomas led his men from the field letting the Confederates win. The Union retired to Chattanooga while the Confederate occupied the surrounding heights. The Union had 60 thousand forces engaged, while the Confederates had 65 thousand engaged. The Union had a total of 16,170 casualties while the Confederate had 18,454 casualties. The Battle of Chickamauga was a Confederate victory.