Chickamauga Chickamauga question

Gdtaper

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I'm posting here as there is no Chickamauga forum per se. Hoping we have a few Chickamauga experts here. I am trying to trace Negley's division on September 20. Indications are he was ordered from the center of the line to pull out and support Thomas, the night before. He only sent Beatty's brigade initially due to Wood's lack of marching to take his place, his decision. When Rosecrans got that straightened out, the other brigades finally moved north. My question is really where were the three brigades when Longstreet struck? Beatty (who may have been furthest north as he helped repel Breckinridge) has been described as part of the rout that resulted, and I have seen on maps Stanley's brigade being part of the stand on/near Snodgrass Hill, but Sirwell is sometimes missing on the maps. I know that in the general confusion many units partially were routed, partially not. But wasn't Negley by then awfully far north to be caught up in the rout? And I believe he was carried along with it?
 
I'm posting here as there is no Chickamauga forum per se. Hoping we have a few Chickamauga experts here. I am trying to trace Negley's division on September 20. Indications are he was ordered from the center of the line to pull out and support Thomas, the night before. He only sent Beatty's brigade initially due to Wood's lack of marching to take his place, his decision. When Rosecrans got that straightened out, the other brigades finally moved north. My question is really where were the three brigades when Longstreet struck? Beatty (who may have been furthest north as he helped repel Breckinridge) has been described as part of the rout that resulted, and I have seen on maps Stanley's brigade being part of the stand on/near Snodgrass Hill, but Sirwell is sometimes missing on the maps. I know that in the general confusion many units partially were routed, partially not. But wasn't Negley by then awfully far north to be caught up in the rout? And I believe he was carried along with it?

Negley wasn't caught up in the rout. He simply decided to leave the battlefield with most of his division and attached troops when he received word that the Confederates were moving to cut off the line of retreat to the west. In doing so Negley abandoned the troops coalescing around Horseshoe Ridge in their hour of need for what was essentially a false rumor and furthermore failed to notify any superior (or anyone else for that matter) of his decision. There was a reason Negley was relieved from command and would never serve in combat again after Chickamauga.

Thomas had insisted that Negley come to support the far Union left, as he wanted to reunite the Fourteenth Corps (which had been divided for most of the battle). When Breckinridge's division turned the Federal left, Rosecrans finally sent Negley north. The back of Breckinridge's attack had been broken by the time Negley's division arrived. When Longstreet attacked, Negley and his command were north of Horseshoe Ridge in the area just west of Kelly Field. His lead brigades had indeed helped to repulse Breckinridge's breakthrough though his whole division was not engaged. Longstreet's attack hit and shattered Wood's division, Davis's division, Sheridan's division, and part of Brannan's and Van Cleve's divisions, which constituted the Union right and center-right.
 
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Sounds like you have an interest in Chickamauga. Get hold of a copy of the second volume of David Powell's trilogy to answer your question.....or better yet, treat yourself to the 3 volume set. If you want to learn about Chickamauga in depth it's definitely worth it.
Wasn't there a book way back by a Glenn Tucker on Chickamauga as well?
 
Join the book club we have on Chickamauga. It meets Wednesday night's at 9:00 over in the chat room.

We are currently working on David Powell's first book, "Chickamauga - A Mad Irregular Battle."

We are working through chapters 3 and 4 this week but just jump in!
 
Stanley's brigade was sent into Kelly Field where it counterattacked north, ending up past the end of the Union left. It retreated and eventually elements of it joined Thomas on the Horseshoe Ridge line. Sirwell remained with Negley, and supported the line of batteries that Negley assembled after the breakthrough.
 
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