JeffBrooks
2nd Lieutenant
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2009
- Location
- Hutto, TX
I've been trying to make sense of the total mess of McLemore's Cove a week or so before the Battle of Chickamauga, where Bragg had a chance to attack an isolated portion of the Union Fourteenth Corps and destroy it, but the attempt was botched because of the strange incompetence or insubordination of his division commanders. Thanks to the exhaustive detail of Thomas Lawrence Connelly's book Autumn of Glory, I have a pretty good picture of what happened on the Confederate side, but (as his work is a history of the Army of Tennessee) Connelly doesn't look at the event from the Union point of view.
This is what I can see.
On September 9, Thomas meets with Rosecrans, telling him to stop or slow the advance of the Army of the Cumberland and consolidate before moving forward. Rosecrans, getting a bit carried away with success, insists that the offensive continue and orders Thomas to move the Fourteenth Corps through Stevens Gap and Dug Gap towards Lafayette. Thomas disagrees but leaves to carry out his orders.
Sometime on the morning of the 10th, Negley halts the advance of his division when he discovers that Dug Gap is held in force. Thomas arrives and agrees with the decision of his division commander, notifying Rosecrans. Rosecrans is upset and warns Thomas that the halt is placing the other two corps (Crittenden to the north and McCook to the south) in danger. At some point in the afternoon, information is brought in (by local Unionists?) that the Confederates are in heavy force on the other side of Dug Gap.
Sometime on the 11th, Thomas orders Negley to fall back to Stevens Gap.
There just seems to be a lot that I am missing. Can anyone help me out?
This is what I can see.
On September 9, Thomas meets with Rosecrans, telling him to stop or slow the advance of the Army of the Cumberland and consolidate before moving forward. Rosecrans, getting a bit carried away with success, insists that the offensive continue and orders Thomas to move the Fourteenth Corps through Stevens Gap and Dug Gap towards Lafayette. Thomas disagrees but leaves to carry out his orders.
Sometime on the morning of the 10th, Negley halts the advance of his division when he discovers that Dug Gap is held in force. Thomas arrives and agrees with the decision of his division commander, notifying Rosecrans. Rosecrans is upset and warns Thomas that the halt is placing the other two corps (Crittenden to the north and McCook to the south) in danger. At some point in the afternoon, information is brought in (by local Unionists?) that the Confederates are in heavy force on the other side of Dug Gap.
Sometime on the 11th, Thomas orders Negley to fall back to Stevens Gap.
There just seems to be a lot that I am missing. Can anyone help me out?