054 - ”The River of Death”: The Battle Of Chickamauga

About this episode: 

Just some fifteen miles south of Chattanooga - there in the northwest corner of Georgia - there runs a creek with a harsh name.  Indeed, its Cherokee or Creek origin means “River of Death.”  That name was never more appropriate than in mid-September 1863 when Union and Confederate armies fought as if the entire war hinged on its outcome.  In the end, it may well have, for all the circumstances that flowed from it.  This is the story of the second bloodiest day of the American Civil War.  This is the story of the Battle of Chickamauga.

 

Some Characters Mentioned In This Episode:

William Rosecrans

Braxton Bragg

Ambrose Burnside

George H. Thomas

Leonidas Polk

James A. Garfield

 

Additional Resources:

Morning, September 19th, 1863

 

Early Afternoon, September 19th, 1863

 

Late Afternoon to Dark, September 19th, 1863

 

9 a.m. to 11 a.m., September 20th, 1863

 

11 a.m. to Mid-Afternoon, September 20th, 1863

 

Mid-Afternoon to Dark, September 20th, 1863

 

Defense of Horseshoe Ridge and Union Retreat, Brigade Details

 

For Further Reading:

This Terrible Sound: The Battle Of Chickamauga by Peter Cozzens

 

Get The Guide:

Want to learn more about the Civil War? A great place to start is Fred's guide, The Civil War: A History of the War between the States from Workman Publishing. The guide is in its 9th printing.

 

**Title Image by Keith Rocco

**Map Images by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com

 

 

Producer: Dan Irving

 

Thank you to our sponsor Bob Graesser, Raleigh Civil War Round Table's editor of The Knapsack newsletter and the Round Table's webmaster at http://www.raleighcwrt.org