Newspaper Page Text
2
they bivouacked on the hills near by.
About 3 a. m., on the morning of
the 27th, Gen. Cleburne received or
ders from Gen. Bragg to take astrong
position’in the gorge of the mountains
jso as to prevent the pursuit of the ene
my, and to allow our trains and rear
troops to get well advanced. The en
emy had pushed us hard, the evening
before, shelling our trains, and the gal
lant Maney, in a tight at Graysville,
who was covering our retreat with his
brigade on that road, had been severe
ly wounded. The safety of the whole
army now depended on the action of
the Stonewall of our army, Gen. Cle
burne, or, as the boys love to call him,
‘ Old Pat,’ who, as upon all occasions
was found equal to the emergency.
To fully understand the position occu
pied by Gen. Cleburne, and the heroic
defense made by his troops, a descrip
tion of the battle ground is necessary.
The town of Ringgold is situated on
the Western and Atlantic railroad,
about twenty miles southeast of Chat
tanooga. It formerly contained a pop
ulation of two thousand inhabitants,
but is now almost totally deserted. It
stands on a plain between the East
Chickamauga river and the range of
hills rising up immediately in the rear
of the town, running nearly north and
south, and known as Taylor’s Ridge.
Opposite the town, the ridge is inter
sected by a narrow gap which admits
the railroad, a wagon-road and a good
sized creek, a tributary of the Chicka
mauga. The creek hugs the southern
most or left-hand hills as you face Ring
gold, the wagon and railroad running
close to the creek. The gap widens
out at its western mouth next to Ring
gold to a breadth of over a hundred
yards, leaving room for a patch of lev
el, wooded land on each side of the
roads. The gap is also about a half
a mile through, but the plain immedi
ately in front of its east or rear mouth
is so cut up by the windings of the
creek that three bridges or fords have
to be crossed in the first half mile of
the read leading from the gap to Dal
ton.
It will at once be perceived that this
was a most dangerous position to be
caught in, if the enemy should succeed
in turning either flank. The gap and
the hills on either hand are thickly
wooded, except the base of the right
hand hill, along which, next to the
town, a heavy fringe of young timber
extends from the gap northward for
three or four hundred yards. Behind
this fringe of trees Gen. Cleburne
placed two regiments of Smith’s Texas
brigade, the 6th, 10th, and 15th Tex
as consolidated, Captain John R. Ken
nard, commanding, on the left; and
the 17th, 18th, 24th and 25th Texas
dismounted cavalry, consolidated, com
manded by Maj. W. A. Taylor, on
the right, Col. H. B. Gran berry, of
the 7th Texas, commanding the brig
ade. The 7th Texas, commanded by
Captain C. E. Tailey, was sent to the
top of the right-hand hill, with instruc
tions to keep out of view and to watch
well the right flank of its brigade at
he foot. On the precipitous hill to
THE GREAT KENNESAW ROUTE GAZETTE.
the left of the gap and the creek was
placed the 16th Alabama, Major F.
A. Ashford, commanding, of Lowry’s
Alabama and Mississippi brigade, with
orders to conceal itself and watch well
the left flank. On the face of the hill
fronting Ringgold, three companies of
the 6th and 7th Arkansas, consolidat
ed, of Liddell’s Arkansas brigade, un
der command of Lieutenant Dulin, of
General Liddell’s staff, were also put
in position. For the defence of the
gap itself was posted the rest of the
Arkansas brigade, under Colonel D.
C. Govan.
In the small ravine ru ning across the
mouth of the gap from the right-hand
hill to the railroad embankment, the
sth and 13th Arkansas, consolidated,
under Col. J no. E. Murray, were
formed. The Bth and 9th Arkansas,
under Col. A. S. Hutchinson, were
posted fifty paces in the rear and par
allel with the former regiment. The
6th and 7th Arkansas, under Lt. Col.
Petei- Snyder, and the 2d, 15th and
24th Arkansas, under Lt. Col. E.
Warfield, at suitable distances in the
Sta ‘ MAP OF
Sg Zfiw -CHATTANOOGA-
TTANOOGA;] / AND VICINITY,
—-- AA
F- 1 0 SCALE OP MILES. 3 4
- -• . a '
B«it!e <.i’U nhlucAX Chickamauga’S^^fev/ 1
yx A '' ' ; %-X-Battle, \<»v. 2(5,/
\ Cuncord Cli. ’ U ,
Z'Batdc uiIIQHK tile ('lends. Th Th au ' .•
Mission Mill f
-Ax /OTlXfry ChiekamauL’a or a;; A ...
7 . ATXf
AA s -
A e A A < ( ADA
b'4? 5 ■ A - Min (Uh/? sA \ wifi
C G AaA'A ; "X A? AAAL '.< crGW
ysauMiZTq Tfe- ■Au f
// -A Ca 1 S^ lu /cAG - JaXWG
; Mil) U j
maithiws, Northrup & co., art-printing works, buffalo, n. Y.
rear, and covered as well as the na
ture of the ground would permit, thus
making four short lines of defence
across the gap. A body of skirmish
ers from these regiments occupied the
patch of woods at the mouth of the
gap and on the left of the railroad and
that portion of the bank of the creek
close to it.
In front of the mouth of the gap,
supported by Govan’s foremost regi
ment in the ravine, was placed a sec
tion of Semple’s battery, two Napo
leon guns, commanded by Lt. Gold
thwaite, and which were screened in
front by brushwood, so as to conceal
them from view, the artillerymen shel
tering themselves in the ravine. The
balance ©f Lowry’s brigade, consisting
of the 32d and 45th Mississippi regi
ment, under Col. A. B. Hardcastle,
the 33d Alabama, Col. Sam. Adams,
and the 45th Alabama, Lt Col. D.
H. Lampley, were placed in reserve
in the center of the gap. A portion
of Polk’s Tennessee and Arkansas brig
ade, with Gen. Cleburne’s divis
ion, consisting of the Ist Arkansas,
Col. J. W. Colquitt; 2d Tennessee,
Col. W. D. Robinson, and the 3d and
sth Confederate, Lt. Col. J. C. Cole,
were ordered to take position near the
mouth of the gap, with instructions to
prevent the enemy from turning our
right Hank.
Scarcely had these dispositions been
made, and which hardly occupied half
an hour, before the enemy’s cavalry
were reported crossing the Chicka
mauga, and driving our small cavalry
force before them. Soon after our re
treating cavalry came through the gap
at a trot, and the valley in front was
clear of our troops, but close in the
rear of the ridge, our immense wagon
train.was still in full view, struggling
B
through the fords of the creek and the
deep cut up roads leading to Dalton.
Cleburne’s division was the only bar
rier between it and the Hushed and
eager advance of the pursuing Federal
army. Silent, cool, and ready, our
troops lay concealed in their position.
A little after 8 o’clock a. m. the ene
my’s skirmishers came in view. Advanc
ing boldly, they opened fire, under cov
er of which the enemy immediately
formed his lines of battle, and with’the
utmost decision and celerity moved
against the ridge on - the right of the
gap. This attack was made with such
dexterity and confidence, that the en
emy seemed to be acting on a precon
certed plan, and no doubt had guides,
if not well knowing, previously, them
selves, the nature of the country. As
his first line moved toward the ridge,
its right Hank became exposed, at can
ister range to our artillery in the mouth
of the gap, which immediately opened
on them rapidly, breaking the right of
their line entirely, and compelling
them to seek shelter under the railroad
embankment. Further to the left the
enemy continued to advance and made
a heavy attack on the right-hand ridge.
Continuing to advance in the face of
a deadly fire from Maj. Taylor’s regi
ment, with the determination to turn
the right flank of the Texas brigade,
Maj. Taylor deployed skirmishers up
the hill, at right-angles to the enemy’s
line of battle, and held him in check
while he informed Col. Cranberry of
the state of affairs.
Colonel Cranberry immediately sent
two companies of his left regiment to
reinforce his right, and Maj. Taylor
with three companies of his own regi
ment then charged down the hill upon
the enemy, completely routing him,
and capturing nearly 100 prisoners and
the colors of the 29th Missouri regi
ment. In the meantime, the enemy
was moving another line of battle some
distance beyond our right, with the
view of ascending the ridge in that
quarter. Gen. Cleburne instantly or
dered Gen. Polk to ascend the ridge
and repulse the enemy. Gen. Polk,
however, having already learned the
enemy’s intentions, anticipated the or
der, and led the Ist Arkansas up the
hill, meeting the enemy’s skirmishers
within a few yards of the top. Polk
was soon assisted by the invincible 7th
Texas, and after an obstinate fight the
enemy was driven down the hill with
•/
great loss.
By this time large bodies of the en
emy had crossed the Chickamauga,
and it was manifest that a desperate
attack was soon to be made on our
right. Gen. Lowry was ordered to
move his command up the hill and sus
tain Brigadier-Gen. Polk in defending
that position. Moving rapidly ahead
of his command, Gen. Lowry, on
reaching ? the top of the hill, found the
Ist Arkansas again hotly engaged, but
heroically holding its ground against,
superior numbers. Assuring the reg
iment that support was at hand, Low
ry soon brought up the 32d and 45th
Mississippi in double quick, and at this
critical moment.opened a telling Are on
the foe, who again gave way and were
routed down the hill in great confu
sion.
The enemy was constantly reinforc
ing, and now prepared to make anoth
er powerful eHbrt to crown the ridge,
still further to the right. Seeing this,
Lowry brought up the two remaining
regiments of his brigade, and Polk al
so two other regiments of his command.
A peculiarity of Taylor’s Ridge is the
wavy conformation of its north side.
The enemy, moving up in a long line
of battle, suddenly concentrated oppo
site one of the depressions in this wavy
surface, and rushed up it in heavy col
umn. Gen. Polk, with the assistance
of Gen. Lowry, as quickly concentrat
ed a double line opposite this point, at
the same time placing the 2d Tennes
see in such a position as to command the
Hank of any force emerging from it.
Our troops nobly met the charge of
the enemy, who rebounded at the solid
Hre poured into their ranks, hundreds
falling dead at their feet, while the bal
ance of the column again fled in ter
ror down the hill. The Ist Arkansas
captured the colors of the 76th Ohio,
and a number of prisoners. Their con
stancy and courage never were exceed
ed. In this struggle it was really a
hand to hand fight, the officers ©f this
regiment fighting with pistols and with
rocks, many of the enemy being knock
ed down with the latter and captured.
While our troops on the right were
thus engaged, the enemy attempted
to turn our extreme left, and for this,
purpose sent a brigade of three regi-
