The Armies Engage

The Battle of Chickamauga began here on September 19, 1863, in the field adjacent to Jays Sawmill. At dawn, Union Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas ordered two brigades to move eastward to this location to capture a supposedly isolated Confederate brigade. At 7:30 a.m. the Union units collided with the Confederate cavalry of Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest positioned along the edges of the field. Surprised by the Federals, Forrest ordered his cavalry to attack, delaying the Union advance until help arrived. As Confederate infantry moved in to support Forrest, additional Union units joined the fight, and a major battle had begun. Colonel John Croxton, one of the Union commanders sent to capture the isolated brigade, now faced four or five brigades. Amid the confusion, Croxton dispatched a note to General Thomas asking facetiously which of the Confederate brigades in his front he was supposed to capture.

Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia · United States