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Jacks River Trail (ssss1)

Chickamauga Battlefield

Civil War historian Shelby Foote wrote that among Civil War battles, Chickamauga was “not only the greatest battle of the West, but would also be, for the numbers engaged, the bloodiest of the war.” The wounded and killed included an estimated 16,170 Union soldiers and 18,454 Confederate soldiers. Despite their losses, the Rebels prevailed, though this would be their final major victory in the war.

Union Army headquarters site at Chickamauga Battlefield (ssss1)

This battle was part of the Union offensive in southern Tennessee and northwest Georgia to capture Chattanooga. As a railroad hub and important manufacturing center, Chattanooga was seen as a vital objective for the Federal forces.

In September 1863, the Union army of the Cumberland, led by Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans, moved toward Chattanooga, while the Confederate army of Tennessee, led by Gen. Braxton Bragg, set up on the bank of Chickamauga Creek and prepared to block the Union advance.