A Little of Chickamauga

Ambrose Bierce

The history of that awful struggle is well known--I have not the intention to record it here,

but only to relate some part of what I saw of it; my purpose not instruction, but

entertainment.

I was an officer of the staff of a Federal brigade. Chickamauga was not my first battle by

many, for although hardly more than a boy in years, I had served at the front from the

beginning of the trouble, and had seen enough of war to give me a fair understanding of it.

We knew well enough that there was to be a fight: the fact that we did not want one would

have told us that, for Bragg always retired when we wanted to fight and fought when we

for possession of a road.

Back along this road raced Crittenden's corps, with those of Thomas and McCook, which

had not before traversed it. The whole army was moving by its left.

There was sharp fighting all along and all day, for the forest was so dense that the hostile

lines came almost into contact before fighting was possible. One instance was particularly

horrible. After some hours of close engagement my brigade, with foul pieces and exhausted

cartridge boxes, was relieved and withdrawn to the road to protect several batteries of

artillery--probably two dozen pieces--which commanded an open field in the rear of our

line. Before our weary and virtually disarmed men had actually reached the guns the line in

front gave way, fell back behind the guns and went on, the Lord knows whither. A moment

his feet, and so thickly were all covered with dust that they looked as if they had been

reclothed in yellow.

"We bury our dead," said a gunner, grimly, though doubtless all were afterward dug out, for

some were partly alive.

To a "day of danger" succeeded a "night of waking." The enemy, everywhere held back

from the road, continued to stretch his line northward in the hope to overlap us and put

himself between us and Chattanooga. We neither saw nor heard his movement, but any man

with half a head would have known that he was making it, and we met by a parallel

movement to our left. By morning we had edged along a good way and thrown up rude

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intrenchments at a little distance from the road, on the threatened side. The day was not

very far advanced when we were attacked furiously all along the line, beginning at the left.

When repulsed, the enemy came again and again--his persistence was dispiriting. He

seemed to be using against us the law of probabilities: for so many efforts one would

eventually succeed.

which his train lay and overlooking the ground. We did so, when to my astonishment I saw

the entire country in front swarming with Confederates; the very earth seemed to be moving

toward us! They came on in thousands, and so rapidly that we had barely time to turn tail

and gallop down the hill and away, leaving them in possession of the train, many of the

wagons being upset by frantic efforts to put them about. By what miracle that officer had

sensed the situation I did not learn, for we parted company then and there and I never again

saw him.

By a misunderstanding Wood's division had been withdrawn from our line of battle just as

the enemy was making an assault. Through the gap of a half a mile the Confederates

charged without opposition, cutting our army clean in two. The right divisions were broken

done, including the commander of the army. We could hear Thomas's guns going--those of

us who had ears for them--and all that was needful was to make a sufficiently wide detour

and then move toward the sound. I did so myself, and have never felt that it ought to make

me President. Moreover, on my way I met General Negley, and my duties as topographical

engineer having given me some knowledge of the lay of the land offered to pilot him back

to glory. I am sorry to say my good offices were rejected a little uncivilly, which I charitably

attributed to the general's obvious absence of mind. His mind, I think, was in Nashville,

behind a breastwork.

Unable to find my brigade, I reported to General Thomas, who directed me to remain with

him. He had assumed command of all the forces still intact and was pretty closely beset.

of troops were coming in behind us! The distance was too great, the atmosphere too hazy to

distinguish the color of their uniform, even with a glass. Reporting my momentous "find" I

was directed by the general to go and see who they were. Galloping toward them until near

enough to see that they were of our kidney I hastened back with the glad tidings and was

sent again, to guide them to the general's position.

It was General Granger with two strong brigades of the reserve, moving soldier-like toward

moments later Granger's force was put in on the right and the fighting was terrific!

By accident I now found Hazen's brigade--or what remained of it--which had made a half-

mile march to add itself to the unrouted at the memorable Snodgrass Hill. Hazen's first

remark to me was an inquiry about that artillery ammunition that he had sent me for.

It was needed badly enough, as were other kinds: for the last hour or two of that

interminable day Granger's were the only men that had enough ammunition to make a five

minutes' fight. Had the Confederates made one more general attack we should have had to

meet them with the bayonet alone. I don't know why they did not; probably they were short

of ammunition. I know, though, that while the sun was taking its own time to set we lived

up "the rebel yell." It was taken up successively and passed round to our front, along our

without hope. There was, however, a space somewhere at the back of us across which that

horrible yell did not prolong itself; and through that we finally retired in profound silence

and dejection, unmolested.

To those of us who have survived the attacks of both Bragg and Time, and who keep in

memory the dear dead comrades whom we left upon that fateful field, the place means

much. May it mean something less to the younger men whose tents are now pitched where,

with bended heads and clasped hands, God's great angels stood invisible among the heroes

in blue and the heroes in gray, sleeping their last sleep in the woods of Chickamauga.

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