第69章

With night the fighting ceased, and the troops, worn out after the marching of the night before--moving from the right to the extreme left--and the heavy fighting of the day, slept on their arms, awaiting the heavier conflict of the morrow.Though weary, the troops were in most excellent spirits, and confident of final victory.It was known throughout the army that we had been fighting during the day largely superior forces.That Bragg had been heavily re-enforced from Mississippi and East Tennessee, and by Longstreet's command from Virginia, and that the enemy was fighting most desperately.

Bragg's great aim had been to conceal his main attack on our left by the feint on the centre, and supposed that our centre on the morning of the 19th was still at Lee and Gordon's Mills.Presuming this to be the case, Bragg had massed heavily on our left, intending to repeat his movement made on our right at Murfreesboro.His plan contemplated the breaking of our left, sweeping it before him in broken masses, crushing our centre, and destroying our right, and then occupying the road to Chattanooga in force he would have the Federal army completely in his power.The movement made by Croxton compelled Bragg to open the battle in heavy force on the left, before his troops had secured the positions assigned them, and then, to his surprise, he found that during the night our left had been greatly prolonged, and that Rosecrans was in force, occupying a position far to the north of what he had been led to expect.During the night Bragg ordered up by forced marches all reinforcements arriving by railroad.Three brigades of fresh troops reached the enemy during the night, and were placed in line early in the morning of the 20th.These, with the troops ordered late the day before from the east bank of the Chickamauga, gave Bragg a large number of fresh troops, which he placed in line of battle on the 20th.

During the night Bragg summoned his generals to meet him at his camp fire, and there gave them orders for the following day.He divided his entire force into two commands, to which he assigned his senior Lieutenant-Generals Longstreet and Polk.The former--who had reported during the night--to the left, composed of six divisions where his own troops were stationed, and the latter continuing in his command of five divisions on the right.Bragg's plan of battle for the 20th was for Polk to assault in force, with Breckinridge's division on his extreme right at day-dawn, when the attack was to be taken up rapidly in succession by the divisions to his left.

The left wing was to await the movement on the right, and when the attack was made there to take it up promptly.When the entire line became engaged it was to move forward vigorously and persistently throughout its entire length, the whole army wheeling on Longstreet's left as a pivot, but constantly pressing our left to get possession of the road to Chattanooga.

The battle of the 19th was a series of brilliant charges and counter-charges, in favor of first one side and then the other.

During the day our troops, at times broken and driven by the enemy, always promptly rallied and drove the rebels in disorder to their lines by brilliant and effective dashes, moving to the attack with vigor and determination.In the main the results of the day were in our favor.Bragg had been forced to fight before he was in position, and had been foiled in his attempt to secure the roads, which on the evening of the 19th remained even more securely in our possession than before, fully protected on both flanks by our cavalry.As this was the object of the severe conflict of the 19th, that day's fighting was a success for our arms, both the Rossville and the Dry Valley roads being firmly held by our troops that night.

But the battle was not yet over.During the night Rosecrans assembled his corps commanders at his headquarters at the Widow Glenn's house, and after a consultation with them on the state and condition of their commands, gave orders for the disposition and movements of the troops for the next day.The divisions of Thomas's corps, with those which had re-enforced him, to hold the road to Rossville, in the same position as then occupied by them in line of battle, with Brannan in reserve.McCook, with Sheridan's and Davis's divisions was to maintain his picket line until it was attacked and driven back.His left division--Davis's--was to close on Thomas, and to have his right refused covering the position at Widow Glenn's house.Crittenden was to hold two divisions, Wood's and Van Cleve's, in reserve near where the line of McCook and Thomas joined to reinforce the front line as needed.

During the night Thomas received word from Baird on the extreme left, that the left of his division did not reach the road to Reed's Ridge, as had been anticipated.Thomas immediately requested that Negley's division be ordered to report to him to take position on Baird's left and rear, securing this flank from assault.At daylight Rosecrans, riding the line, ordered Negley to join Thomas at once, and directed McCook to relieve Negley, who was on the front line.