Today in History:

625 Series I Volume XXX-I Serial 50 - Chickamauga Part I

Page 625 Chapter XLII. THE CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN.

THIRD DIVISION.

September 1.-The batteries of the Third Division marched from Dunlap, Tenn.

September 12.-Arrived at Lee and Gordon's Mills.

September 19 and 20.-Engaged the enemy, losing ten guns.

September 21 and 22.-Moved to Chattanooga and encamped.


No. 136.

Report of Brig. General Thomas J. Wood, U. S. Army, commanding First Division.


HDQRS. FIRST DIVISION, 21ST ARMY CORPS,
Chattanooga, East Tenn., September 29, 1863.

SIR: At early dawn of the morning of Sunday, the 16th August, I received an order to move with my division from Hillsborough, in Middle Tennessee, by the most practicable and expeditious route across the Cumberland Mountains to Therman, in the Sequatchie Valley. Wednesday evening, the 19th, was the time fixed for the division to arrive at the destination assigned to it. The Second Brigade (Wagner's) had for a month previously occupied Pelham, near the foot of the mountains, and General Wagner had been ordered to repair the road up the mountains known as the Park road. As the order of movement left to my discretion the route by which my division should cross the mountains, I determined to make the ascent by the Park road, thence to Tracy City, thence by Johnson's to Purdons, whence I would fall into the road leading from McMinnville by Altamont to Therman.

Immediately on receiving the order I dispatched instructions to General Wagner to commence the ascent of the mountains, and to insure his being out of the way of the other two brigades, I directed he should continue the work of getting up his train during the night of the 16th. This was done, and early in the morning of the 17th, the road being free, the First and Third Brigades, with their baggage trains and the ammunition and supply trains of the division, began to ascend the mountains. The work was continued unintermittingly through the day and entire night of the 17th, and by 10 o'clock of the 18th the whole was up. Wagner's brigade had advanced to Tracy City Monday morning, the 17th, with orders to move forward as far as the Therman and Anderson road.

On Tuesday, the 18th, I allowed the First and Third Brigades (Buell's and Harker's) to rest till 1 p.m., and the Therman road to Therman Wednesday morning, select a good encampment and await my arrival there with the other two brigades and heavy trains. The distance from Tracy City to Therman is 28 miles, which had to be accomplished in one day with First and Third Brigades, their batteries, and the trains, to be at the rendezvous assigned me at the designated time.

At 4 a.m. on the 19th the march was commenced, and a little after nightfall the brigades encamped at Therman. The order for the general movement directed me to take with me ten days' subsistence

40 R R-VOL XXX, PT I


Page 625 Chapter XLII. THE CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN.