terrible work of Buckner's battery. McCook was hurled back to the right and, with the exception of one brigade of Wood's, Crittenden's corps was broken in pieces. Thomas had formed his line of battle in a semi-circular position, with the right at the Gap, as the arc of the circle, and a hill near its center forming the key to the position. His left rested on the Lafayette road. At this point the troops which had hurled back the Rebel right in the morning were rallied, together with portions of Sheriden's and other divisions.

Longstreet, sweeping onward with a career checked during the day, now hurled his battalions against this position. But Thomas, intrenched behind his earthworks, held the Ridge securely against every assault of the enemy and sent him back with terrible repulse. About mid-afternoon, the Confederate columns began pouring through a break in the Union right flank, but Granger with his reserves reaching the field at this time, succeeded in pushing them back.

The storm of battle now broke over Thomas and his stalwart men on Missionary Ridge with greater fury than before. His troops, formed in two battlelines, advanced to the crest of the Ridge and delivered their volleys in rotation. As the deadly rifle-blast of one line blazed out on the air with terrible accuracy, the men, falling back a little, dropped on the ground to re-load, while the second line marched to the crest and discharged their fire into the ranks of the enemy. With desperate valor the Confederates came forward again and again to take by assault this

strong position; but their efforts were in vain. The division of Preston succeeded in partly ascending the hill, but was swept back as the previous attacking divisions had been, with repulse and loss.

At last, as twilight darkened the bloody field, the enemy retired beyond the range of our artillery, and Thomas was master of the situation. The troops of McCook and Crittenden had by this time retired within the defences of Chattanooga, and during the night Thomas fell back to Rossville, "where, on the twenty-first, he offered battle to the enemy, who, however, declined to renew the contest. Accordingly, on the night of the twenty-first he withdrew his troops into Chattanooga." The total Union loss in this battle of Chickamauga, in killed, wounded, and missing, was fifteen thousand eight hundred and fifty-one men. Thirty-six guns, twenty caissons, and several thousand small arms and infantry accoutrements were also lost, besides two thousand prisoners captured. The Rebel loss, as stated by themselves, was over eighteen thousand.

In this bloody battle of Chickamauga, it was afterwards well known that the enemy largely outnumbered us. General Rosecrans, in a letter written concerning the battle, says: -"we fought against terrible odds," and estimates the number opposed to him in battle at ninety-three thousand. He also says that a "Union merchant of Chattanooga who was at Marietta when the foe were advancing on us, tried to send me word, and subsequently saw and told me that the enemy had reënforced Bragg with thirty thousand under Longstreet and twenty-five thousand

under Joe Johnston, in addition to which Governor Brown had fifteen thousand Georgia militia; and so confident were they of overwhelming us that the Kentucky and Tennessee Rebel refugees at Marietta had hired conveyances and loaded their household goods, expecting to follow their victorious hosts back into Tennessee and Kentucky.

"I could add much more corroborative evidence to show that the brave and devoted Army of the Cumberland sustained and successfully resisted the utmost power of a veteran Rebel army, filled with the spirit of emulation and hope, and more than one-half larger than itself-inflicted on it much more damage than we received, and held the coveted objective point, Chattanooga.

"What we attempted, we accomplished. We took Chattanooga from a force nearly as large as our own, and held it after our enemy had been reënforced by as many men as we had in our whole command.”

After the occupation of this point by the Union army, the passes of Lookout Mountain were taken possession of by the Confederates, which, together with the capture of McMinnville, almost completely cut off Rosecrans from his base.

Why Bragg left so many public buildings standing in Chattanooga-so many depots of supply, and all his hospitals, besides two steamboats, was cause for much speculation and wonder among the Union troops when they entered that city; but these things made it evident that his evacuation of Chattanooga was only a temporary movement.

Owing to faulty dispositions of troops, the battle

of Chickamauga lost to Rosecrans the confidence of his Government. He was shorn also of his former prestige, and the public dissatisfaction brought about a change of commanders. It is a difficult question to answer, whether he could have avoided a battle: or, having changed the scene of conflict to Chattanooga, whether a battle fought there would have brought about more favorable results.

Unlooked for contingencies sometimes arise in the best laid plans of men and mice which overturn their most reasonable calculations. To ask whether certain events, had they happened, would be more fruitful in good results than certain other events which did transpire, is like propounding the riddle of the Sphinx.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

BRISTOE.

Condition of Meade's Army.-"Going Home to Vote."-Lee's Advance.-Cavalry Encounter.-Roast Lamb and Coffee Left Behind. -Order for Retreat.-Fight at James City.-Incidents of the Day.On to Washington.-Stuart Hemmed in at Catlett's Station--The Pine Thicket.—The Concealed Force.-Hill Entangled.-Battle of Bristoe.-Sharp Fighting.-The Confederates Beaten.-Lee in Full Retreat.-The Campaign Ended.

A

FTER the memorable battle of Gettysburg, Lee retired to the south bank of the Rapidan, where, from the first days of July until October tenth, he remained comparatively inactive save in strengthening his resources and recruiting his army. About a month previous to this date, some new dispositions of troops in the Army of the Potomac were supposed to indicate a forward movement on the part of General Meade; but all was quiet along the Potomac until the middle of the month of October.

Meantime, on account of important military movements in Tennessee, reënforcements from Meade's army had been sent to help Rosecrans in his Southwestern battles, and the autumn elections of Ohio and Pennsylvania caused a large number of troops to be furloughed in the interest of the freeman's right of elective franchise. Lee, taking advantage of this state of affairs, and despite the fact that Longstreet