10 A -
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER IB, 1DM
ML.UtmU.ii MAIL 'JKIBLlNK, AibtlUMD, OKKCIUN
THIS
WAS THE
CIVIL WAR
HEAVY CASUALTIES On Sept. 19-20, 1863,
two tough Western armies fought one of the
bloodiest battles of the Civil War the battle
of Chickamauga. It was a confused and bitter
fight with heavy casualties on both sides. It
ended in a defeat for the North with its armies
pushed back to Chattanooga. Yet it was to be a
costly victory for the South. Union casualties
totaled 16,170; the Confederate toll was
16.454. This drawing, from the Library of
Congress collection, depicts action on a bridge
across the creek. (UPI)
The Battle of Chickamauga
By MEFITON T. AKERS
UPI Correspondent
Two tough western armies
fought one of the bloodies bat
tles of the Civil War on Sept.
19-20, 1863, along Chickamauga
Creek, which the Cherokee In
dians called "The River of
Death."
It was a confused and bitter
fight, this battle of Chicka
mauga, fought south of Chatta
nooga, Tenn., m the northern
Georgia hills on wooded land
broken here and there by farm
clearings. The fighting was
fierce, casualties heavy. There
was gallantry enough for all
Often it has been called "the
soldiers' battle" because it was
fought piecemeal in the woods
where frequently captains and
lieutenants were giving the or
ders and commanders more oft
en than not were unaware of
the position of their own or the
enemy's units.
After two days of fighting
Chickamauga Creek was indeed
The Kivcr ot Death
The battle had its paradox,
too.
Union Hern
The Union hero was a Vir
ginian in blue, Maj. Gen. George
H. Thomas who had cast his lot
with the North at the war's
start. The Confederate hero was
an Ohioan in gray, Brig. Gen.
Bushrod 11. Johnson, who had
chosen the South.
The battle had been brewing
for weeks.
Maj. Gen. William S. Ilo.se
crans' Federal Army of the
Cumberland had maneuvered
Gen. Braxton Bragg's Army of
Tennessee out of Chattanooga.
Rosecrans nearly had ended
up disastrously before Chicka
mauga by dispersing his force
and pursuing a "retreating"
Confederate army that wasn't
retreating.
On Sept. 1R the armies were
poised for battle, the Federals
on the west side of Chickamau
ga Creek, the Confederates on
the cast.
Superior Numbers
Figures differ but Bragg out
numbered Rosecrans, one of the
few times in the war when the
South went into battle with su
perior numbers. The most au
thoritative counts give Uose-
sitions of the other s troops.
The battle lines were about six
miles long.
No Escape From Cove
Bragg's plan was to strike the
Federal left wing, roll it back
on the center and right, there
by driving the Union army into
McLomore's Cove, a valley be
tween Missionary Ridge and
Pigeon Mountain. There was no
escape from McLcmore's Cove.
If penned there Rosecran's
army would have to surrender
or die.
But on the 19th the Federals
attacked first. Thomas, com
manding the Union left, early
in the morning sent a division
to reconnoiter toward Chicka
mauga Creek where a Confed
erate brigade was reported to be
isolated, First they encountered
Gray cavalry fighting dismount
ed, then infantry.
Instead of a brigade that was
supposed to be isolated it turn
ed out to be a division. The Fed
erals hit it on the flank and
broke it. The Confederates
brought up more men and
flanked and broke the Federals
in turn.
Rosecrans committed more
divisions from the center and
richl as the pressure increased
and the fighting spread along
the lines.
By dark every division of the
three-corps Federal army had
been in the fight. Only two Con
federate divisions were not en
gaged. Two-thirds of Rosecrans'
army now had come under the
command of Thomas.
The Confederates made some
gains that day but took a mauling.
Night came on an eerie
night from eyewitness accounts,
with squads tramping in the
woods looking for water or
wounded comrades. Only star
light came through the holes
in Ihe battle smoke and Ihe oc
casional flash of a gun lighted
a clearing lleetmgly.
tomorrow would tell the talc,
soldiers told one another as they
bedded down, 1 nomas with an
oak tree root for a pillow.
Plans Laid for Eight
About midnight Longstrcet
arrived and woke up Bragg
They laid plans for the next
day's fight. Longslreet would
crans 58,222 effective hoops and comand Ihe left. Lt. (ion. Leo-
Bragg 66,326. Part of Bragg s i nidas Polk, an Episcopal bishop,
troops came from the Army of
Northern Virginia and was
commanded by Lt. Gen. James
Longstrcet, senior corps com
mander of Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Bragg's margin of victory was
Longstrcet and his troops al
though only about 5.000 had ar
rived in time for the battle.
Preliminary fighting began on
Sept. 18 when Bragg stalled
pushing his army across the
bridges of Chickamauga Creek
which was too deep to ford in
most places. Federal cavalry
opposed the crossings. 11 was
late in the afternoon when the
Confederates finally forced
Reed's Bridge. Bluecoaled cav
alrymen repulsed the Confeder
ates at Alexander's Bridge and
dismantled it, forcing Bragg's
men to use a ford.
The fighting on the 18lh was
brisk but merely a curtain rais
er for the bloody two days to
come.
Bolh sides spent the night of
Sept. 18 19 shifting troops.
Rosecrans extended his line to
the left until it overlapped the
Confederate right but neither
commander knew the exact H-
the right
The dawn was foggy, some of
it battle smoke, some morning
mist.
Bragg attacked from his right
lo left starting about 9 a.m. that
Sunday morning.
The first assault hil Thomas
His troops slood and (ought but
were pressed. He called for
more men. Rosecrans ordered
up reinforcements.
Here "Old Rosy" made a mis
take that was to be fatal.
Mistakenly, he ordered a bri
gade commanded by Brig Gen.
T. J. Wood to support another
on the left.
He misnamed Ihe brigade lo
be supported. Wood, taking the
order at face value, pulled his
brigade out of Ihe line and mov
ed toward the position indica
ted Thai lefl a hole in Ihe line.
Purely by chance Longstrcet
chose that moment to attack
and at exactly the point vaca-
ted by Wood. !
Bushrod Johnson led Long- i
street's troops in the attack. He
found no opposition and broke
through. The drive cut the
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Army of the Cumberland in two
the right Horn the lett llank
The Federal right broke and
streamed back, the panic snow
balling. The Confederates pour
ed in more troops and the Fed'
erals on that flank headed back
for Chattanooga. That left
Thomas isolated on the left and
fighting for his life. The break
through occurred about noon.
Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger,
commanding a small Federal
corps held in reserve, heard the
firing and concluded Thomas
needed help. He marched to the
sound of the guns without spe
cific orders and reached the
embattled Thomas in the nick
of time.
All afternoon Thomas fought
off attack after attack up
wards of 25 first and last
with his own troops, Granger's
and as many fugitives as he
could corral.
Began Orderly Retreat
As the sun was setting he be
gan an orderly retreat back
through Rossville Gap and to
Chattanooga.
Rosecrans lost control of his
army at the. breakthrough and
rode back to Chattanooga with
the fugitives, dazed and defeat
ed, an act that had much lo do
with his eventually being reliev
ed.
His chief of staff, Maj. Gen.
James A. Garfield, a future
President, rode back to Thomas
after the disaster with Rose
crans' order lo withdraw.
Garfield messaged back to
Rosecrans.
Thomas standing like a
rock."
Thereafter "Old Pap" Thom
as was the "Rock of Chicka
mauga."
Now that Rosecrans' army
was defeated but saved trom
complete route by Thomas,
Bragg wasted the next day get
ting reports and salvaging war
material.
That dclav enabled the Fed
erals to pull into Chattanooga
and to strengthen its detenses,
The price of Bragg's victory
and Rosecrans' defeat was high.
Union casualties were; Killed.
1,657; wounded, 9.976; missing.
4.757; total 16, 170. Confederate:
Killed, 2,312; wounded, 14,674;
missing, 1.468; total 18.454.
Deputy Kills Man
To Protect Officer
SEATTLE -tUPD- A King
county deputy sheriff shot and
killed' Robert H. Meligan, 51,
Kenmore, with a shotgun Sun
day after Meligan drew a bead
with a loaded rifle on another
deputy.
Officers gave this account of
the shooting:
Meligan struck his wife and
knocked her unconscious in a
garage back of their home, then
told his 16-yoar-old daughter to
call the sheriff s office and tell
them he had just killed his wife.
The girl did as she was told
Deputies William Jones and
Frank Illy answered Ihe call and
found Meligan sitting on a bench
outside Ihe home. Meligan load
ed and cocked his rifle, then ad
vanced toward the two officers.
Meligan forced the two dep
uties lo retreat down the drive
way, threatening them with his
rifle and swearing. Jones, who
had taken cover beside a park
ed sheriff's car. fired as Mel
igan raised the rifle to his
shoulder and drew a bead on
Bly. !
Mrs. Melican. who reonined I
consciousness before the shoot
ing, told officers her husband
had been drinking steadily since
Friday.
favorite "wrriiiiit vws
PARMA, Italy (I'PD Alfre
do Bruscato, the favorite, with
drew from the Parama Prov
invc automobile tour Sunday
when at starting time he found
his red-striped Aharth 850 had
been stolen.
Republican Governors
Hold First Meeting
DENVER (UPD-The Repub
lican Governors Association, a
new group dedicated to defeat
ing the Democrats, held its first
meeting Saturday with some
obvious overtones of presidential
politics.
Gov. Nelson Rockefeller of
New York was one of the 12
governors attending, and Gov.
Paul Fannin of Arizona, a vigor
ous supporter of Sen. Barry
Goldwater, (R-Ariz.), also was
there.
MADRuTTupn-Large sec
tions of Spain's northeast and
northwest coasts today cleaned
up after a week end of heavy
storms that took at least six
lives.
Krishna Menon's Return To Oratory Not Impressive
.tptn rr.'i in i i : - itmt t . . . . .... ......
NEW DELHI, India (UPI)
V. K. Krishna Mcnon, whose
sharp tongue once claimed a
worldwide audience, came out
of enforced obscurity recently
to defend his now-tarnished rec
ord before Parliament.
He was applauded mildly by
ne was saeKea as defense min
ister for failing to prepare India
against Communist Chinese ag
gression. Shrunk in Stature
During those nine months,
the veteran, 66-ycar-old politi
cian and diplomat has shrunk
Nehru as prime minister now is adequacy as leader of India
reduced to fighting local pre-1 military machine, a position he
cinct elections.
held for five years. He left his
The steep and rapid decline country so vulnerable to attack
his own ruling Congress party, I from tne strong right-hand of
but he was booed by the non
Communist opposition.
The oratory which formerly
swayed debates on international
issues in the United Nations
now made little impact in his
own national legislature.
The speech was Menon's first
major address before Parlia
ment in nine months since
Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru to a small voice on the
left in Nehru's Congress party.
The acid phrases which rever- j
berated across the world for
years from the United Nations
rostrum now are heard mostly
at neighborhood political meet
ings. The ambition which not
long ago aimed at succeeding
has been an humbling experi
ence for the former interna
tional figure who, aloof and
proud, snapped at his critics
and newsmen and defied Ameri
can and other Western leaders.
Since his decline, Menon has
tried to win friends in hopes
of organizing the Congress par
ty's left-wing into a potent po
litical force.
Inadequate Military Leader
The immediate reason for
Menon's downfall was his in-
that Red Chinese troops were
able to pentrate far into Indian
claimed territory last fall, creat
ing one of India's gravest crises.
The Chinese offensive showed
India's armed forces to be ill
equipped and poorly-trained.
Despite a friendship of nearly
three decades, Nehru found it
necessary to fire Menon last
November because of mounting
criticism.
Menon fell even more swiftly
than he rose. Where he former
ly commanded attention in the.
highest circles, his main plat
form now is his seat in Parlia
ment. He has represented a
North Bombay constituency for
the last six years.
FASTEST BEER DRINKERS
Baldock, England (UPI)-Mr.
and Mrs. Brian Robinson are
the fastest beer drinking couple
in North Hertfordshire. Robin
son won the men's division of a
charily beer drinking contest
Sunday when he downed threa
pints in 28 seconds. His wila
won the women's division by
finishing off a pint in 16 seconds.
11
ffijtf) g Gute rasefek fegeO :
KITCHEN (RAFT
All-purpose baking flour. The finest! 25-lb.
bag.
WESSON
OIL
Never covers the flavor of food. So truly lighll
38-oz. bottle.
IVORY
Pure, mild, personal size Ivory. Baby safe.
LIMIT TO
Ea.
Parkay. Spreads smoothly. 1-lb,
SAVE AT SAFEWAY
Rionnifp Ballard and Pillsbury
DloUUIld 8-oi. Pkg.
Margarine
Bleach Snowy, powdered. 16-oz. pkg
Bleach Snowy, powdered. 16-oz. Pkg
Cat Food orcancd mcfl' ,uni-
2 for 25c
29c
83c
59c
PRODUCE DEPARTMENT BUYS
lljl fk ik IV Safeway. Individually wrapped slices, Kv T
Lunch Im2:49c
a &wm M M XJ U IB bo VETWI W1I Vmf U M0
VOI I WWW 6-oz. Can I for
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Safeway's Own Mild Cure " ;rIFi
0011111.0 PSOSH 103
jy Mild flavored cabbage,
1, each 5
lb. VHav M
Cry-o-Vac wrapped lo protect delicate
flavor. Par-boil and bake like ham. Com
plcle instructions on label.
Turkey Drumsticks
Link Sausage
Boiling Beef
Short Ribs
Plump, meaty
Crado "A"
Puio pork links.
Safeway froh.
Plate. Full bcof nutrition
for economy dinner.
lean beef short
ribs. Bak or braisa.
lb.
19
29
Red Delicious Apples Fancy crisp
Seedless Grapes Thompson Swoct
Romainc Lettuce
or Rod. Frshl
5 lbs. $1
5 ibs $1
each IOC
Pricct effective Monday,
September 16 thru
Wednc1d.1v, September
IS it Satewjv in
Medford. Limit
Rights Reicrved-
SAVE MONEY, BY SAVING
GOLD BOND STAMPS