The Battle of Chickamauga was fought September 19-20, 1863, along Chickamauga Creek on the Georgia-Tennessee border. Although Confederate General Braxton Bragg and his Army of Tennessee are generally credited with defeating the Army of the Cumberland under Federal General William S. Rosecrans, the overwhelming tactical victory actually belonged to General James Longstreet and the two divisions he brought with him from the Army of Northern Virginia, who turned the tide of battle on the second day.
Texas troops made up part of Longstreet's Corps (General John Bell Hood's famed Texas Brigade) and were also part of the Army of Tennessee under General Patrick Cleburne.
"Chickamauga," the creek that gave the battle its name, means "River of Death" in the local Indian dialect.
This poem is dedicated to the men of the 7th Texas Infantry, who distinguished themselves on the field at Chickamauga and left many of their number behind in battlefield graves.
"Chickamauga"